This just wasn't a great culinary weekend for me. Tom and I just could not decide what to have for dinner, so we decided to finally give this place a try. I've heard both bad and good things, so I can't say that I had crazy-high expectations, but I was hoping for a good experience.
This is a small, family run place that recently expanded to include a nice dining room. Unfortunately, service is very slow, inattentive at times, which can really put a damper on the entire experience. Tom and I started with a beef and cheese empanada and sweet plantains. Both of our apps were delish, with the exception of the dipping sauce, a garlic sauce. Tom enjoyed the sauce and how it gave the plantains a completely different taste, but I thought that the two tastes completely clashed, ruining the natural sweetness of the plantains--I would much have rather enjoyed a slightly sweet dipping sauce to complement the sweet plantains.
After our apps, small salads pre dressed with Italian dressing were brought out and then our entrees. Tom ordered the pan seared pork tenderloin-marinated in fresh garlic and herbs, topped with a black bean and chorizo sauce, stuffed with roasted red pepper, spinach and bleu cheese, with a side of spanish rice and beans--the bite that I snagged was so robust and flavorful, a very surprising dish, he definitely picked a good one. My dish, on the other hand, did nothing for me. I had the pork mofongo with fried pork medallions- "Fried plantain mashed and stuffed with pulled pork and served with fried pork medallions and finished with a garlic sauce. " The fried pork cubes I found to be very fatty, and while I do realize that fat equal flavor, the fat content was way too much for my taste. These fried pieces were served over sauteed onions, though it seemed to be missing the garlic sauce that the description mentioned. The mashed plantain mound was made with fresh garlic--so much that it was beyond overwhelming-- but the pulled pork underneath was incredibly moist and flavorful, I so wish my dish had way more of that over the fried pork cubes.
After this dinner experience, I can't say that I'm gonna rush to come back but maybe next time, I'll come for lunch and get a sandwich full of that pulled pork.
tatasrestaurant.com
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