Multiple choice question: What happens when you have a couple (or 5) glasses of wine?
a. You find that you can suddenly sing as well as Mariah Carey.
b. Everyone you meet, even on the way to the bathroom, becomes your BFF.
c. As the number of glasses of wine consumed increases, your voice gets louder
d. You get the munchies.
e. All of the above
If you answered “all of the above”, first off I want to hang out with you. You sound like my kinda person. But if at least one of your answers was “d. You get the munchies”, you are in good company my friend. Who doesn’t need a little nosh after some adult grape juice, right? Some people have certain items that they seek out when the wine is flowing, like salty and crunchy, or sweet and creamy. Others will take whatever may come walking past (whether it’s their order of jumbo nachos or not). Whatever. I don’t judge.
On our recent trip to what I have been referring to as “paradise” (aka California wine country), we were oh-so-fortunate to find the BEST tapas bar ever. No, really. The best one EVER. And we have been to some tapas bars around the world, folks. If you aren’t familiar with tapas, they are generally a selection of small plates or snacks, and can be hot or cold dishes. While many countries have their versions of this, most would agree that we can thank Spain for this contribution to modern cuisine and food culture. Shout out to Spain, ya’ll!
This particular tapas bar, called Bravas Tapas Bar, is the one for you if you like 1) small plates of food, and 2) delicious options for nibbles while having a glass of wine. Tapas and wine just go together. Oh, and did I mention that it’s in the fantastic little town of Healdsburg, right where the Sonoma, Dry Creek and the Alexander Valley regions all converge? Yeah, location, location, location.
On our first evening in town, we arrived at this great place and were seated on the outdoor patio. Aside: I live in Texas, where the freakin’ heat index was 112 degree while we were gone. So sitting outside was a BIG deal. I asked if I could just put a cot on the deck and sleep there, but sadly, management wasn’t keen on that idea.
After we got that awkward request out of the way and ordered some wine, we began trying to narrow down the choices for our tapas-style dinner. The only thing we DON’T like about tapas bars is that there are so many yummy things to choose from that narrowing it down to less than everything on the menu can be tough. But we finally decided on 4 small plates, and proceeded to have one of our favorite meals of the trip. Our offerings included:
- (fried potatoes with tomato sauce and garlic aioli, a tapas classic)
- Golden Onions and White Truffle Honey
Your mouth is watering now, isn’t it. Go get a napkin and clean yourself up. I’ll wait.
OK, you back? Now for the pictures of these enticing bites.
These first two, the Duck Egg with Chorizo and the Fried Potatoes with Garlic Aioli, which came out in this order, were delicious. Piping hot, crunchy where they needed to be, creamy where called for, and full of flavor.
But these next two dishes, well, they were the pièce de résistance.
The Chicken, Ham &
As for the Goat Cheese Toasts with Onions & Truffle Honey, I was in heaven. The toasts were creamy, sweet, savory, crunchy–and addicting. I could have eaten about 20 of them. But I didn’t. ‘Cause that would have been embarrassing.
All I kept thinking was “where have these been all my life” and “how quickly can I make this dish once we get home”? I promise, this is not the last you will see of these toasts.
And other wines and food we came across on the trip? Well, there is a darned good chance that I may have just one (?) more posting to share with other wine country finds.
I think I’ll open a bottle of wine and think it through…
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Absolutely all of the above. And each of these tapas are making my mouth water.
Wow, these all look so good. Love tapas. Wish this spot was in my neighborhood. 🙂