THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tapeo

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tapeo Restaurant Review:

You won’t find sawdust on the floor of Tapeo (the name translates loosely to Let’s go Tapas-ing!), nor a guitarist with a cigarette dangling from his lips, but you’ll experience hot and cold treats authentically prepared by Ricardo Segura, whose parents fled Franco’s Spain but who has returned to his culinary origins with gusto and bravura. The restaurant is cozy, with lots of cushioned seating around the rim of the room, while moody photographs of the owner’s natal village of Estremadura and pottery from the region adorn the walls and shelves. By all means sample from the extensive list of sherries, the best way to accompany tapas. The sensible procedure here is to start with the lighter items (olives with preserved lemon, or toasted almonds), proceed to cold or marinated seafood (say trout marinated in onions, cured salmon, or steamed clams in white wine), and then to such items as toasted bread topped with tomato, serrano ham and Manchego cheese; and finally to a hearty dish or two like ragout of blood sausage, white beans, oxtail, and pancetta, or rice flavored with squid ink, or confit of duck (Segura grew up in Paris, after all). Tapas are enjoyed at all hours in Spain, but we especially seek out Tapeo for a late dinner after an event; many of the small plates are the perfect food to go to bed on. This is a place to return to often; the list of tapas is long, and it changes frequently. You’ll always find a dozen items you wish you had room for.