(How about some restaurant reviews of Spanish restaurants in the US? I'm not sure if this is the right forum to stick this in - it's not really part of Spain travel - but I adore Spanish food, and love "talking" about it. Here's a review to start with.)

Restaurante La Encina (West Chester, PA)
[NOTE: JANUARY 7, 2004: This restaurant is closed. The chef is opening a new restaurant outside of Seville.]

OK, so it’s not in Spain. But this recently opened restaurant is so good, I thought I should spread the word to all you East Coast lovers of Spanish food. I just had my first dinner in the US there after a wonderful month in Spain, and a Spanish restaurant was just what I needed.

The chef/owner, an young Andaluz, offers a lovely selection of dishes from all over Spain. There’s a tapas menu, as well as a dinner menu consisting of appetizers and entrees. We were presented with a complimentary dish of marinated mussels that were very good - with a nice taste of cumin I’ve never tried before. Between the six of us we tried a lot, and I managed to sneak tastes of everything. I started with absolutely heavenly pimientos de piquillo stuffed with bacalao on a bed of rice in squid ink from the tapas menu . The gazpacho was excellent, the shrimps were not bad, and the tortilla de patatas was unfortunately slightly burned, as was the garlic in the sopa de ajo. The croquetas de jamon serrano were really yummy. The prices of these dishes ranged from $3.00 to $6.50.

We went on to dorado baked in a case of salt (delivered to the table and served by the very nice, dedicated chef, along with an outstanding hollandaise sauce and boiled potatoes with fresh garlic, parsley and olive oil - perfect for dipping bread into), lubina in sauce with clams, hard boiled eggs, and asparagus; paella, and angus beef on a bed of mojo colorado canario. It was all excellent. Prices for these dishes ran from $15.50 for the fish to $22.00 for the beef.

We were stuffed but decided we couldn’t leave without trying some of the desserts (all $5.00 each) and some nice strong café. The rice pudding, apple stuffed crepes, and tarta de Santiago (still warm from the oven) were beautifully presented with sauces, cinnamon, and fruit, and tasted out of this world. They were huge. I’ll be finishing my tarta de Santiago tomorrow for breakfast.

I’ve been wishing for a Spanish restaurant in the Philadelphia area since I came here five years ago, and my wish has been granted - and only 15 minutes from my house! I’m really picky about restaurants, but this food was better than the food I ate in most restaurants in Spain this summer. The decor was not terribly interesting, but the service was excellent. I’m definitely going back!

(Note - they don’t have a liquor license yet, so it’s BYOB.)

Hello,

While I was living in Chicago I used to go to a restaurant called "Cafe Iberico", it was pretty good (great tapas) and it was usually really crowded. I believe their web page is: www.cafeiberico.com

Adios!

In Madison, Wisconsin, it's La Paella, located on Fish Hatchery Rd, just off the South Belt-Line. Great food, wine tasting area, and decent ambiance.

A bit pricey but a treat to say the least. Their food is Mediterranean influenced so you should consider that if your tastes are more from the central or northern areas of Spain.

You can see what they have at lapaella.com including their menu, etc.

Wolf

If any of you are in Miami and you yearn for authentic Spanish cuisine you must go to Casa Juancho! Very Andaluz!

I went with a group of librarians last December and it was fantastic. They had a group of tuna players seranading the restaurant. The students were on holiday from universities in Spain. The staff are all from Spain.

Here is a list of their tapas:

Jamón Serrano
Spanish Serrano ham, aged 18 months
Jamón, Queso Manchego y Chorizo
Spanish ham, sheep's cheese and sausage
Chistorra A La Plancha
Grilled Spanish sausage links
Morcillas
Blood sausage
Calamares Fritos
Fried calamari
Patitas de Calamares Fritos
Fried calamari legs
Calamares A La Plancha
Grilled calamari
Chorizo Cantimpalo
Sausage Spanish style
Fabada Asturiana
Stew of white Faba beans from Asturias with Spanish ham and sausage
Callos A La Madrileña
Tripe, pig's feet, sausage and blood sausage cooked in a spicy hot sauce
Pollo Al Ajillo
Chicken tidbits in garlic sauce
Solomillo Encebollado
Beef tenderloin tidbits with onions
Tortilla A La Española
Potato and onion omelette
Champignon Al Ajillo
Mushrooms sauteed in garlic
Champignon A La Plancha
Grilled mushrooms
Pulpo A La Gallega
Octopus Galician style
Boquerones en Vinagre
Fresh anchovies in vinegar
Empanadilla de Queso Mahon
Mahon cheese pies
Croquetas De La Abuela
Grouper croquettes
Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos De Bacalao
Roast peppers from Spain stuffed with codfish mousse
Mesón Especial
Grilled squid, shrimp, mushrooms, Spanish sausage and blood sausage
Camarones Al Ajillo
Sauteed shrimp in garlic sauce
Camarones A La Plancha
Grilled shrimp
Mejillones Vinagreta
Mussels vinaigrette
Fritura Malagueña
Assorted fried seafood and pimentos Malagueña style
Queso Manchego
Sheep's milk cheese, aged 6 months
Vieiras A La Plancha
Grilled scallops
Chicharrones De Pollo
Deep fried marinated morsels of boneless chicken
Salpicón de Mariscos
Assorted seafood salad vinaigrette
Mejillones A La Marinera
Mussels in a tomato and white wine sauce Caracoles Borgognese
Escargots Borgognese

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Fantastic, pricey, but well worth the dining experience and ambiance of Andalucia!

2436 S.W. 8th Street, Miami
305-642-2452
Business Hours
Sunday - Thursday, 12 PM to 12 AM
Friday - Saturday, 12 PM to 1 AM

'I went with a group of librarians last December and it was fantastic. They had a group of tuna players seranading the restaurant. The students were on holiday from universities in Spain. The staff are all from Spain.'
How do you play the tuna? I dunno BL, sounds a little fishy to me....

Does anybody know of any spanish restaurants in Charlotte/Raleigh NC area, anything that would be reasonable, authentic??

I noticed a board member in Charlotte area, Puna?, so any info greatly appreciated.

I go to above mentioned cities often and would like to try spanish cousine if possible.

Zzeus11 - I moved here not long ago so reference Raleigh - I haven't a clue. Charlotte has a good one in Miro's Spanish Grille about 20 minutes outside of Charlotte city center. The owners of Miro's recently opened a Tapas bar and restaurant in the heart of downtown (uptown as they refer to it )

I have tried a few of the others and - Miro's (and their new one- the name of which I can't remember but will email you when i do) is the only one I can honestly recommend.

Hope this helps .... And, just out of curiousity, what brings you back and forth to NC - if you don't mind me asking .....

Thank You Puna, I will try Miro's next time.

Well, maybe I should've mentioned it earlier that actually I now live in NC, on the coast close to SC border, in Wilmington.

I go to both cities often to swim meets, my three kids all compete in age group swimming.

It is always difficult to find time, look for new places during these meets, so I try to plan in advance.
We usually stay right downtown, close to Mecklenburg Aquatic Center, Adams Mark, Hampton Inn/Hilton Garden and so on.

In Raleigh, well techically it is Cary or Apex, there is a small resteraunt called Tasca Brava, and it specialized in tapas. The prices are outrageous, but the food is nicely presented, tasty, and the hosts are wonderful. The resteraunt is located on the corner of Old Apex and Cary Parkway, next to Ace Hardware. I have seen it listed in the Raleigh News and Observer in the "What's up" section published every Sat. I assume they will have a small review/phone number to call for directions. Also, they have odd hours (they run on Spanish time more or less), so keep that in mind.

Thanks for the info re. Raleigh/Cary area and Charlotte, I will try both of the restaurants as soon as the circumstances allow.