MEME BREAK!!
Right? Anyone not from Pittsburgh is probably squinting their eyes, shaking their head, and wondering if I ever passed 3rd grade grammar... I did. And Mrs. Marflak can prove it. Semicolons still vex me though. And sometimes commas. The way I talk in my head leads me want to put them EVERYWHERE. COMMA. But we have gotten slightly off topic.
Ibiza. Yes!
I definitely wouldn't consider myself a foodie, but I didn't get my voluptuous figure by loving carrot sticks and having a strong affinity for running away from or to nothing. There is nothing more satisfying than a great night out with fun people at a cool place that doesn't just serve your typical I-could-technically-make-this-myself-at-home-if-I-ever-went-grocery-shopping fare. Going out to eat is, for me, all about the experience, and at Ibiza last night I had one.
Walking into the little South Side restaurant, I was immediately put in the mood by the decor and styling. It's a really cool mix of textured Spanish style textured plaster walls, dim lighting from fixtures that look more like art pieces than lights, and industrial elements of glass, concrete, wood, and metal. Think old world Spain goes factory.
I noticed my guest had already arrived and was seated at a stained and polished cement table drinking from a globe sized wine glass that was filled with a burgundy pink liquid and tons of fruit. May I introduce you to Ibiza's Sangria. I wish I could tell you that I did my due diligence and scoured the drink menu, but I didn't. I didn't even look at it. One look at my guest's drink and I knew I just had to have one. Or two. And if I didn't need to drive home later I would have had three. Or four.
After pleasantries were exchanged a hush came over the table; not because we didn't have loads to talk about, but because we sat in awe of the menu. Page after page we saw interesting options and delightfully inspired pairings. The conversation then became did we want cold tapas? Warm tapas? Entrees? We finally settled on three warm tapas:
1. Veal Stuffed Banana Peppers resting in a light, thin tomato based sauce.
2. Artichoke Fritters
3. Bacon Wrapped Scallops
My only regret is that we couldn't just order half of the menu. My eyes are forever larger than my stomach. #fatgirlproblems
We asked our waitress to stagger the dishes so that we had time to enjoy each dish while it was still hot and fresh and she timed the meal perfectly. As we were savoring the last morsels of each selection, she would bring out our new favorite.
The Veal Stuffed Banana Peppers made their debut first. To be honest, I'm not really a big veal eater. Baby cows and all of that, but those thoughts went out the door as the morsels played with my palate. The subtle bite of the banana pepper and the acidity of the thin tomato sauce really complimented the rich meaty texture of the veal. We ended up using the thick crusty bread previously delivered with our drinks to soak up all of the remaining sauce so we wouldn't waste a single drop of it. My only negative about this dish is that it was a touch underseasoned and needed to be salted at the table. #Firstworldproblems
Next came the Artichoke Fritters. Four egg shaped fritters sat on a bed of mixed greens and what I believe was an aged balsamic reduction. Artichoke hearts can be tricky. If prepared the wrong way they turn into little greasy flaps with a spongy and unpleasant texture. Not these guys. As we delved into the fritters we couldn't help but exclaim, "mmmmm!!!" and "oh my goodness!". Each bite was an exquisitely balanced orchestra of artichoke heart, garlic, crunchy fried batter, and sweet, tangy balsamic. Scrumptious.
Last of the tapas were the Bacon Wrapped Scallops. Three fist sized scallops came out beautifully wrapped with thick, crispy pieces of bacon on top of another balsamic reduction. On the side of the platter we noticed a small dish filled with a beige puree. Not going to lie, was a little worried. It could of been pureed horseradish and baby dreams for all I knew. It wasn't. It was fruity and savory and had just a hint of a kick. And we couldn't place the flavors anywhere. Perplexing. We soon learned from our attentive waitress that what was dancing on our tongues was grape puree. Grape. So very interesting. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the bacon was in that glorious state of being crispy along the edges, but still soft and juicy. Bacon wrapped scallops are nothing new to the food world, but being executed so well and served with the grape puree made them seem new and fresh.
We rounded our meal off with a cup of coffee for my guest and espresso for me as we contemplated whether or not to indulge in dessert. Of course we did! And while the dessert selection isn't nearly as immense as the rest of the menu, Ibiza offers everything from a gluten free chocolate souffle to flan to a fruit tartlet.
My guest decided on the creme brulee and I ordered the gluten free chocolate souffle with the understanding that I would never know that it was gluten free.
The creme brulee was exactly as creme brulee should be: creamy and rich with a coating of crunchy caramelized sugar on top. It was good.
The show stopper was the chocolate souffle with a thick raspberry sauce (I asked to have it on the side because I'm one of the few people in this world that doesn't love chocolate and raspberry together) and generous dollops of whipped cream. I died. And came back to life and died again. The souffle was decadent and rich and head dizzying glorious. I felt like I could taste color. I was so happy that I had ordered the espresso because it went so well with the chocolate souffle. And our waitress was right; had I not been told that it was gluten free I would have had no idea.
Ibiza was an experience. The wait staff was attentive, the manager mingled with the guests, the valets actually moved our cars to right outside of the restaurant when it became clear that we were closing down the restaurant and hand delivered our keys. The prices were to be expected for the quality of food and level of service that was provided (our bill came out to just over $100 for the two of us - each having two drinks with dinner).
To say that I would go back is an understatement. I mean, I'm not going to make it a weekly routine, but it will definitely be put on the list of places to go!
Forever Yours,
The Unemployed Diva.
Are you following me on twitter????? If not, shame on you. I'm delightful, DAMMIT!! @kunemployeddiva
