Eivissa

After seeing it listed in the “Too New to Review” section of Time Out (a weekly guide to everything going on in the city) and noting the budget appropriate price-range (average small-plate $8), I decided to make my first round in the Chicago restaurant scene at Eivissa.

A tapas and sangria restaurant located in the super-cute neighborhood of Old Town, Eivissa offers an artfully balanced blend of the authentic and the trendy. While the atmosphere was anything but traditional—loud, with un-uniformed waiters and communal dining options—the menu was impressively true to classic Spanish fare. For example, the accompaniment to the pork tapa—lentils, perfectly tender and smoky flavored—brought back memories of the home-cooked ones Teresa, my senora in Sevilla, prepared for me at least once a week.

 Showing up at the height of the dinner rush, we were faced with an hour wait, so we decided to sit at the bar. It turned out to be a great choice as the bartender, who formally introduced himself as we sat down, eventually revealed that he recognized me from a coffee shop that I had used for their free internet (yet another money-saving tactic) the day before. Liberal with his menu suggestions and his pours, the tattoo covered “Tony” seemed determined that we enjoy ourselves. (We realized just how determined when we got our check—our drinks mysteriously cost $0).

Unfortunately, Tony and I must have different tastes because his first suggestion, the salpicon aioli pinxto--a piece of grilled bread piled high with a seafood salad and garnished with a passion fruit calamari--left something to be desired. Though pleasing to the eye, I was overwhelmed by the Hawaiian Punch (remember, the kids’ fruit drink?) flavor, while the seafood elements melded together unimpressively. By contrast, our other seafood selection, the mejillones asador, was outstanding. These mussels, grilled, rather than the typical steamed, and with a delicious warm sherry vinegar and tomato sauce (that I had to stop myself from mopping up with bread), were my favorite of the night.

For sangria fans, Eivissa offers the most extensive selection I’ve seen. With surprising ingredients such as energy drinks, bean of Madagascar, and cinnamon, and your choice of tinto (red), blanco (white), or cava (sparkling) wine, they are sure to be sweet and refreshing choices. Since I prefer my wine untainted by fruits and flavors, we chose a mencia-garnacha blend, called Millennium which I highly recommend.