City Restaurant Week: Orillas

EDITOR'S NOTE: City Restaurant Week is off and running. Keep reading Second Helpings this week. Staffers will be grabbing tables at all participating eateries.

By LUCIA BLACKWELL

Can a meat-and-potatoes guy and a serial-grazer gal enjoy a meal together at a Spanish tapas bar?

They can if they're at Orillas (413 N. Market St.), where the City Restaurant Week menu offers a long list of choices.

Choose three small plates for the $35 dinner menu. Sharing is encouraged so it's a great chance to try new things - and it's easy to get a sneak preview by glancing at other diners' plates passing by in this little gem of a restaurant.

Part of the fun was the intimacy created by the small space and closely placed tables. It didn't feel crowded to us - it was more like being at a festive gathering. Spanish music, pictures of flamenco dancers and bull fighters on the walls, rustic candle sconces and lots of brickwork and dark wood added to the Mediterranean atmosphere. It was a pleasant escape on a hot evening.

The house sangria was crisp and cold with just a touch of sweetness - the perfect accompaniment to our tapas exploration. We dove right in and ordered all of our plates at once - then the kitchen sent them out one or two at a time so my dinner companion and I could share and focus our attention on each one. At some tables, diners chose to make one or two selections at a time, sometimes ordering a favorite a second time.

Fingerling potatoes with aioli and spicy tomato sauce give french fries a sophisticated spin. The aioli (think garlicky mayo) and tomato sauce (think light but sassy ketchup) decorating the plate were irresistible.

Empanadas de ropa veija (crisp little turnovers filled with braised beef and served with green salsa) were pockets of pure satisfaction. My fellow diner said, "This is what Hot Pockets want to be when they grow up!" (I've never had a Hot Pocket, so I'll take his word for it.)

With the meat and potatoes requirement satisfied, it was time to turn to other flavors. Artichokes sauteed with Serrano ham were a tasty, light break from bigger, bolder flavors on other plates, but I might choose another, more interesting, vegetable or salad option were I to visit again.

Chicken croquettes were deliciously crispy on the outside, light on the inside. Lamb chops were perfectly seared, tender and pink, and served with a slightly sweet lentil stew studded with bits of crispy smoked bacon.

One of the last dishes we tried was the corn and black bean chowder with manchego croutons and basil oil. This "chowder" - more of a velvety rich black bean soup with corn nestled under a little manchego cheese-topped crouton raft - was the unexpected smash-hit of the evening. The smoky chili heat was assertive, but not overpowering. My dinner pal did all but lick the bowl clean to get every last drop. Ole!

We succumbed to the temptation of dulce de leche banana tart and mango tres leches cake, though after our succession of little plates we were both surprisingly full.

The desserts were fine, but not worth the overindulgence. We wished there had been a lighter offering, perhaps fresh fruit or an icy sorbet. Maybe next time we'll try the flan.

Yes, next time. We're hooked on Orillas' tapas. We'll be back.