Ocho

Price: $
Thoughts: ☆☆☆☆½
Ocho: Menu

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It's 9PM, and I'm tired. I was reluctant to go out and eat tonight, but a spur of the moment decision to give Ocho a try. This small tapas bar was very difficult to notice despite it being on the corner of a busy intersection, is near impossible to find at night if you have never been there before. After walking past it three or four times passing it off for the "bar section" of AZTECA, the familiar two panel menu taped to the window caught my eye.

There were about six tables, and a bar. The music was on pretty loud and reminded me of my previous weekend's experience at the Last Supper Club, but the music was at the same time pleasing. The bar is lit almost entirely by candles save for a few light bulbs in the kitchen and some low-watt bulbs overhead. We grabbed one of the two empty tables and examined the menu. We ordered a LOT. The pictures were all done by our phones as usual, and with the very dim atmosphere they're not very good.


Gambas al Ajillo -spicy garlic prawns

This is the first time I've had a lemon sauce that just jumped out at me. I'm not sure what was in it, but I was sad when they took the bowl with the sauce still at the bottom (was hoping for some bread to dip and absorb the sauce with). The shrimp was nice and crisp and was served with their signature olive oil toast.


Huevo del Diablo -deviled egg, salmon roe, pickled onion, tomato dust, fried capers, dill

The saltiness from the salmon roe lingered nicely in my mouth for a while. I didn't want to gulp any water until the flavor was completely gone.


Setasde Ferez -sherried mushrooms, olive oil toast, arugula

I was intimidated with the size of this mound of sherried mushrooms and arugula. Biting into this piping hot mountain of mushrooms and herb was a messy but delightful experience. The olive bread was warm and soft in the center, and crisp on the edges, but held itself together well.


Bisteca -flank steak, white bean caper olive oil vinaigrette

Having previewed the menu while driving to Ocho's, I was under the impression this would be the dish that I would like the most. While the meat was tender and delicious, I found the olives hidden inside the white beans a pleasant surprise.


Banderilla de Boqueron -anchovy, piquillo pepper, fried artichoke, allioli

This was the best thing for the price as well, for $1.50. The anchovy and fried artichoke tied in nicely with the allioli sauce. We almost ordered seconds, but decided to continue expanding our selection of good food.


Pan con Chocolate -olive oil toast, chocolate, almonds, flor de sal, truffle oil

This was the only "dessert" oriented item on the menu. The nutty taste from the almonds mixed with the chocolate on the toast felt like a rich biscotti. I couldn't taste much of the salt or the truffle oil.


Tortilla Espanola -egg, potato, onion, brava sauce, artichoke allioli

When I saw this, it looked more like a cake than anything like a "tortilla". The texture was very similar to a quiche. The artichoke allioli was delicious, salty and garlic in one sauce is hard to go wrong. My friend cleaned the plate of any food leftover.

While Ocho would make a great date spot, the music takes away from making that a viable option. The food all around is solid, since we were able to sample almost half of their entire menu, and each dish provided excellent presentation and taste. Finding parking does not seem to be a problem, despite the location of many popular restaurants in the area. As expected, it is a tapas bar so most people come for a dish or two and to socialize rather than devour half of their seasonal menu, but if you choose to do the latter; you will not be disappointed.