Tapas?

[collegeconnoisseur]

I grew up the son of a foodie back in New York, and now I'm down here for school, and I need to broadedn my palette beyond the horrible campus food and fast food options that are college staples. I developed a strong love for all Spanish Tapas, and I'm curious if people have any good suggestions for places in Orleans Parish, as I really can't get outside the city often.

Thanks in advance.

[Tututulane]

That is so exciting-- I've been craving good tapas. I had heard about Madrid (anyone have any experience there?) Do you have to make a reservation for the tapas event @ Bacchanal?

[JGrey]

Bacchanal: I don't think there are reservations, but get there a bit early if you want a table. It's outdoors, and the food is served in takeout containers. But everything is fantastic.

[uptownlibrarian]

Chef Pete Vazquez is doing a tapas at Bacchanal on Sunday, March 11 starting at 5 pm.

Here's the menu:

Pete's Tons o' Tapas Menu
More tapas than ever! Wow!
Veggie Tapas:

potatoes in green sauce
potatoes in spicy tomato sauce with aioli
torta de espagnola
chick peas with spinach and tomato
roasted mushroom salad
asparagus & blanched almond salad
marinated vegetables

Tapas de Mariscos & Carnes:

shrimp in spicy garlic sauce
chilled shrimp in romesco
duck livers in almond sauce
blood sausage in puff pastry
steamed mussels with chorizo & tomato
tuna & escargot emapanadas
stuffed pig’s head in caper vinaigrette
baby white anchovies in garlic sauce
yellowfin tuna with foie gras mayonnaise
chorizo wrapped dates in bacon
escargot & saffron potato tart
spinach flan with smoked oysters

Really Fancy Tapas:

Torchon of foie gras with serrano ham and golden raisin puree
grilled lamb chop with saffron-garlic puree
truffle ravioli with duck giblets and rioja

Entrees & Desserts:

Roast Pork Shoulder with Smoked Paprika, Sherry and Golden Raisin Vinaigrette
Catalan Duck Stew with Honey, Vinegar and Pine- Nuts
Bitter Chocolate Flan
Musician’s Tart
Lemon Pudding with Berries

[Adrienne]

Just got home from this -- it was my first time at Bacchanal and it was lovely and delicious. From the above our table had several tortas (my friend said that this was the first time she'd had such good torta outside spain), several escargot & mussel tarts, potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and aioli, truffle ravioli (with bits of liver that were just amazing), duck and pine nuts, crab salad with green sauce (huge lumps of crab), marinated vegetables, foie gras with bacon on toast, musician tart and flan...plus 4 bottles of wine. It was a fun, lively, yummy evening.

[oh_really_now]

I know you specified Spanish tapas, but Hookah Cafe offers a wonderful Medi tapas.

[uptownlibrarian]

I know Laurentino's doesn't fit the Orleans Parish criterion, and I've heard mixed reviews since the storm, but it used to be one of my favorites.

[uptownlibrarian]

I ate at Fiesta Bistro (on Carrollton by Lebanon's) the other day and they have a tapas menu in addition to the large plates. We had a slab of tequila-flambed manchego, calamari, two versions of gambas, one fried and one sauteed with garlic, and patatas bravas. Here's the astonishingly unhelpful part: I'm in the late stages of a flu/cold thing and I couldn't taste anything. Literally nothing. But the textures were nice.

[Frolic]

Honestly, you were lucky that your taste buds weren't operating. I had a terrible lunch there.

[nosurndr]

Rio Mar at lunch. Just fantastic for tapas. Couldn't recommend more for lunch or dinner, just as fresh and tasty as you could ever hope for. Also they opened an Argentine restaurant around the corner and down the street (La Boca) which is equally delicious. We went in there for hubby's birthday dinner with champagne which they don't have on the wine list and therefore no champagne glasses. They actually sent someone over to Rio Mar to get champagne glasses for us. I have never had a bad dish, let alone a bad meal at Rio Mar. Yummy!!!

[Hungry Celeste]

Yes, Rio Mar is the ticket, especially considering a student budget & transportation limitations. It's located on S. Peters, not too far uptown of Poydras St. Tapas at lunch range from $4 to $10, with a changing selection of items. See Rio Mar's website: www.riomarseafood.com, which has a sample tapas menu.

[JGrey]

Mimi's in the Marigny. You can get there in less than 15 minutes from this neighborhood, (get up on the interstate and take Esplanade), and it has the added advantage of serving food until 4 am. There's also some tapas on the menu at the Fiesta Bistro right by Lebanon's on Carrollton. Not too bad.

[Concetta]

I've been doing research for our upcoming trip to NO early March and noted Lola's on Esplanade. Several mentions on this board and got 26 pts in the 07 Zagat guide just published. We're hoping to check it out in a few weeks.

[hartly]

vegas tapas in metarie. rio mar(seafood centric)in warehouse district. i dont know if this is still going on, but at Bachanal wine store in bywater on cerain nights the old chef from marisol does a special tapas style menu. IMO, best overall food experience in the city post k. A must for a foodie.