Cuisine type: Spanish, Tapas
Atmosphere: quiet, cozy, small tables
Meal: dinner
Price range: ~$10-$15 / tapas plate
Overall grade: 7.5
Ben
An excellent tapas bar with a large selection and daily specials. While we don’t have a lot of experience with Tapas, we found all of the food to be beautifully assembled and very tasty. The server was a German lady with a lot of personality, who was very friendly and prompt server and chatted with us about local German restaurants and festivals. A bottle of San Pellegrino water is present on each table, it is optional to remove but we were surprised to find on the receipt that it set us back $7. The quantity and prices make the bill grow pretty quickly, but all three of our main courses (blood sausage, oxtail, and shrimp) were unique and well-prepared, worth the cost. The atmosphere could be better – it is a medium sized room stacked with tables and pretty brightly lit, but though the walls well adorned with various spanish artwork contributes to an overall pleasantness.
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 9
Value 7
Nina
On our first weekend night as working adults, we decided to skip on the Rachel Ray planned meal and head out on the town. What more appropriate place to go than downtown San Jose, which is a short 5 minute drive from our place and lively enough to provide a wide array of entertainment options. Looking for something unique to eat for dinner, we came across Picasso, a Spanish tapas restaurant. The decorations followed the restaurant namesake, with post-modernist art on every wall, but the atmosphere missed the mark - the table arrangement and the tables looked just a bit too austere to feel cozy. However, service was great, we were waited on by an older German lady who was very friendly and shared with us many tips on finding German hot spots in the area. We thus found out about an Oktoberfest festival taking place that Saturday, and a couple of German restaurants which we might try later.
The menu was quite varied and contained both traditional fare and more unique selections. We picked three dishes which covered a bit of every type of offering - ox tail stew, blood sausage and shrimp & mushroom. The flavors were rich, and the ingredients were very carefully chosen to complement each other. However, I found that the sauce was a little too greasy for my taste, I could see oil lingering on the plate once the food was gone, which did not make it too inviting to dip bread to clean up the plate (as I would usually be inclined to do).
I also ordered a glass of sangria, which was nothing to die for, but a simple, yet tasty red wine with apple and plum bits in it. The mineral water that I ordered next was surprisingly overpriced - a bottle of San Pellegrino which cost us 4 times more than its supermarket, but it completed the European dining experience.
This is the first tapas place I have ever tried, and I would probably go back for a shareable, pieced together meal. However, the atmosphere is not enough for a festive occasion, and the price a little too high for a full, hearty dinner.
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 6
Service 9
Value 7
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