CheekyChicago

There are – oh- just about a million things to say about Tapas Valencia. As I sat staring blankly at my word document, ambling for a starting point, I hit up my date James (my gay boyfriend/best friend/love of my life), who joined me that night, via email for a little inspiration. Here’s how it went:

Jessica writes:

“James, help me. I‘m writing an article on Tapas V and it was so good and we ate SO SO much and the atmosphere was so cool and I have absolutely no idea where to begin.”

James writes:

“Ummmmmmmmm….. foodgasm?”

Enough said. Tapas Valencia is a Spanish tapas lover’s personal paradise. First let me state that I love Spanish food. It’s probably my favorite kind of cuisine. And I love a good tapas joint just as much as the next cheeky gal, but sometimes the menus get a little predictable, the bread gets a little stale and the sangria a little too sweet. Not at Tapas Valencia. The food here can best be described as innovative, unique, verging on exotic and absolutely inspired.

There’s not much on the menu we didn’t try (we made sure to come hungry as we both looked at the menu online and as James described, he got a food boner just by reading).

Starting with our one cold tapas, we got straight down to business. The Rollito De Buey - beef tenderloin wrapped with blue cheese, dates and Portobello mushroom – was smoky, tangy and was offset perfectly by the sweetness of the dates. Silence swept the table (and this says a lot because James and I can talk for days) once the Calamares a la Plancha hit the table. Grilled squid with garlic, olive oil and lemon was as simple as it gets and bursted with flavor. Not to mention, the quality of the calamari was some of the best I have ever tried.

We were speechless once again as we devoured the Vieiras al Albarino - the scallops with couscous – and the Empanada de Buey - the beef tenderloin empanada. Both were modern twists on the expected fare, with buttery scallops atop seasoned Israeli couscous instead of the typical kind. The empanada was soft and gooey, rather than dry and flaky, and was adorned with a thin slice of Manchego cheese that added a whole new layer to the dish entirely.

I can’t honestly review Tapas V without insisting that you order the Bacon Wrapped Dates. Yes, we know, they are served everywhere and Tapas Valencia does them exactly how you want them…but better. Perhaps it was the crunch of the bacon, the heat of the date or the creaminess of the red pepper sauce, but let’s just say thank goodness there was an even six and we could each have three, or else I don’t know if James and I would be friends anymore. But the Duck Confit with mushrooms and apples was the most foodgasmic of the bunch. As James described via his second email to me (he apparently wasn’t satisfied with his first “critique”):

“Talk about the duck! It was savory, sweet, unique, amazing, rich.”

Cheeky peeps don’t skip dessert and the hazelnut chocolate mousse and fried banana are perfect examples of why we don’t. And Tapas Valencia is the perfect example that Spanish food rocks, tapas food really can surprise you, the South Loop gets cooler every year, Chicago chefs never cease to amaze and (gay) boyfriends really are the best.