One of
my favorite Tuesday night spots is a fantastic place in Princeton NJ. At first glance you may think it is just
another "hoy faloy" place with food so small you have to fill up on the bread
basket. Like the rest of Princeton, the
front of the building is dressed to impress.
Big glass doors, outdoor stone patio, the works. However if you venture inside you will find
that they have surprisingly affordable options for those of us with shallow
pockets. While they do have a great basket of bread, they also have $2 tapas with
the purchase of a drink every day of the week. Now I know what you’re thinking, $2 tapas is
probably fried cheese and buffalo wings; but these tapas include things tuna
tartar, salmon ceviche, and meatballs (aka abondigas, my favorite Spanish word
because it’s just so darn fun to say).
But wait, there’s more! Act before 6pm and their entire tapa menu is just
eight quarters. Unlike most places where
they put their cheapest options on special, every single tapa is just $2. Yes I
know I sound like one of those annoying car commercials that keep saying the
same thing; but this deal is so good no amount of repetition can do it justice. There aren’t many things you can get for that
cheap any more. In today’s market it’s
like the fabled penny candy your grandparents talk about; lots of choices,
little price tag.
Needless to say I went on a tapas
spree. My sister, my mother and I ordered the tartar, ceviche, clams, and
abondigas. Being a lover of all things
raw, including steak and eggs (GASP), I was incredibly excited about the tartar,
ceviche, and the clams. And rightly so,
it was so good it made me want to jump up and say “OLE!” or do a tap(a) dance. You could really taste the freshness of the
fish. It was light and delicate and
just kind of melted away like a snowman in the sunshine. They all had a light
citrus drizzle which gave the dishes a little kick. It was like a little
flamenco dance in your mouth. I have had these dishes about 10 times and I
still adore them! What can I say; I’m a
glutton for punishment (by good food).
The abondigas (come on just try
saying it out loud; you know you want to) were surprisingly light and
fluffy. I’ve had meatballs that would be
better used for batting practice or meatball fights, but these were light
little succulent balls of beefy goodness.
They were cheesy and slightly salty and smothered in a tangy sweet
tomato sauce; so delicious I was convinced they secretly had my grandma working
in the kitchen.
The three of us also split a
Pumpkin Crusted Cedar Planked Branzino entrée.
It was flaky and salty and nutty and delicious. Not to mention the portion size was
huge. It may take two to tango, but it
took 3 to eat the dish. So after 3 hours
we were so full I needed to be rolled out like the meatballs. And then there was the bill, which would seem
more ominous if most of our meal hadn’t cost $2. The grand total... $75 with tax for 3 people
including beverages; which comes to $25
per person. We all left the restaurant with very happy stomachs and baccounts
that night!
Keep your wallets full and your mouths happy
<3 DD
Copyright © 2012 Christine Van Arsdalen. All Rights Reserved.
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