Tasca - Great Spanish Food - Ole!
Written: Nov 03 '03 (Updated Dec 07 '05)
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Pros: Great food, reasonable price, good service.
Cons: Could have been a little cleaner.
The Bottom Line: Tasca is a great local option for delicious Spanish food.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Tasca |
It is hard to find good Spanish food in the Boston area - but Tasca fills the bill admirably.
THE FOOD
The menu is mostly tapas - small sampling dishes of various foods. Each dish costs around $3-$7 and it would take about 3 dishes to fill a medium appetite and 4 to fill a very hungry appetite. The best part about tapas is that they are meant to be shared. Each dish is served on its own plate and you can share with your fellow diners. This is a great social way to eat and it allows you to sample many varieties of Spanish cuisine.
We tried several tapas dishes. There was a mixed olive dish for only $1 that had several varieties of fresh olives. The sizzling shrimp were served in an extremely hot mini-frying pan with slices of garlic. The shrimp were on the small side with not much flavor. The fried calamari were cooked perfectly and came with a seafood sauce my husband loved but I didn't care for. The Spanish Tortilla is an egg and potato dish that is one of my absolute favorites and Tasca does a nice job with it. The Patata Brava was a potatos dish with an interesting and yummy sauce. Overall, we thought the tapas were delicious and interesting. Only the shrimp dish could have used a little work.
I had a traditional paella for an entree that cost $16. The serving was not huge, but since it was mostly rice, it was very filling and I ended up bringing some home. The mussels, scallops, calamari and shrimp were all cooked appropriately and the real saffron threads were visible in the rice.
DECOR
The decor is best described as townie-Spanish. Tasca is a local joint and, while there has been some effort at creating a Spanish feel, the decor could also be any local restaurant anywhere. The restaurant could probably seat at least 100 with a few booths and lots of tables. The chairs are covered with a red vinyl and there are framed oil paintings on the wall. A small statue of Don Quixote guards the kitchen.
AMBIANCE
Tasca is a casual, local place. We arrived in jeans and felt very comfortable. Very few other patrons were more dressed up than us. Even the wait staff wore very casual clothes.
Tasca is very, very dark. In fact, after we entered Tasca from a grey, cloudy Sunday evening, I still needed several minutes for my eyes to adjust the darkness. There are candles on every table but they don't shed much light.
SERVICE
The service is great. We were greeted at the door. Water arrived quickly. Our waitress served our multiple-item order correctly and was very friendly. She provided some of the best service I have had in a while.
The only thing that was mildly annoying was that someone kept adjusting the lights. When we first entered the restaurant it was so dark we thought it might be closed. As we ate, the lights went up and down, off and on, for a good portion of the night. At one point we were plunged into darkness so quickly I was disorientated and was worried I was having a stroke.
CLEANLINESS
Our wooden table had grooves running its length that gave it a very rustic feel. The only problem was that crumbs had crusted in these grooves. Our table was near the very back of the restaurant and I got quick glimpses into the kitchen as the staff came and went. The floor looked slightly dirty. Normally, this wouldn't alarm me but we were eating at 5pm on Sunday, well before the dinner rush. I also noticed that a seat cushion at the table next to us was ripped. In any case, nothing was awful but it wasn't spotless and perfectly maintained either. Clean freaks might not like it here.
CHILD FRIENDLINESS
There is no separate children's menu and there is not much on the regular menu to appeal to children. My seven year old is an adventurous eater and tried almost everything. My four year old ate bread. There are no french fries, chicken nuggets or any other standard kid foods available.
GETTING THERE
Tasca is located right on Commonweath Avenue. The T (Boston trolly) stops nearby. There is very little street parking. Tasca provides free valet parking during popular dining hours.
OTHER INFORMATION
They sell beer and wine.
Handicapped access: There are three steps down into the main dining room. Other than that, everything else was on the same level.
Vegetarians: If you eat seafood, there are many options. If you eat eggs, there are some egg dishes to choose from. If you do not eat seafood or eggs, there was not much else to try.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Tasca is a great, local restaurant with very good Spanish food. We really liked almost everything we tried and will definitely return.
HUNGRY FOR MORE? TRY THESE BOSTON-AREA RESTAURANTS:
BOSTON: Radius; Caffe Vitoria; Excelsior; Jacob Wirth; Cottonwood Cafe; Imperial Seafood House; Sibling Rivalry; Fleming’s; 29 Newbury.
BROOKLINE: Mr. Sushi; Fugakyu; Takeshima; Tsunami; Anna's Taqueria; Zaftigs Delicatessen; Bangkok Bistro; Golden Temple.
NEWTON: Appetito; India Paradise; Blue Ribbon Barbeque; Ice Cream Works; Baker's Best; Bill’s Pizzeria; Cafe Nicolas; Union Street; O’Hara’s; Yeradi’s; Johnny’s Luchonette.
CAMBRIDGE: S&S Restaurant; The Japanese Mall; Jasper White’s Summer Shack; Dali .
WEST ROXBURY: Cafe Misono.
ESSEX: Woodman’s.
SAUGUS: Kowloon.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Not Your Average Joe’s; Bertucci’s; Legal Sea Foods; Cheesecake Factory; Rainforest Cafe; Fire & Ice; Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse; Friendly’s.
COFFEE, BAGELS AND DONUTS: Bruegger’s Bagels; Finagle a Bagel; Dunkin Donuts; Peet’s Coffee and Tea.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations The tapas are great.
Best Suited For: Friends
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modernmarvel
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