My First Tapas

After hearing about it for many years, I finally caved and decided to try tapas for the first time. After a little research on yelp.com I decided that I would go to Emilio’s Tapas in downtown Chicago. From the outside this little restaurant doesn’t appear to be much, but the red awning hides a delightful treat. The intimate setting, wandering guitar quartet, and varied menu proved to be very fun and exciting. 

Walking into Emilio’s, you are greeted by the pleasant hostess. Tables are small, and the restaurant has subdued lighting, making it ideal for a date night, or just an intimate dinner with friends. There is a full bar, and a wine menu which features mostly Spanish wines. The wait staff proved to be very helpful with the wine list, and my server, Luis, recommended a rather pleasant Temperillo which complimented most of the dishes, and had a very unexpected spicy finish. He explained that tapas is little dishes, designed to be shared, and just a few bites for each person. After detailing the night’s specials, we decided to order six tapas dishes, including a paella, one of Emilio’s specialties. In fact the paella has won several awards in Chicago, including the Chicago Critic’s Choice Award. We started with a Salmon a la Taverna with hard boiled egg, dill cream sauce and capers, and a watermelon salad with Serrano ham, arugula, and olive oil dressing. We also ordered a Dijon chicken breast with cauliflower puree, a special for the evening, Lome De Cerdo Al Ajillo, a pork dish, and Albondigas De Cordero, lamb meatballs. We chose the Paella A La Valenciana for our paella dish, one which has chicken, shrimp, langostinos, shrimp, pork, mussels, and clams in it. For dessert we ordered a triple mousse cake, profiteroles with ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce, and crepes filled with vanilla and peach custard.

I came up with four criteria for judging my experience: taste, menu variety, service, and ambiance.

Taste

While I was impressed with some of the dishes, like the Dijon chicken and the watermelon salad, some of the regular menu items weren't so good. The paella was overly sweet and the seafood in it was very overcooked. The Dijon chicken dish was very well balanced, and the velvety cauliflower puree paired very well with the kick from the Dijon sauce. The chicken was perfectly cooked and fork tender. The lamb meatballs were good themselves, but the sauce they came in tasted like a spicy Campbell's tomato soup. For the cold tapas, the watermelon salad was absolutely divine. The sweet watermelon with the salty Serrano ham and peppery arugula was refreshing and light. The salmon a la taverna had a good balance too it, but the salmon itself had a fishy taste that was off putting. The pork tenderloin dish was decent, but it came with mushrooms, which was not listed on the menu. The pork itself was slightly overcooked and a little dry, but not to bad. The Spanish potatoes were okay, slivers of potato pan fried with some spices. The desserts were out of this world. The puff pastry profiteroles were wonderful, and the bittersweet chocolate sauce on them was a great pairing with the sweet pastry and ice cream. The vanilla and peach crepes highlighted the fresh fruit on the dish, and were a great seasonal desert. Finally, the triple mousse cake balanced rich dark chocolate mousse with lighter white chocolate mousse, and a creamy caramel mousse. The flavors went very well together, and the lighter mousses kept it from being too rich or too sweet. Overall I would give the taste three out of five starts. Overcooking seafood and pork is a horrible offense for a high end restaurant, but the specials were well balanced and well put together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Menu Variety

One thing I will give Emilio's is that they have a wide range of options on their menu. There are many dishes, and they cover the range of seafood, pork, chicken, and beef, giving a diner a wide variety of proteins to order from. They also have a range of not spicy to very spicy, and this works well for a wide range of palettes. I give them four out of five stars, just for the lack of vegetarian dishes.

Service

The service was phenomenal. The server was attentive and discreet. He was well informed on not only the dishes on the menu but the specials, and the wine menu. The wine he recommended was great, and he only knew that I liked pinot noir to go off of. You can tell that a great deal of training is given to the servers both on the food menu and the wine list. The bussers were prompt and efficient in clearing the table, and did so quietly and unobtrusively. I give the service five stars.

Ambiance

This restaurant is designed for more intimate gatherings, so it has smaller tables and low lighting. It is a great place to go for an intimate family dinner, or a romantic evening, but I wouldn't recommend it for a night out with friends. I would give the ambiance three out of five stars.

Overall Rating

Overall, the service made the night for me, and I will give Emilio's 3.5 out of five stars. I would go back there again to try some different things, but stay away from some of the dishes. The kitchen could use some work in making sure things were cooked properly before they get to the table, but for the most part, it was an enjoyable date night with my boyfriend. Kudos to Luis our server, he made the meal an enjoyable experience, and is the main reason I would go back.