My best friend, Linda, and I went to a brand new restaurant for a girls night. Now, I say brand new, I am sure it has been there for a while, but it was brand new to us.
Bolero Tapas Bar in Bricktown.
I had looked at their online menu, and while it sounded interesting, I could not tell that much about it. Linda had heard of it but the clincher was that I had a wonderful coupon.
We knew Friday night in Bricktown was going to be busy, so we opted to go early. While that is a good plan for the restaurant, that is a bad plan for the traffic. We both got stuck in traffic and arrived late.
Bolero's is located on the canal in the Harkins theater area. They have outside tables where you can enjoy their food, drinks and the view. Be forewarned that if you sit outside, you will become part of the canal boat captains show. While I was standing there waiting for Linda, I was able to watch the show with a couple that were walking along the canal. The weather was a little windy and cool for us to sit outside, so we went inside where we were seated in the bar area.
We had a wonderful waitress. We explained that we had never been here and could she enlighten us a bit about the menu and make some suggestions for us.
So, you might inquire...What in the heck is "Tapas".
Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine.
Wow, don't I sound super smart there?
The whole concept it so simple and is a great way for a group of friends to have a fun evening while trying out new foods.
The menu is filled with a wide variety of Tapas. The hard part was trying to choose which ones to order.
Here is what we ordered and my thoughts on each item.
*Golden Fried Goat Cheese drizzled with Tupelo honey. I have become a fan of goat cheese. The plate arrived with 5 little golden cheese balls. When cut into, the cheese oozes out, all over the plate. They are sweet and wonderful. A definite must have.
*Three Olive Combination with Pickled Garlic. A small bowl filled with chopped olives and garnished with the pickled garlic cloves. Wonderfully fresh tortilla chips accompany this as well. The olive combo was not too tart and the chips set the flavors off perfectly.
*Andalusian Meatballs. Great big meatballs smothered in a slightly spicy tomato sauce. While these were good, after sampling some of the other items, I doubt if I would order again.
*Scallop and Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado Salsa. In a word...OHMYGOSH. (that is one word, right?) Finely chopped scallops and shrimp topped with the avocado salsa. I wanted to lick the bowl and had to restrain myself.
*Empanadas stuffed with Polo Rojo. Two empanadas stuffed with chicken. Very tasty.
*Sweet Dates wrapped in Tocino. Teeny Tiny dates wrapped with teeny tiny slices of bacon and then fried. Sounds gross, but they are so good.
And for dessert, our sweet waitress treated us to the Caramel Flan. Words cannot describe this sweet finale to our dinner. The first bite just melted in my mouth. It is worth the trip all by itself.
We also got a look at the Flourless Chocolate Genoise Cake covered with Chocolate Ganache. Next time we go, we may start with that and the flan and work backwards!
I suggest you go to Bolero's with people you are friends with as you will be sharing everything, but your drinks, with them. It might get dicey if an arguments breaks out over the last tapas. Linda, I hope the fork tine marks in your hand are better this morning. Sorry about that. I simply had to have that last one.
By the way, remember the coupon? I forgot all about having it. We decided that was all right. It gives us an excuse to make a return trip. Isn't it against the law to not use a coupon?
While I wish that I were being paid for this review, I am not. Just wanted to share a new find with my friends. What the heck...tell them Cindy sent you. It won't help you a bit, but it will make the wait staff think you are a bit weird.
P.S. Ladies, be sure to visit the ladies room to wash your hands. I really have to get out more.
Enjoy.
Yes...I freely admit it and am proud of it.
In 1981, I watched as Diana married Prince Charles. I was naive enough to believe that true love would win out over whatever problems these two might have. I really didn't spend much time thinking about them having problems though. Really, they were young, rich and rich. I did mention rich, didn't I? What problems could they possibly have? In a word..Camilla.
I kept up with the Royal Family through the birth of the heir, (William), and the birth of the spare, (Harry).
I watched as Princess Di took her boys to McDonald's, Amusement Parks and skiing.
I watched Princess Di dance with John Travolta.
I watched Princess Diana dodge land mines.
In a nutshell, I am a royal watcher.
In 1997, I watched in horror, sadness and anger as the news filtered out of Paris that Princess Diana was dead. Killed in a senseless, stupid car accident. I was glued to the television in the days that followed. I watched as her body was brought back to England. I watched as the flowers grew by leaps and bounds outside Kensington Palace. I watched the funeral procession, wth her beloved boys following her casket to Westminster Abbey. I watched her body being driven to her final resting place. I watched in awe, as on the long drive, flowers were thrown onto the hearse as a sign of love and respect.
In 2009, I was fortunate to take a trip to Paris and London. I was able to "watch" the royals from a different angle. In Paris, I saw the hospital where Princess Diana was pronounced dead and where Prince Charles came to take her home. In London, I saw the gates of Kensington Palace, I toured Westminster Abbey. I saw Buckingham Palace and even marched wth the guard during their famous changing of the guard.
So, after reading this, is is a surprise that I got up at 3:00 a.m. on April 29, 2011, to watch Prince William marry Kate? Is it a surprise that I had the VCR set to record the coverage, on two different channels, so I would not miss any of the festivites?
I am older and not as naive as I was in 1981 when I watched my first royal wedding. But being older, it is easier for me to read the faces and body language of those involved. There is NOT a doubt in my mind that these two young people, not only love one another, but like each other. How can you doubt it when watching as William looked at Kate for the first time at the alter and she beamed her wonderful smile at him?
Yes, Fairy Tales do come true.
Let me steal a quote from some books that all of you are familiar with...
"And they lived happily ever after."
