Before the RC heads out for Round 1 of Restaurant Week, I wanted to finish playing catch-up with the last couple of restaurants I've recently visited. If I don't, it's seriously going to bug the crap out of me forever and ever. So, read on as I pimp out a tapas bar on Newbury and bitch out Todd English.
Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar - It is what it says it is. A restaurant and tapas bar located on Newbury Street, Tapeo brings a very warm Spanish charm to the below-street level space it inhabits. The menu is an amazing assortment of tapas fritas and tapas calliente, with an array of choices for both the veggie and meat-eater alike. We ordered the Filloa de Verdura (a seasonal vegetable crepe), Pollo al Ajillo (garlicky chicken) and two items off the special menu - a chive gnocchi with a chunky beef and tomato sauce and a hot eggplant dish with some kind of melty cheesy filling. Extremely fattening - extremely PHENOMENAL.
While the menu is mouthwatering, the sangria is transcendentally thirst-quenching. Tapeo provides the option of either a Red or Cava sangria (the "cava" is a sparkling version made with champagne). I ordered the red and thoroughly enjoyed both of my filled-to-the-brim glasses.
The dessert menu boasted of an almond flour cake with coffee cream, a flourless chocolate cake, and of course the "Ubiquitous Flan" - their words, not mine. I was also tempted by the rice pudding with crackle glaze and berries, but as there was rice pudding AND berries sitting in my fridge at home, I would have felt more than a little foolish paying the $7 (though I'm sure their's would have been AMAZING).
I've also JUST THIS SECOND discovered that every Thursday, Tapeo offers $5 tapas along with a FREE COCKTAIL. I have a feeling the serves at Tapeo and I are going to become very close.:D
Kingfish Hall - Can you put a restaurant on notice? Well, even if you can't, guess what? I JUST DID.
Seriously Kingfish, what's up? I had always heard such great things about you, but the one day I decide to give you a try you act like the cafeteria at my old middle school rather than an actual dining establishment. Were you having a bad day? Did the chef throw a hissy fit and storm out of the kitchen right as I was placing my order? Had the refridgerators failed and all the food went bad? I mean honestly, I've had better service at chain restaurants like Au Bon Pain or Bolocco.
Let me break it down for you: A couple girls from work and I decided to go out for lunch. We had never had a Compliance Ladies Luncheon at Kingfish before, so we decided that day was the day (it was also cold as F and we didn't feel like walking more than a block). Like all other places these days, Kingfish was pretty much deserted. Things went smoothly as we were seated, given our menus and placed our drink orders. It all went downhill from there.
I was tempted by the gumbo, but I thought I'd try and NOT consume all of my calories for the day in one sitting. Now I readily admit that I'm not afraid to ask for substitutions or alterations to my meal, but I've never been as completely SHUT. DOWN. as I was at Kingfish. Every question or request was all: VETO!
I would have gotten the oven-roasted cod, but did not desire the cauliflower gratine it came with - so I asked if I could have just plain cauliflower.
VETO
Alright, so the cauliflower was made into the gratine sauce the night before and there isn't actually any fresh cauliflower back in the kitchen. Fine. Moving on - any broccoli?
NO.
Green beans?
NO.
Asparagus, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, zucchini, spinach, anything that's ever been classified as a vegetable ever?
Non. Niet. Nein.
You don't have carrots you can just steam up even though I see baby carrots on that woman's plate the next table over?
Nope.
You have mashed potatoes, but you can't give me just a plain baked potato? There are NOOO potatoes left over from all that mashing?
No and No.
SRSLY??? I'm a reasonable person. I understand the a lot of the food is prepped the night before for the lunch rush. What I don't understand is the apparent lack of ANY fresh vegetables ANYWHERE in the kitchen.
SO, after that ordeal I finally gave up and ordered the Maple Glazed Salmon.
It was salty.
It came with braised kielbasa (it was alright, but not good enough to eat more than a couple bites), sauerkraut, fingerling potatoes and a grilled apple. That apple was the best part of the whole damn plate.
Just what-the-eff-EVER Kingfish. See if I frequent your mediocre-ass establishment again. My friend had no problem with her Wasabi Crusted Tuna, so maybe it's just me.
I should have just splurged on the gumbo.
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