My first interaction with Spanish Tapas was in Atlanta, back in the late nineties. And I say interaction, because there is definitely action that occurs between one and the sometimes innumerable dishes that are sometimes offered. Sometimes just deciding becomes quite a feat within itself. I was fascinated with tapas that I bought two of Penelope Casas' books; The Food and Wines of Spain
A few weeks ago, we had some very pleasant weather (as was today), and the Missus was in the mood for some sangria, so we headed back to Costa Brava on Garnet in Pacific Beach.
Even though Costa Brava sits right on busy Garnet, they have tried to make the space a bit more intimate and quiet by putting up hedges as a border between the dining area and the street.
We've found the service to be good…. most of the Servers are kind of cautious and stand-offish initially, but once they figure you out, they are quite accommodating. There is one older gentleman who, once he got to know us, was quite friendly.
I've had some pretty good dishes, and some disappointments ( i.e. the gambas al ajillo). But I don't think I'd ever heard about happy hour, between 4 and 6pm during the week. There's a short list of tapas ranging from $2-$4, and a pitcher of sangria is $8.
I'll usually only have a glass, since I find sangria a bit too sweet for me. On one visit, it tasted very watered down, but on subsequent visits, it was fine…. and the Missus really enjoyed it.
There are about nineteen items on the Happy Hour menu, and I'll cover those we've tried in this post. I'll do the rest in a future post. I'm listing the items in the order of the Missus's preference. The prices listed will be the HH cost.
Her #1 is without a doubt, the Pescaito Frito (fried baby anchovies – $4):
I'm pretty sure the Missus could eat three of these by Herself. Crunchy, salty, and savory, the lemon adds a nice bit of acid to smooth out any very strong flavors. Call them french fries of the sea if you will….. the Missus loves these.
#2 Patatas a la Brava (spicy potatoes – $4).
I really don't know of too many people who don't like this. It was the item FOY Candice mentioned first when we were chatting about Costa Brava. Alice Q Foodie has this as one of her 100 Thing to Eat in San Diego. Potatoes + Allioli (mayo) + Spice = Very hard to wrong……
#3 Pulpo A la Vinegreta (Marinated Octopus – $3):
Tender Octopus, fairly balanced marinade, with a decent vinegar bite.
That's our top three of the Happy Hour items we ordered. Here's the rest:
Caracoles al Alioli (Escargot in Alioli Sauce $5):
Loved the alioli, which was fantastic on bread. The escargot was overdone, and tough as heck.
Speaking of bread….. Cesta de Pan con Alioli (basket of bread and alioli – $2):
The bread was decent, fairly light, almost like heat and eat stuff. Loved the large pieces of garlic in the alioli.
Aceitunas Alinadas (marinated olives – $2).
Yes, olives…. hard to go wrong with this.
Champinones al Ajillo (Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic and Sherry – $4):
Much too sour for my tastes.
Croquetas de Queso (cheese crouquettes – $4):
Actually blue cheese croquettes….. very mild blue cheese croquettes. I still scratch my head as to why I ordered these. Add a couple of bucks and get the Croquetas de Bacalao instead.
So there you go……… a couple of Happy Hour items from Costa Brava that won't break the bank. In part two, we'll cover stuff like this.
Costa Brava
1653 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Open 11am – midnight daily
You can find TFH's post on Costa Brava here. Vicki's post on Costa Brava can be found here.