happy birthday in spanish
the place: tasca, 1612 comm ave, brighton
the date: monday, 05.04.09
the plan: birthday dinner
tapas always seems like a great idea for a birthday dinner. small, shareable, reasonably priced. but, somehow, every time I’ve been to a tapas birthday dinner, it’s been a disaster. either you leave feeling still hungry or you leave feeling like you overpaid or you leave feeling under-boozed. none of these are good. yet, I can’t avoid the things. so, I have to say that given my trepidations, I was nervous when my friend jb suggested tasca for his birthday. I like tasca, I’ve been there a lot, it being in brighton and all. and they have a great email list with cool deals if you’re into that. which is actually how the entire issue of birthday tapas was rendered moot— tasca was running a three-course prix fixe deal for parties that made reservations (for $16!). so we all ordered that instead of tapas and kept things neat and easy.
drinks, of course: sangria. I was early and started with a glass at the bar. then we had a few pitchers with dinner. red and fruity and very very summer-y despite the dreary weather outside.
to start: potato-spinach soup. which I ordered as the potato soup and desperately confused the waitress. still, after a rocky start, the soup arrived and was great. creamy and not-too-thick, perfectly seasoned, and a nice blend of the two main flavors.
the main event: for my main course, I had the fish option— a white fish, lightly fried, over a cous-cous like starch with a saffron-based sauce. the whole thing matched the summer feel of the sangria, while still feeling hearty enough for the weather. the fish was absolutely perfectly cooked, crisp and light, with a hint of olive oil.
a sweet treat: a duo of chocolate truffles. very rich, topped with a drop of whipped cream and a bit of mint. I ate a bit of the chocolate and then all the cream and it was a nice end to a nice meal.
all in all, there was nothing exceptionally special about the food, but the sangria and the ambience were warming and perfect for a celebratory, chatty evening. as is often the case at tasca, the service left a bit to be desired (it might be the one waitress— I’ve had her a few times and always been unimpressed, but I hear some of the other servers are more attentive), but not problematic enough to put any damper on the evening. perhaps this will help quell my instinctual hesitations about birthday tapas.
