Tasca trumps AOC
Talk about a surprise. I walked in expecting a tasty little wine bar wand walked away having found one of my favorite restaurants in LA.
Intimate little spot with indoor or outdoor seating, right in the vicinity of Little Next Door, Ortolan, and the former Doughboys. Indoor and at the bar appears to be the place to be.
Great small plate menu, with some traditional Spanish tapas, but primarily contemporary small plates. Also a strong wine list (must have the Petit Syrah), and belgian beers or sangria if you're in to it.
The ceviche was great, almost like a layered fish carpaccio. Fish + citrus = good every time. The short ribs w/goat cheese ravioli & arugula was amazing, a must have dish. I'm not a huge goat cheese fan but the ravioli nicely complemented the perfectly cooked short ribs. The duck confit was very good as well, very similar to Mozza's, although a much smaller portion, with a wine reduction that's as good as the confit itself. I was disappointed in the venison, the one dish our waiter recommended, but its not my favorite dish as is, as I find it too gamey & fatty. The ratatouille did not add anything...get the lamb instead.
While much smaller & more intimate than the AOC, its closest peer, it is far superior in almost every way. As I'm 0-for-many with traditional tapas in LA, and find the AOC supremely over-rated, Tasca now joins Musha as my two favorite small plate spots in town.
By ElJeffe
on Jul 19, 2008 11:13 AM
View »
Video
How is the wines by the glass selection?
Permalink | Reply
Their web site includes a list with most of their wines by the glass, and with prices too (what a nice feature to find on a restaurant web site).
http://www.tascawinebar.com/index08.html
Permalink | Reply
Quality of execution is not the problem I have with AOC - they do it very well.
My problem is that the food menu seldom changes.
As to Tasca's wine list, noticed the Forrester "petit chenin" from south africa priced at $5 a taste, $8 a glass, and $32 or $34 a bottle, when a bottle can be purchased for $7.99 at Topline. ps - nice wine, btw, especially at $7.99!
While I understand their justification for a $25 corkage, I still feel it is too high, especially for these times of narrowing budgets!
Permalink | Reply