Spanish Wine dinner at Arte Cafe

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Last year Arte Cafe featured Torres wines for a dinner and it was good. This year something happened. But for $49 I really shouldn't complain but I will.  Wines were good but the food really fell off . But then again two days after a perfect dinner it might be hard to compete.

Started out with Gazpacho with Chicken Croquette. Good flavor. Croquettes were tasty. A decent dish. Paired with a De Casta Rose.

Bacalo was next - baked cod, steamed peppers, broth, patatas fritats and olive oil. Cod was dry and so salty. Potatoes and peppers had no flavor and were not seasoned.  Wine was a Pazo Das Bruzas, Albarino. Again a good wine.

Braised and grilled lamb shank, garlic aioli with grilled root vegetables.  The pieces of lamb shank were thin. They took the shank and sliced it. Meat was dry. Vegetables were not grilled. But the wine was good. Celeste Tempranillo Riserva Crianza.

Then on to Paella, or at least something that was supposed to be.  Rice that was more like Risotto with some clams. shrimp. mussels and spanish sausage thrown on top.   A Salmos Red Blend, Priorat accompanied this dish. At least I had wine to drink.

Best dish of the day arrived - a Flan Valencia with a Torres Orange Side Cat made with Torres Spanish Orange Liqueur.

The evening was fun. Showed everyone how to drink out of a Spanish dodad that you put next to your mouth, lean back and pour from up high. Several people tried it. Lots of wine and Arte Cafe hats were given away. But the place was packed and the noise level tremendously high and then the live music added on top of it.  Even yelling across the table did not help the hearing.