Bar Pintxo Perfection

I tasted Bar Pintxos' food at the LA Food and Wine event Summer at the Shore (see my previous post) and couldn't wait to try more, so I took two guests from back East to get a late night snack at this wonderful Tapas bar in Santa Monica.

One of my guests loves potatoes and when she saw the Patatas Brava, crispy potatoes, spicy tomato sauce, aioli and chives for $5, she knew what she wanted. I'm not usually a potato lover, but these converted me! They were tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, and the spicy tomato sauce and aioli added such a perfect accent that would gladly order these every time I come here.

My other friend wanted something light, so she ordered the white asparagus with green herb puree, seasonal sprouts, and marcona almonds with paprika for $6. This was a tender dish of fresh ingredients which would be a perfect choice for any vegans, vegetarians, or simply vegetable lovers.

I had to order the grilled octopus with saffron aioli and smoked paprika infused olive oil for $10. I LOVED this dish. I could have easily eaten three for dinner. The potatoes on my plate were a nice accompaniment to dip into the saffron aioli and they added a nice textual contrast to the octopus.

The atmosphere is exactly like a tapas bar in Spain, the service is warm and knowledgeable, and the food is amazing, so come here for their happy hour when tapas are only $6, or you can get a sampler plate like this (actually 2 orders on this plate).

The calamari was some of the most tender and savory I've ever eaten, and a bargain at $6 during happy hour (I ordered TWO)!

Come on Thursday for their $34 menu of 3 courses. I plan to come next Tuesday when they do their fabulous paella for only $9 after 6pm.

Joe Miller, the owner, came over when he saw me taking pictures and asked if I was going to post them on Yelp, so I told him yes, and even better, on my blog, because after all, great food deserves great press!