review - Vino Tapas and Wine Bar

18046 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA 91316
info@vinowineroom.com

Tel: 818-343-2525

This is a revisit. Read my original review from November 2013 here: http://howtoeatheartily.blogspot.com/2013/11/vino-wine-and-tapas-bar.html

with owner Alla Volk

18046 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA 91316
info@vinowineroom.com

Tel: 818-343-2525

Vino Tapas and Wine Bar in Encino has some very exciting news to share. Beginning July 1, this one of a kind establishment will be open for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm daily. Owner Alla Volk was on hand to greet me June 24 and was so ecstatic about extending her hours. Alla plans a special paella and sangria day, most likely Sundays, shortly after the lunch schedule starts up. The deliciously authentic wine, sangria and tapas Vino has to offer are praised by everyone who stops by and now there are more opportunities to spend time there....and the cuisine is authentically Spanish, which has a lot to say for a Russian owner. Ole, ole! Yes, Alla prides herself on her Spanish chef and her selection of genuine Spanish-style tapas, which include albondigas and tortilla espanola. When she puts the special paella day into full swing, she intends to offer not one or two different kinds of paella but perhaps six or seven to match the menu of Spanish restaurants in Spain where she has eaten and savored every morsel. With this kind of passion for her art, Alla is a true restaurateuse par excellence, and you know you are in good hands when you visit Vino Tapas and Wine Bar. On this second visit, my desire was to try several things that I had not eaten the first time, so I ordered calamares fritos, crisply fried squid served with romesco and aioli side sauces  and my friend, higadillos salteados, pan seared chicken livers with garlic, paprika and thyme served in a sizzling cast iron plate. The calamari were absolutely yummy tasting and those chicken livers were so deliciously prepared. I know it requires a special taste, but both my friend Jim and I were brought up on the exquisite flavor of liver so we truly appreciate it in all of its forms. Of course, who can resist the potato croquetas, crispy mashed potato croquettes filled with chicken and served with tomato aioli, the patatas bravas, crispy potatoes with spicy aioli sauce and the slider, that scrumptious mini burger with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, bleu cheese and tomato aioli, served with fries? This is one of the very best sliders I have ever tasted! Jim also tried the delicias, bacon wrapped dates filled with caramelized walnuts and bleu cheese and the gambas al ajillo, shrimp sauteed in garlic, herb and white wine sauce. He simply raved about both, especially the dates wrapped in bacon. We both savored more than one glass of the luscious homemade sangria. For my main course - or big tapa - I ordered short ribs, which are braised over night with spices and herbs, and served with green beans, tomato confit and mashed potatoes. I had had the filet mignon on the last visit and must admit it's a toss up for me between the filet and the short ribs, as they are both beautifully prepared and succulent...and just enough, after devouring so many tapas. For dessert, I tried the bread pudding with cranberry and vanilla ice cream and Jim, the banana bread with bruleed banana and chantilly cream. Que rico!, as the Spaniards say...and who am I to disagree? I came to be satisfied… and I certainly was! I rarely talk about presentation, which, in my book, is 50% of a good restaurant meal. For me, it's the food that counts most, but yes, presentation makes the food more appealing. Vino Tapas and Wine Bar present all of their small and big tapas and desserts in fine artistic form. I particularly enjoyed seeing the short rib dinner on the bed of mashed potatoes and vegetables delectably protruding from the hole in the center of the large plate, drawing immediate attention to it. What is also utterly unbelievable about Vino Tapas and Wine Bar apart from the great food, presentation, service and warm atmosphere with Spanish paintings on the walls, are the moderate prices. At happy hour from 4 pm to 7 pm, the tapas are only $5, and the big tapas - filet mignon and short rib dinners - only $15 each. It is not everywhere that you may order authentic Spanish food, get lovely guitarra music later in the evening, and do not have to complain about spending too much money. And now that Vino Tapas and Wine Bar will be open for lunch...what a double deal! Que suerte (luck) for us all!

Grade: A+