Olé! Tapas, Beer & Wine

Ok, so for the most part, I only went there in the first place to satisfy a curiosity that i’d had for years as to what in the hell tapas actually is. Expensive appetizers are apparently what in the hell it is.
All in all, I did have a good time there though. It’s right next to some pretty great options, so it was a shot in the dark giving it a chance when it’s sandwiched right between the delicious food at Al-​Zaituna and the delicious beer at Square Cow, but it was definitely worth the try.
The paella doesn’t initially seem like a fair portion at around 20 dollars for what’s supposed to be a two person serving, but it really is delicious, with perfectly cooked (not like a tire) mussels, and is quite a bit more filling than it first appears to be. The wine selection was nice and the few tapas items I got made me want to go back to try more in order to concoct my own kind of tapas platter.
I’d definitely recommend it, especially with the relative lack of competitors in the Spanish food market in El Paso.

I am updating my review in dramatic fashion. From one to four stars. This is why you should always give a place a second chance.
Ok, they got the wine situation well in hand with a nice selection of Spanish wines.
This time I tried the food. A bit pricey but very good tapas. I recommend the empanadillas which are much like Colombian empanadas. The chef is Colombian with ample experience in NYC, and world-​wide cruise ships. It’s good stuff.
This area of town, Mesa and Brentwood, has a lot of choices to eat and drink in walking distance: Olé, Italians, Al Zaituna, Square Cow, Hoppy Monk, and Kings X (Lucy’s)

Tried this new restaurant for lunch. It’s small but cute. The owners are pairing their foods with various wines. As my friend and I were deciding what to order off the menu, we were presented with several toasts I believe were called Chistorra (sort of like a Spanish bruschetta). Two were topped with a cilantro pesto and a crumbly white cheese, and two were topped with marinated peppers. Really delicious. I was deciding between the tortilla with chorizo (an egg dish with potato) and a meat and cheese platter. The waitress encouraged me to order the platter. My friend ordered the a shrimp/​rice croquet. We each order water to drink. Service was very slow, considering we were the only customers for the entire time we were there.
The rice/​shrimp croquet was great: beautiful to look at, it was a ball of rice and shrimp, slightly chewy, covered with some marinated peppers and surrounded by larger shrimp. It was delicious. The meat and cheese platter – mm… not so much. It would have been good as an appetizer for two (a few slices of toasted baguette, each slice accompanied by a piece of serrano ham and a piece of manchego cheese, a small bowl of honey and one of a cilantro oil were included. I was disappointed. It really wasn’t substantial enough for lunch and the ham was uncomfortably chewy and tough (not sure if this is a characteristic of serrano ham). Also, the waitress failed to tell us that the water was not free. We were given a plastic water bottle with the label removed and a glass of ice for $ 1.25. That’s okay, but in a city where water is usually gratis, it would have been nice to tell us that water is not free here. The menu contains tapas (small plates) as well as appetizers. They also serve salads and sandwiches and the menu says paella every night.
It’s a tad pricey for a casual lunch for me ($ 10.99 for platter and $ 12 for croquet). I will definitely give this new restaurant a second visit soon.