After completing the majority of our camper build, we decided to go out for lunch to celebrate. We stopped at TAPAteria in Old Colorado City. It is a small tapas restaurant on the darling main street through town. We parked around the corner and enjoyed the short walk. There is indoor seating available, but we opted to sit on the back patio. The patio is reminiscent of a courtyard with seven tables, spaced far enough apart for ample social distancing. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and there was a tree shading our table. At one point during our meal, a gust of wind came through, showering us with falling leaves, making us laugh with pleasure.
We ordered drinks and perused the menu. We started with a cheese and charcuterie plate, cured meat (one spicy, one mild), Manchego cheese, Valdeon bleu cheese, a variety of olives, and crackers. The bleu cheese is some of the best I have ever had.
The beauty of tapas is that the plates are small, providing the opportunity to sample various wonderful flavors without overdoing it. We took full advantage of that. After the charcuterie, we ordered Anchovy-Stuffed Olives and Chorizo & Figs. The first olives I ever liked were anchovy-stuffed. They were in a can from the grocery store and started my new found love for the salty delights. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find them at the store in the last few years, so I was excited to see them on the menu. The olives did not disappoint.
The Chorizo & Figs paired small Cantimpalito chorizo links with figs in a sherry balsamic glaze. The spicy sausage was a perfect foil to the sweet figs, and the glaze rounded it all out. There is no question that this was my favorite dish of the meal. I will definitely order it every time we go back.
For round three, we went with Wild Salmon Tartare and Shaved Octopus Salad. I am always nervous when ordering salmon. It is a recently acquired taste for me, and if it is not done right, I do not enjoy the flavor. That was not a problem in this case. The beautiful wild sockeye salmon was paired with delicate shallots and topped with capers and wasabi aioli. Served with cucumbers, the dish was delicious. I enjoyed the beautiful presentation, as well.
Octopus is hit or miss for me as well. I love the flavor but very often do not enjoy the texture. The thinly shaved octopus was delightful. The plate also had piquillo peppers, pickled shallot, fresh greens, and Gigante beans, topped with a lovely serrano puree. Lemon oil was drizzled over the entire plate. It was fun stacking the ingredients together for the perfect bite. We ordered kettle chips as well, adding a nice crunch.
Starting to feel sated, we ordered one more round, this time Escargots, and Bison Carpaccio. The snails, with bleu cheese and cremini in garlic butter, were good, but I prefer the French preparation over the Spanish.
The Bison Carpaccio was fabulous. The thin-sliced bison paired very well with the Manchego cheese and capers. Truffle oil and wasabi aioli added just the right touch of extra flavor. I tasted the last round of dishes, but let Chris have most of it so I would be able to enjoy dessert.
The dessert menu offered a lovely variety of choices. As I was starting to get full, I decided to order the locally made Spanish Caramel Gelato. TAPAteria offers a one-ounce port for $3 with any dessert order. I asked for it on the side because I wasn’t sure how it would taste with the gelato. The caramel flavor of the gelato was delicate, and the port worked wonderfully with it. I poured the port over the top and thoroughly enjoyed the treat. I did allow Chris to taste one bite.
Service, while not perfect, allowed us to relax and enjoy a slow-paced meal. We enjoyed our server’s friendly charm. If you are on a budget, TAPAteria would be a great place for a snack but is well worth the extra money for the full experience.
Cost for a cocktail, a beer, a whisky, seven small plates, a dessert with port, and an espresso $116.53.
The food sound delicious. I think I’d prefer the French version of escargot too. 🙂
What a treat! I love Tapas as well — so nice to have little tastes of a lot of different things. So glad you and Chris were able to have such an enjoyable meal after what I know was a lot of hard work on the camper conversion.
WOW sounds like an amazing place to have a good meal with some unexpected surprises!
I love manchego cheese and I am intrigued by pairing it with bison.
I love Tapas! They are perfect as I don’t have to just choose one thing!
I would definitely go here! Every food you mentioned sounds wonderful l
I love tapas because you get to try so many different things. The tartare and gelato sound delicious!
How yummy this all looks! We’re planning a trip this summer (hopefully), have to add this to the list.
Sounds yummy. I love a great port.
Sounds wonderful! It’s nice to enjoy a special dinner like this once in awhile.
Sounds like a fun time!
That sounds like a fancy way to celebrate!
Yum! Sounds wonderful! I have never been to a tapas restaurant. The small portions would definitely be perfect for allowing you to try a few different things!
Sounds really yummy!