Tapa the World
Essential Information
While this longtime midtown haunt may not be Sacramento’s only Spanish restaurant, it’s the one that most makes us feel like we’re in Barcelona. Live flamenco and classical guitar music (Tuesday-Sunday) set the mood as you sidle up to the welcoming bar and indulge in an array of classic tapas, a culinary tradition that predates the current small plates trend by at least a century. Garlic and white-wine-spiked gambas (prawns), greaseless patatas bravas (fried potatoes) and tortilla Española, with housemade breads begging to be dunked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce, are the way to start, along with sangria or one of co-owner Paul Ringstrom’s well-chosen wines. Bigger appetites may prefer to choose from the pan-Mediterranean menu of hearty salads, such as the Madrileña (ahi tuna, asparagus and red onion), seafood paella or one of the excellent daily fish specials