Andalucia, a Spanish tavern that served tapas, nestles in a busy downtown shopping/dining strip called Houston Pavillions downtown. Live Spanish music played by a couple of musicians with their drums and stringed instruments on a mini stage created a lively and culturally inviting atmosphere. Our waiter memorized our entire order of tapas.
Complimentary bread with seasoned olive oil dip was served before the tapas. Nothing spectacular, but it temporarily satisfied our hunger. Our first tapa arrived soon after, with the other tapas following.
The beef tenderloin empanadillas were flavorful with a hint of spice. So far so good. It reminded me of the spectacular "fried meat pocket" from the street cart we ate in Culebra. I really miss it!
Our second tapa was octopus, sautéed to perfection. It was tender cooked just right. No rubbery texture and quite delicious. Great job!
Braised oxtail was our third tapa. Yummy! I wanted to pair with it was a bowl of rice, but no rice tonight. It was very tender, as expected. The oxtails were plated on a bed of oxtail au jus (pardon the French) with sprinkles of whole chickpeas. This can be my new comfort food.
Baked goat cheese with some kind of a lightly toasted delicious bread was served next. Personally, I do not enjoy eating anything that has a "gamey" taste, but this was different. The goat cheese came on a bed of pear chutney with a some kind of mild chili sauce. It was such a power combo in flavor that I did not mind the gamey goat cheese. Another great job!
Our fifth tapa was mussels. The size of the mussel meat was disappointing. I could honestly say that that was the smallest size mussels I have ever eaten. It compared to a very tiny clam. The sauce over-powered the flavor of the mussel. Although the sauce was good tasting but it masked the mussels.
The last tapa arrived and we were sad to near the end of our dinner. The lamb loin chops on a bed of couscous, were tender and not very gamey in taste.
Lastly, we shared two perfectly created creme brûlée and tiramisu. Both desserts appeared rich and heavy but were surprisingly very creamy smooth and not mildly sweet. This is MY kind of dessert! No miserable feeling afterwards.
Overall, this meal ranks an "A" on my list!
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