Vera

Vera

Mark Mendez is one of the coolest guys I know (and I like his wife, Liz, too).

After knocking me out with his Carnivale creations, he's been in hiberation and is coming out tonight with his new place, Vera.

I've got a date in the area, but I plan to stop by and check out what he's doing.

One of the many memorable things Mendez said to me when he was still part of the Kleiner empire:

"As I become middle aged chef guy, I find that as I find a really good steak, I’d rather just cook it and put some oil on it and call it a day and not really do a whole lot to it, and I find that really appeals to me much much more as I grow older. I mean the simpler the things are, I think, the better. There’s always room to have fun and do wacky things, I mean that’s part of being a chef, too, being imaginative and creative, but I find myself getting away from that a lot…if you really understand the ingredients and how good they are, let’s have that steak taste like a steak...That’ where I see myself going."

If I wasn't having dinner beforehand, I'd definitely go for his ribeye with just olive oil and salt. As I am having dinner first, I'll probably try for the grapefruit and pine nuts, which sounds so simple and excellent.

Vera
1023 W. Lake Street
312-243-9770

Thanks, DH. At what point did the name change from Uva? I thought I was following this one pretty close...

incite wrote:Thanks, DH. At what point did the name change from Uva? I thought I was following this one pretty close...

After a legal threat from a wine bar in NY: http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2011/10/m ... e_bar.html

I too have been looking forward to this opening. I have really enjoyed Chef Mendez's food in the past, although not so much the atmosphere of Carnivale.

Found myself in July at a group dinner at Carnivale where I wasn't expecting much from the food (had never been) and was pleasantly surprised. Tried numerous entrees of all the people around me and all were spot-on for a place that would probably be busy without good food. Excited to try Vera.

pizano345 wrote:Found myself in July at a group dinner at Carnivale where I wasn't expecting much from the food (had never been) and was pleasantly surprised. Tried numerous entrees of all the people around me and all were spot-on for a place that would probably be busy without good food. Excited to try Vera.

Along those lines, Vital Information once said the food at Carnivale was "much better than it needed to be."

ME: So, how's it going so far?
MENDEZ: It's the first day. I would have liked it to be busier.
ME: Are you freaking out?
MENDEZ: I'm always freaking out.

The rain, the wind, the fact that Lake Street is closed off to through traffic immediately to the east, didn't help opening night...but then again, it gives them a little soft time to get their act together...but on the other hand, with a guy like Mendez in charge, they probably don't need a lot of practice to get it right.



I was sorry I wasn't hungrier when I dropped by around 9PM, but I'd gorged on agave worms, flying ants and mole, so was in the mood for dessert, which was anchovies, some sherry, and bread service, along with olive oil and three very excellent butters: urchin, duck crackling and garlic. The duck crackling was way, way my favorite, and I could imagine having just that, the good warm bread and a salad for dinner. Next time.

I was thinking of trying this tonight for an early dinner before an event at the united center. I can't find a menu online. Any further info on the menu? And would it be appropriate or a 16 year old. Thanks!

abolt wrote:I was thinking of trying this tonight for an early dinner before an event at the united center. I can't find a menu online. Any further info on the menu? And would it be appropriate or a 16 year old. Thanks!

Vera menu @ menupages. And sure, why not?

abolt wrote:I was thinking of trying this tonight for an early dinner before an event at the united center. I can't find a menu online. Any further info on the menu? And would it be appropriate or a 16 year old. Thanks!

They're going for a more casual feel, so bringing a teenager would be in no way inappropriate.

Those anchovies are right up my alley! cant wait for more reviews! I'd be interested in trying this place out!
BTW David, did you enjoy the Taste of Sister Cities Dinner?

gocubs88 wrote:Those anchovies are right up my alley! cant wait for more reviews! I'd be interested in trying this place out!
BTW David, did you enjoy the Taste of Sister Cities Dinner?

Should point out that the anchovies are currently not made in house, though they are very excellent.

Vera also has a cheese bar, which is kind of a cool idea; you can sit at the bar, sip wine, eat cheese and talk to the fromager (last night it was Andy, who used to work with Scrumptious Pantry; a good guy and a major food enthusiast).

Yes, the Kendall College event was a wonderful time, with magnificent moles and epic entomophagy: http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2011/10/e ... nts_w.html

David Hammond wrote:

gocubs88 wrote:Those anchovies are right up my alley! cant wait for more reviews! I'd be interested in trying this place out!
BTW David, did you enjoy the Taste of Sister Cities Dinner?

Should point out that the anchovies are currently not made in house, though they are very excellent.

Vera also has a cheese bar, which is kind of a cool idea; you can sit at the bar, sip wine, eat cheese and talk to the fromager (last night it was Andy, who used to work with Scrumptious Pantry; a good guy and a major food enthusiast).

Yes, the Kendall College event was a wonderful time, with magnificent moles and epic entomophagy: http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2011/10/e ... nts_w.html

Yeah, I was going to introduce myself but I was leaving as you were interviewing Bayless. (I was preping for Roca)

gocubs88 wrote:

David Hammond wrote:

gocubs88 wrote:Those anchovies are right up my alley! cant wait for more reviews! I'd be interested in trying this place out!
BTW David, did you enjoy the Taste of Sister Cities Dinner?

Should point out that the anchovies are currently not made in house, though they are very excellent.

Vera also has a cheese bar, which is kind of a cool idea; you can sit at the bar, sip wine, eat cheese and talk to the fromager (last night it was Andy, who used to work with Scrumptious Pantry; a good guy and a major food enthusiast).

Yes, the Kendall College event was a wonderful time, with magnificent moles and epic entomophagy: http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2011/10/e ... nts_w.html

Yeah, I was going to introduce myself but I was leaving as you were interviewing Bayless. (I was preping for Roca)

Wow, sorry we didn't get a chance to meet (Lula was quite the ball of fire; enjoyed talking to her, too).

Not to digress too much, but my conversation with Bayless focused on the alleged "laboriousness" of mole, which I called into question. No doubt, if you make gallons for a restaurant or big family (with a molcajete or metate), it could take a good long while, but last weekend, The Wife and I and a Cuisinart completed a mole recipe I got from Sandoval at Mercadito in under 90 minutes. I finished it in a crock pot (no way I was going to "stir constantly" for 90 minutes more). I ran the crock pot idea past Lula and she seemed to think it sounded just fine. Bayless, I believe, thought I was misguided...still, we now have another pic of my daughter worthy of placement on the mantle next to the shot of her and El Presidente Obama:

I was lucky enough to be invited to the F&F dinner last Monday night with my wife, so we got a sneak peek of the menu. We thoroughly enjoyed the paella (although Mark said he was still tweaking it), the baccalao, ham flight (Iberico, Serrano, Prosciutto di Parma), chicken liver mousse on toast (lots of sherry!), and the crudo...plus 3 cheeses for dessert. I didn't take pictures then, too busy enjoying the food and chatting with others.

I went back solo on Tue night and sat at the bar. I ended up running into a few friends (such is the wine biz!) and we shared our dishes with each other. Thoroughly enjoyed the bread and butters (duck cracklings my fav too), garlic shrimp in shell, grilled octopus, seasoned potato chips, and roasted mushrooms. Everything was excellent, but the mushrooms really blew me away! I was intrigued as it is a $12 dish, more than any other on the vegetable menu.


Roasted mushrooms with Marjoram

Amazing flavors and great texture, some softness and some crunch, along with a flavorful mushroom puree on the plate. I must say it's the best dish of mushrooms in my memory banks.

I will return for either lamb chops or that ribeye on the next visit...and more jamon and sherry.

p.s. for those who aren't in on it, try some of the 15 sherries offered with the food, you will not be disappointed!

It's not my typical M.O. to hit a place right after it opens but I've always been a huge fan of Mark Mendez's food and could not resist the strong temptation to check out Vera asap. So, last Tuesday, on Day 6 of Vera's existence, I spent a very pleasant evening there, most of it with a couple of other LTHers. I arrived just after 5 and was greeted by chef's wife Liz, who runs the wine program and the front of the house (who I also know from Carnivale). She led me to Vera's cheese bar, where I camped out for a couple of hours . . .


Vera - 1023 W. Lake St, Chicago



Chef Kyle
After I was seated at the cheese bar, I saw the familiar, friendly face of Chef Kyle, who I know from his days at Vie. At the start of service, he was working the cheese bar. Later, chef Mendez came out to work the cheese bar and Kyle went to the kitchen. While I waited for my friends to arrive, I enjoyed a glass of some wonderfully balanced Raventos Rose 'de Nit' (v 2008). After that, with my friendly server Duade's help, I ordered a selection of 3 cheeses and had a glass of sherry...



Bodegas Tradicion, Palomino, Amontillado, Jerez, Spain



Selection of 3 Cheeses (I started munching on this before I remebered to take the shot )
Served with fruit bread, apple/squash puree (iirc), roasted nuts (pistachios, marcona almonds) and dried fruit



Carboncino, Evalon, Bayley Hazen Blue (from left to right)
I was told that the Carboncino is a mix of goat, sheep and cow. It was buttery, with a subtle funkiness.



Cheese Selection
There were about 9 cheese available on this night but chef Mendez told us he hoped to increase the selection to around 30.

Next up, I ordered one more snack while I waited for my friends to arrive . . .


Anchovies, pickled garlic, celery leaves
Meaty, briny and rich these anchovies were fantastic. I loved how they were additionally garnished with Spanish olive oil and red chili flakes.



Toro Albala, Pedro Ximenez, Fino, Montilla-Moriles, Spain
A nicely acidic punch to complement the anchovies.



Pata Cabra and Hooligan (left to right)
Chef shared tastes of a couple of other cheeses. I liked the pata cabra but the ultra-funky Hooligan stole the show and was my favorite cheese of the night.

My friends arrived and we got down to more serious business...

With our dinner, we enjoyed a well-balanced, slightly spicy bottle of 2008 Kenneth Volk 'Negrete' from San Benito County, CA. It was priced at a quite reasonable $40.


Bread
$6 gets you a loaf of warm, crusty bread, along with Spanish olive oil and 3 compound butters. On this night they were (from left to right) anchovy, duck crackling and roasted garlic.



Duck Cracklings
Them are good.



Chef Mendez
Chef preps some ham for one of the tables in the dining room.


We ordered a bevy of dishes from the menu, which is essentially divided into 5 sections: Cheese, Ham, Fish, Vegetable and Meat. They were brought out in groups of 2 or 3 at a time . . .


Potato chips, sea salt, pimenton
Delicious, grown-up BBQ potato chips



Bacalao, roasted garlic, toast
Very tasty, with a nice balance betwee the fish and the potato. This was great on the grilled bread and even better on the potato chips!



Grilled Octopus, pimenton, extra virgin olive oil
An excellent rendition. Tender octopus stole the show but the pimenton and olive oil mixture was so good I wanted to drink it with a straw. Those are also potatoes on the plate.



Chef Mendez tells us about the one that got away



Ham & Cheese Croquettes
Really nice. I loved the romesco sauce, too.



Ham & Cheese Croquettes
You could really taste the ham and the cheese together and separately. They were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside (not mushy) and not greasy in the least.



Kitchen
The kitchen, in action.



Lamb Chop, chorizo, salsa verde
I really enjoyed the tender lamb chop but for me, the house-made lamb chorizo was the star of this dish.



Squash Puree, honey, marcona almonds
I'm not much of a squash fan but I had 2 helpings of this puree, which was terrific.



Chicken Liver & Caramelized Onion Toast
Super rich and delectable.



Roasted Mushrooms, thyme (as listed on the menu)
These perfectly roasted mushrooms were so good, as was the mushroom puree base on the plate. I just loved this dish. There was definitely thyme here but other elements, too. (e.g. the herb garnish on the plate was marjoram (as was posted above)).



Beef Tripe, morcilla, garbanzos
Chef told us how excited he was to be able to serve dishes like this one, which he could never have done at Carnivale. It was a real treat and I thought it was a great combination of flavors and textures. I'm not sure this is the final blood sausage they will be using for this dish. Chef said he really liked this one but was hoping to source one more robust. Ideally, they'd like to make this in-house but it's very difficult to procure the blood.

On this night there was no dessert menu, though one is expected soon. Normally, cheese would have been a great finale to this meal but I'd already had some at the start and we were really, really full. I'm thrilled for Chef Mendez and Liz to have their own place and as a diner, I'm really excited about Vera, where I plan to return on a regular basis.

=R=

Great photos, Ron. I have much to learn.

I was lucky enough to be a part of this dinner, and I enjoyed every minute of it.





















Every single dish was right on point. More than once I found myself saying, "I wouldn't order that if dining alone, but holy sh*t, is this delicous." I felt bad for my dining companions as they were ready to throw in the towel and I could have gone another 5 rounds.

My husband and I had a very nice late dinner at Vera tonight. We loved the roasted mushrooms and liver toasts, as well as the black cod. Finished with a delicious cheese plate (including the wonderfully funky Hooligan). Liz was very gracious and welcoming...she said it had been quiet tonight (no doubt due to Halloween). We echo others' enthusiasm and encourage folks to give Vera a try.

Ronnie, I was in that same night - that's the back of my salt-n-pepa head at the bar in the pic of Mark dishing out ham. I also know Liz and Mark from Carnivale (Mark and I both worked at Gioco, but at different times) and am a huge fan of both of them, as well as friends. I'm so happy for them and for the already-terrific reception that Vera has received by general press and other LTHers.

And yes, that Hooligan is one helluva cheese! Love your photos, as always...

Cheers,
Mark

I had a great meal at Vera Friday night. I'll blow the lead here and tell you, that after one visit during it's first week in business,, Vera has made it's way into my regular rotation

We walked in at 7:00 and two seats were open at the bar.

We ordered a selection of three cheeses, Carboncino, Old Kentucky Thomme, and Bayley Hazen Blue. All were very good.

The next dish was the bread course with a selection of 3 butters, anchovy, duck crackling and garlic. A rather green, fruity olive oil was also poured for dipping. While fruity it had a nice peppery finish. I wish I had found out what it was because I'd be looking for some. Anyway, the anchovy butter was gorgeous, nice fish flavor but didn't overwhelm the butter flavor. The duck was amazing, a huge duck fat flavor with just enough butter to turn it yellow (Don't forget to eat the crackling garnish!) and finally the garlic had a nice flavor but I thought it could have used a hint of salt. For $6 people may balk at this initially but it really is worth it. While the butters are the star here the supporting cast of bread is really good too. Nice crust and great texture.

Next came the anchovies. These were very high quality and served with the same great olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a good hit of lemon which compliments the thinly shaved garlic and the celery leaves. The celery was a really nice surprise with this dish, it just worked so well.

The next fish course we had was the bacalao, neither too fishy, too salty nor too garlicy, this dish was just what it should be, rich, tasty and warm.

The turnips were perhaps the only miss of the night. While cooked perfectly they could have done with more seasoning. It's like someone forgot to use salt. Plus, the espelette was almost non existent.

The mushroom dish was just as good as everyone above has said. It made this polish kid really happy. 'Nough said.

The trip dish was something really special. Beautifully braised chunks of trip neither too rubbery nor too squishy,with a really great Morcilla (I'm a sucker for blood sausage!) and perfectly cooked garbanzos. Go eat this dish! You'll thank me later.

The glass pour selection has a good range of styles and we were expertly guided through them by Megan the bartender. The only minor service quibble I may have is that because the bar is full service, and because almost everyone at the bar is having dinner there having only one bartender can lead to slowish service at the bar. Not terribly long mind you but there were a few times when I felt we were left waiting because she was busy pouring orders for other servers.

A ton of food, 3 glasses of wine each and our bill was just $100.

All in all I love Vera and will return soon.

First of all, there are a couple of menus online such as on menupages that are not up to date. Dishes such as the confit and the brussel sprouts have not been served.

Secondly, I was told last night that the ribeye has been taken off the menu due to lack of demand. It's understandable that not many people are going to order a mammoth ribeye. However, that was the main reason why I was there last night.

Quick notes on what I tried:
Olives. Ok. nothing special
Octopus. Meh. Just didn't work for me.
Bread and butter. All three butter flavors were muted and needed salt. Bread was very good.
Fluke crudo. Meh. Would not order again.
Shrimp. Good. Especially sucking the head.
Lamb. Good. Chorizo was very good.
Mushrooms. Excellent.
Dry aged skirt steak. Excellent. Very tasty, but wanted more meat. I would guess that the amount of meat was about 5 ounces cut into 4 portions.
Had some cheeses, but only the hooligan was memorable due to the name and the taste.

Tuesday night at 7 pm, there were still a few open tables. At 730, there was a full room.

For a restaurant with an LTH-approved chef, a cuisine style underdeveloped in Chicago, and an address in a neighborhood strongly contending for the best dining scene in the city, Vera is flying under the radar--too much so, methinks. Granted, it was an ugly Sunday and just after the Bears game, but this restaurant was way too empty for the very good food it's putting on the plates (and good wine its pouring in glasses). There is not much to add to the chorus above, so let me reiterate: the mushroom and squash dishes are must-orders, as is a platter of Iberico (nutty, unctuous, gorgeous) and cheese to finish (Hooligan and Mont St. Francis are musts); the more typical dishes--say, the shrimp and chicken liver--are good, but hardly all that distinguished from other places in town. I hope in time Mendez takes more risks and increases the amount of fifth quarter foodstuffs, but it's really great to have, along with Maude's, another would-eat-here-every-week sort of place in the 'nabe; I'm looking forward to Nellcoite, Sodikoff's next place, Publican Meats, and so on adding to the new food-first approach to West Loop dining that's taken hold.

chezbrad wrote:There is not much to add to the chorus above, so let me reiterate: the mushroom and squash dishes are must-orders, as is a platter of Iberico (nutty, unctuous, gorgeous) and cheese to finish (Hooligan and Mont St. Francis are musts); the more typical dishes--say, the shrimp and chicken liver--are good, but hardly all that distinguished from other places in town.

I went Saturday night and the place was packed, so I guess there is some buzz. I have to say I was a little disappointed given all the positive reviews it's gotten here.

Our meal started off with an order of three cheeses, some "draft" wine, and some bread with three butters and olive oil. This was a very strong start to the meal as the cheeses were all interesting and generously portioned, the wine was an excellent value, and the butters were rich and delicious. The olive oil they served stole the show with its rich fruitiness.

Unfortunately, from there things declined. The bacalao was nice and light, but I think there was too high a ratio of potato to fish for me. The mackerel escabeche had terrific texture and crispy skin, but it seemed like all the flavor from the fish had been cooked out of it.

For vegetables we ordered the squash with honey, the papas bravas, and the chard with pine nuts. I urged the group to order non-starchy veggies, but I lost the battle. The squash had lots of squashy flavor, though skewed a little sweet for my taste, still it was a strong dish. The papas bravas was the crispiest version I've ever eaten, and I loved it. The chard, though, was disappointingly soggy and lifeless.

To finish the meal we ordered the tripe with morcilla and the duck and rabbit paella. The tripe and morcilla was tasty but somewhat tamer than I was expecting. As mentioned above, the morcilla could stand to be more assertive to counter-balance the tripe. The paella had nice crunchy texture but I was expecting the rice to have more rich duck/rabbit flavor. It tasted like plain rice with hunks of meat (though tender) on top.

It seems like a lot of the positive reviews have focused on the wine, cheese, ham, and (for me) olive oil. Their focus on sourcing quality ingredients is admirable, but for me, it's not enough to make a place special. I just didn't think the prepared dishes lived up to the promise of the early, non-prepared courses. I'm not sure if the kitchen is still developing or if the preparation is intentionally on the milder side to have a broad appeal, but I can't say I'm in a rush to return.

turkob wrote:It seems like a lot of the positive reviews have focused on the wine, cheese, ham, and (for me) olive oil. Their focus on sourcing quality ingredients is admirable, but for me, it's not enough to make a place special. I just didn't think the prepared dishes lived up to the promise of the early, non-prepared courses. I'm not sure if the kitchen is still developing or if the preparation is intentionally on the milder side to have a broad appeal, but I can't say I'm in a rush to return.

I went last night and unfortunately had much the same experience. Sherry, cheese, olive oil, butters, and anchovies were all great. Octopus was knock-out good - a pleasing amount of chew left, and great flavor from the lemon, olive oil, and pimenton. I wish we had stopped there.

We ordered a second round (all vegetables) and ended up eating less than half of what was served. Cauliflower and turnips both seemed to suffer the same unfortunate fate: being pre-steamed, then heated up at the last minute. I love turnips and am beginning to enjoy cauliflower, but to my taste, both are pretty horrible when steamed and textureless. Both can be incredible cooked with some sort of dry heat. The turnips were listed on the menu as roasted, and I don't doubt they were at the last minute, but clearly they had been steamed/boiled in to oblivion first.

The brussels sprouts were definitely roasted, not steamed, but suffered from way too much salt. I really like salty food, but these crossed the line - as much as I enjoyed them, palate fatigue set in after just a few bites and my tongue couldn't take more salt.

All that said, I really liked the place, and would happily go for a couple rounds of sherry, cheese, and other snacks. Our waitress was warm and knowledgeable. The space, even once full, never got too noisy. I'll probably wait until I see some reviews indicating that some of the kinks have been worked out before ordering any more veggies.

-Dan

Has anyone eaten at Vera - 1023 w lake. The ladyfriend just got back from Spain and wants to try to do a reunion dinner night with her travelling companions there. Clearly it won't be the same as Spain, but perhaps its still good. Any lthers with experience?

Suiname wrote:Has anyone eaten at Vera - 1023 w lake. The ladyfriend just got back from Spain and wants to try to do a reunion dinner night with her travelling companions there. Clearly it won't be the same as Spain, but perhaps its still good. Any lthers with experience?

Yes yes yes. Vera is awesome and they'll love it. Not quite sure about some of the reviews above as Vera has quickly made its way into my regular rotation.

Had another amazing meal at Vera last week. The last time I was there they had just begun to hit their stride. Now? I would nominate them for a GNR if it wasn't too early...

Last time I was there Chef Mendez was tending the cheese bar. This day, Chef was working the house and Andy was working the cheese bar



Not only was Andy knowledgeable, but he was talkative and friendly.

As far as wine went, I ordered their
Old vs. New Flight


Chicken and Ham Croquettes

Slightly different than what we ordered last time
last time

Selection of 3 Cheeses Prairie Breeze Cheddar, Milton, IA (Raw Cow), Manchego, La Mancha, Spain (Sheep), Evalon, Chilton, WI (Goat)


Fried Artichokes Idiazabal cheese, beer garlic vinaigrette

Not the best presentation, but I assure you these wre crispy and great.

Brussel Sprouts Iberico ham

Though not normally a fan of Brussel Sprouts, these were amazing. Quite deep, I actually had to take a portion home.

Bread & Butter warm bread, extra Virgin olive oil
butter: garlic, chicken chicharron, sea salt, black pepper

I wish I got a close-up of the chicharrones. If I had a portion of this every single day I would die a happy man.

Blood Sausage fried egg, spicy greens



Though I was disappointed that Vera was no longer doing their Beef Tripe, I actually preferred the taste of this dish.

Vera; absolutely perfect.

Great shots.

Vera has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I love the food, the atmosphere, the staff, everything.

Vera doesn't take reservations, correct? Wondering how long of a wait (if any) there would be for 4 of us on a weeknight around 5:45ish.

Is it a very small place?

Really looking forward to trying this restaurant based on the reviews in this thread.

Lerdawg, it's about 60-70 seats and if you go earlier (e.g. before 7pm) there usually isn't a wait.

dansch wrote:

turkob wrote:It seems like a lot of the positive reviews have focused on the wine, cheese, ham, and (for me) olive oil. Their focus on sourcing quality ingredients is admirable, but for me, it's not enough to make a place special. I just didn't think the prepared dishes lived up to the promise of the early, non-prepared courses. I'm not sure if the kitchen is still developing or if the preparation is intentionally on the milder side to have a broad appeal, but I can't say I'm in a rush to return.

... I really liked the place, and would happily go for a couple rounds of sherry, cheese, and other snacks. Our waitress was warm and knowledgeable.

On discussing where to meet up for dinner to discuss eating in Scandinavia, Turkob and I decided to try out Vera again. I so wanted to love it last time, as did he, and we both walked away with similar impressions (and hence posts). We were joined by gastrognome for an early dinner last night to try out the menu again and see what, if anything, had changed.

Unfortunately, I walked away last night with much the same impression as my first visit: great service (lucked out and had the same waitress as my first visit), awesome sherry, and incredibly high-quality ingredients. As soon as we moved towards prepared courses, things went downhill.

The radish salad with capers and anchovy dressing was our first prepared dish, and I rather liked the contrast in textures and flavors, but of the three of us, I was the only fan. Fried artichokes with Idiazabal cheese and a vinaigrette were interesting texturally, but didn't bring the flavor. Halved hard-boiled eggs on grilled bread with anchovies had promise, but didn't quite seem to come together for me. Charred spring onions with romesco were solid, but no better.

Clams were sadly overcooked, and served with chorizo that overwhelmed in quantity, but fell flat on flavor (I was also expecting a dry-cured chorizo, not a crumbled fresh one, but that's on me). Ending on a real down note was our last dish, pickled beef tongue. It lacked any pickled flavor, and had been simmered to the point that the tongue had capitulated - giving up its dense texture, and becoming soft and mushy. The thin slices, drizzled with aioli and olive oil, lacked textural and flavor contrast (the few slivers of radish weren't enough to save it).

I wish we had been able to try the Secreto Ibérico and the Morcilla, as I've heard great things about both, we just ran out of stomach space to order another round of dishes.

I should have stuck with my previous judgement and just gone back for cheese and sherry.

-Dan