597866 Fri Feb 20 11:16:05 -0800 2009 3 4 Pacific Northwest 0 4436203 SO and I tried Taberna last night and were, unfortunately, disappointed. The resto was almost empty (two tables in the dining room and one in the bar full). They told us that they only serve tapas in the bar, but would serve both tapas and dinner in the main dining room, so we opted for that. The service was a bit lacking - no one ever asked how our food was while we were eating and the server wasn't particularly helpful in deciding what (or how much) to order. The food: Tapas: Gratis - the kitchen sent out a little tapa of a vegetable cake (reminded me of a quiche filling, but very pretty, on a crostini with pepper sauce. Excellent. Fried stuffed mussel shells were basically a creamy filling in half a mussel shell, breaded and deep fried. 2 per $4 order. These were tasty. The filling reminded me of really thick clam chowder. Meats & cheese plate. Manchego cheese and jamon, with an excellent fresh tomato and garlic sauce and mini-breadsticks. We were expecting an assortment of meats and cheeses, but these were very tasty. $14 was a bit steep for 4 slices of cheese and jamon, though. Mains: Traditional paella for two (2 person minimums on the paella), $22/per person. This was extremely disappointing - rice had a nice taste with peppers, peas, onions, etc. There was supposed to be chicken, rabbit, mussels and clams in there - I could not identify any rabbit, and the chicken was so dry I could not swallow it. There were 4 mussels and 4 tiny clams on top, all overcooked. After being served, all the waitstaff disappeared and no one ever asked how it was or remarked on the pile of overcooked chicken pushed to the sides of our plates. Disappointing. Dessert: They have a pretty nice sounding dessert assortment and several specials. I decided (stupidly) to order one that I had no idea what it was - fried milk. As it turns out, I do not like fried milk (not their fault), so I only ate a bit of the dessert. Oddly, no one noticed (they didn't ever check on how we liked the food). Drinks: We ordered glasses of sangria - I liked mine, SO thought it was too sweet, so he ordered a beer. The beer was served in a tiny little glass, FYI. Overall, the experience was disappointing given the cost ($110). I'd go back and try more of the tapas, other mains and other desserts, but I won't ever order the paella again. For $45, the chicken should be edible. Fri Feb 20 11:16:05 -0800 2009 156153 akq 1 4436889 I've lunched at TdA twice. Both times we encountered only one other party of diners. I would agree that the service is a bit lacking, though well-intentioned. I enjoyed pretty much all of the tapas dishes I ordered. (Fries with eggs and ham was unbelievably good.) Oxtail entree was great both times I ordered, suckling pig was terrific the first time and dried out the second time. I'd count you as brave for ordering the paella--it's been ages since I've had paella from a restaurant that was any good at all. Fri Feb 20 14:01:44 -0800 2009 4436203 12271 not the bad Steve 2 4986177 This was one of my favorite restaurants back when I lived in DC; the squid ink paella was awesome. I tried the local branch recently and enjoyed it. I asked for a plate of jamon iberico de pellota, which was fantastic. They brought out the fried egg dish at first, but made no complaints when I corrected them. I also tasted a beef cheek special and it was rich a delicious, with a wine reduction sauce. My wife did not like the paella she had (the only one that can be ordered for one person), because it was heavy on the broth; the waiter described as "not soupy" but it really was. The en su tinta version was not available. I tasted an apple torte like dessert that had some excellent cinnamon ice cream. The waiter recommended a very good dessert wine that I hadn' t tried before, and allowed me to try it before ordering. I'd go back some day for the tapas, and maybe give a different paella a shot, though the other reviews give me pause. Fri Aug 28 11:10:49 -0700 2009 4436889 19098 equinoise 1 4987264 FWIW, my neighbors from Madrid rave about this place; they've been there over 20 times. Fri Aug 28 17:13:19 -0700 2009 4436203 12186 christy319