THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Carmens de la Calle Cafe

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Carmens de la Calle Cafe Restaurant Review:

Carmens evokes Bizet’s proud protagonist in more than mere name: Flamenco troupes strut their stuff on weekend evenings, and jazz and world music groups --- their rhythms reinforced by pitchers of sangría and copas of serviceable Spanish wine --- add to the restaurant’s shabby-chic appeal. The chalkboard menu consists largely of tapas in either single-serving sizes or “raciones” made for sharing. The signature paella with seafood, chorizo and chicken is a good place to start, perhaps paired with a side of artichoke tapenade with shaved manchego. Spicy “Flamenco” edamame, sautéed portobello with sherry, and prosciutto-wrapped dates testify to the restaurant's free-wheeling definition of tapas, while the empanadas are equally able to bridge styles. Carmens, like the flamenco dives of Seville, tends to look better “de noche” than in the light of day, and things don’t really get moving until around 9 p.m., so come early and stay late; some foods may sell out, but the sangría never runs dry.