Saturday night was my very first time going to a tapas style restaurant. The funny thing is, since you are reading this you might wonder what I mean by a tapas style restaurant, but if you hear me say it, you will wonder something else. It never fails. Every time I’ve said it out loud people’s eyes pop open and their mouths drop. “Did you just say topless? You went to a topless restaurant?” And I have to laugh before saying, “No I said Tapas silly!” I do have to admit that the very first time I heard it coming from a co-worker I thought the same thing. But no. Tapas means small dishes.
My husband and I went to dinner with some friends\family (yes that is possible to be both) Saturday night at Batanga located in downtown Houston. The ambiance was hip and also romantic if you go as a couple. They have a really nice patio outside too, but it was way too hot for that this time, so we sat inside. The waiter was prompt, dressed in a white shirt and friendly. The menu was made up of several choices of small dishes meant to share. They have vegetable tapas such as Butternut Squash and Grilled Avocado, and meat dishes such as Grilled Quail (oh my this was good) and Crispy Calamari. The calamari was amazing. It comes in at my second favorite rendition of squid.
To start, I ordered a beer, but when my brother in law turned up with a mixed drink that was to die for I decided to venture out into the wild and give one a try. I love the old school drink called a Manhattan, but rarely do I find a bartender who can make it and/or make it taste good. Let me tell you. This was the BEST Manhattan I have ever had! It was so good I tried two. And here, they ask you what Bourbon you want in it. Really? I can choose?
Hands down the quail was the best, and the cutest. We took a picture of the cute little thing before we ripped him apart into four pieces. The next day I heard on the news that a study was done about slow service at restaurants and they found that people taking pictures of their food was to blame. Oh no! I had done that. And the waiter was patiently waiting on us to finish so that he could take our third round of drink orders. I’m so sorry fellow foodies. We are part of the slow service problem.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! This restaurant is definitely a repeater. I want to go back when the weather is nice so that we can hang out on the deck. I hear it’s the biggest deck in Houston.
Happy eating. Try Batanga. You won’t be disappointed!
