Domestic Divas Blog: Divalicious Restaurant Reviews: Tasca

Monday, March 9, 2009

Divalicious Restaurant Reviews: Tasca

Diva Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5 stars)

One of my favorite trends in the restaurant biz has been the popularization of wine & tapas bars! I love small plates because because it allows me to try tons of great food without leaving me feeling weighed down. Combine that with great wines by the glass, and it just might be my vision of heaven. Earlier this month, I reviewed The Bazaar by Jose Andres, an uber modern take on tapas. Now I'm bringing you a review of one of my favorite neighborhood tapas bars in Los Angeles: Tasca. Tired of the hoopla of sceney LA places? Looking for a casual place where you can sidle up to the bar, have a glass of wine and great food? This is the place!

After receiving a sumptuous massage up the street (yes, it's important to take care of yourself), my boyfriend, Kuzak, informed me that he'd be working late. Still high off my massage, I figured I should save my stellar braised beef stew recipe for when he'd actually be home to appreciate it (stay tuned), so I walked up the block to Tasca to experience their Happy Hour, one of the best food values in LA. And, yes, I actually walked. And, yes again, I'm aware that this is a rarity in this city by the sea, but if it makes you feel any better, I drove my Prius to the massage, so the walking doesn't really count.

Immediately, I took a seat at the the long, shiny bar that takes up half the restaurant. One of the wine directors, Dave, came over to take my order. He poured me a nice Monastrell, a straight forward Spanish wine, priced at only $5 a glass for the Happy Hour. Browsing the Happy Hours tapas menu with the choices priced between $2.50 and $5, I ordered the salt cod croquetas, the house marinaded olives, the tortilla espanola and the garlic shrimp. The dishes came out quickly, all deeply flavored. I particularly loved the lightly fried salt cod croquetas. While I ate, Dave poured me tastes of a variety of unusual and reasonably priced wines by the glass including a wonderful Pinot Nero from Sicily and a lovely Chilean wine. On my way out, I placed an order to go for Kuzak, feeling bad that he missed out on my fun tapas evening, and also knowing that without help, he just might go to bed hungry. Very hungry. Since moving to California, he somehow lost the ability to feed himself. He can now only eat 1) chips and salsa or 2) any (cold) leftovers in Tupperware. That's right, he can't even manage to heat the leftovers up in the microwave.

When I arrived home satisfied and with dinner in hand for Kuzak, the Adorable Monster, after taking a huge stretch, asked me what I brought for him. Sadly, he had to settle for dog food as usual. Luckily, he probably loves it more than he'd love fancy tapas!