Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris
Originally published October 18, 2007
RioMar Expands Tapas Offerings,
Opens New Bar
This Thursday, Chef Adolfo Garcia and Nick Bazan will extend the horizons of Rio Mar, their Spanish- and Latin American-inspired restaurant in the Warehouse District.
By expanding into an open space in the same warehouse where they opened RioMar in 2000, they built in a new tapas bar. That allows them, to further extend their already substantial range of those distinctive Spanish appetizer-size dishes.
For the past three years, lunchtime at RioMar has been almost entirely about grazing among dozens of small plates, most in the range of $4-$6. Now there's even more, served in a more traditional tapas environment, along with forty wines by the glass.
The reconfiguration of the restaurant moved the entrance from the corner of S. Peters and Julia to a few feet up the former street. You enter through the bar now--a welcome change, eliminating the cold air that once blew into the dining room during the winter months.
In addition to its new food offerings, the bar plans to make a push into the hot world of cachaça-based drinks. (Cachaça is a sugar-cane liquor popular in Brazil, and the basis for caipirinha, which occupies the same part of the cocktail world as the mojito.) They're going to have weekly wine and tapas tastings (probably on Wednesdays, they say).
They'll also keep the place open a bit later--elevenish on weekends.
Chef Adolfo sent me a sampling of the new tapas offerings, and says there's plenty more where this came from.
Embutidos (Cured Meats) $8, Assortment $20
Jamon Serrano Redondo Iglesias
Lomo Embuchado
Chorizo Catalan, Fuet
Chorizo Riojano
Palacios (Spain)
Quijote (USA)
Morcilla
Quesos (Cheeses) $5, Assortment $15
Served with quince paste
Manchego
Cabrales
Idiazabal
Cabra al vino
Daily selection
Tapas Frias (Cold Appetizers) $5
Pincho de Boquerones
White anchovies, olive and garlic clove
Atun al Pimenton
Sliced rare tuna, smoked paprika, caper berry
Piquillo Relleno
Stuffed sweet pepper, daily inspiration
Salpicon de Mejillones
Marinated mussel salad
Tapas Calientes (Hot Appetizers) $5
Bacalaitos
Salt cod fritters, saffron alioli
Empanadillas de atun
Albacore tuna raisin and almonds
Gambas al ajillo
Garlic shrimp, olive oil, parsley
Pulpo a al Gallega
Sliced octopus, pimenton, sea salt
Pressed Sandwiches
Jamon y Manchego,
Spanish Muffulettas
Montaditos
Hand crafted canapes, hot and cold
RioMar. 800 S. Peters. 525-3474.
RioMar. 800 S. Peters. 525-3474.
© 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com