Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurant & Bar in Brighton, MA (by Gourmandette T)

I discovered tapas four years ago when I was living in Oxford. There was a little Spanish joint on a side street that also sold Navajo blankets and Swedish chairs. The setting was dark, colors all Aztec yellows and browns, the dishes all clay. And of course a good opinion, once made, is made forever. I’ve been craving those little Spanish dim sums cooked to miniature perfection, a variety that’s like a party on your plate, since that hole in the wall in Oxford. And, as luck would have it, there was one right down the street.

I called for reservations and a lovely hostess asked in accented English if she could help me. I asked for a seven o’clock reservation, and she explained they don’t take reservations after six thirty. Fair enough, so does it get really busy after six thirty? She stuttered, not sure how to answer, then unsure of an answer, ultimately just blanketly recommended I arrive before six thirty. We did, and found the place nearly empty.

The host was a friendly young man who promptly mis-seated us (he must’ve been a relative of the confused hostess I’d gotten on the phone before). The tables were all large and heavy wood, which gave a comfortable, secure feeling, that with the calm dim lighting and unobtrusive acoustics (even when the place filled, we had no problem hearing each other), provided a romantic and friendly environment. That, combined with the overpriced sangria (that was eight parts apple chunks, two parts cheap wine), made conversation pretty nice an’ easy, particularly when my fellow (lightweight) gourmandette polished off the sangria and a glass of Spanish red that stunk like nail polish remover, and reminded me of the cheap wine that gave me my first hangover.

Our food arrived in a timely manner, served on large white plates instead of clay dishes, much to my disappointment. (I love restaurants that provide “environment”, and I felt like the standard plating was detrimental to the illusion.) Not the best tapas in the world (or the best priced), but they were trying in both regards. The Patatas Bravas ($4.50), a must-have at any tapas place I go to, were yummilicious brushed in their spicy sauce and drizzled with a cooling aioli mayonnaise. The portobellos with shaved manchego ($5.95) were shaved thin and meaty with a side salad and sherry vinaigrette, a meal in itself. The Albondigas ($4.95), or tenderloin meatballs, were very nicely presented with thin shreds of fried potatoes, but were so dry not even their pretty bed of cream sauce could salvage them. A must-have are their goat cheese empanadas ($5.95) and their chorizo in puff pastry ($4.95), which were fatty – but let’s be honest, anything in puff pastry is amazing. Save room for dessert, because their bread pudding is to die for, and I don’t even like bread pudding. While they had a torte and flan, it would’ve been nice to see a few more Spanish delights on the dessert menu.

As dinner wound down, the waitress began to take plates from our table in a timely fashion, so much so we looked up to taste some more of that amazing bell pepper in sweet tomato sauce that came with the goat cheese empanadas just to find that it’d been swept away to the sinks already. But in a hurry to refill our water glasses even when we pushed them, empty and visible, to the edge of the table, the waitress was not. However, the owner does visibly pace the floor checking up on everyone, which gives a false sense of security seeing as she did not see that all of our glasses were empty or when we were ready to order. Still, it’s nice to see she cares.

Overall, I would recommend Tasca to anyone who likes tapas, but I wouldn’t rave. It’s pleasant to go once, but I’m still on the lookout for a tapas place I can frequent the way most people do pizza joints. But apparently many people far trendier than I enjoy Tasca, because as we left around seven thirty, people were packed nearly out the door waiting to get in, mostly 20-somethings with martinis. Though I get the feeling they go more so they can say they’re going to Tasca than because the tapas has won their hearts and stomachs.

THE PLACE: ****
THE FOOD: ****
THE PEOPLE: **
OVERALL: ***

HOW TO GET THERE:

Take the B Line towards Boston College, off at the Washington St. stop. It’s a brick building with black awnings, tucked inconspicuously beside a gas station.