Tapas Latin Fusion: David Rodriguez’s new venture
Remember how a year ago at this time, David Rodriguez, the chef who brought Cuban-fusion cuisine to Vero at the Oriente restaurant, was telling us he would soon be opening his own wine and tapas bar right here on the beach?
Well, fast forward to 2011 and Chef Rodriguez has realized his dream. His attractively decorated Tapas Latin Fusion is serving great hot and cold tapas, not to mention the best paellas around, packing in diners nightly on – US1 in Stuart?
That’s right. Rodriguez, who still lives in Vero (“I’ll never leave,” he declares), abandoned efforts to open on Central Beach after lengthy negotiations for two promising sites broke down, and at the urging of partners who live below Stuart, decided to open instead in one of the many nondescript shopping plazas that line Stuart’s South Federal Highway.
The interior of the restaurant, however, is anything but nondescript, after a costly build out aimed at creating the atmosphere of a tapas bar you might find in Barcelona.
On our first visit to Tapas Latin Fusion, we arrived on the late side on a Tuesday (well, the late side for a U.S. restaurant -- early for dining in Spain). Rodriguez had made a rare early departure, so we were able to sample the menu without being spotted.
Even without him present, the dishes we tried that evening were excellent, so we returned a few nights later – and Rodriguez this time was front and center.
While we had enjoyed a very nice (and modestly priced) bottle of Spanish white wine on our first visit, he prevailed on us on this second trip to sample his Sangrias, which occupy a prominent place on the menu.
We started with Tapas Sangria Blanca, a most refreshing blend of peaches, white wine, triple sec, brandy and cinnamon sticks, and my husband subsequently shifted to the traditional red sangria, red wine blended with triple sec, brandy, fresh sliced apples and oranges. There are others to be sampled as well, but try the white sangria. It was excellent.
Then as a starter, we ordered the table de queso y chorizo/espanoles ($12) – a board containing manchego cheese (a firm cheese made from sheep’s milk), Cabrales (a Spanish blue cheese with a robust flavor), Serrano ham, and grilled chorizo, served with crostini. The grilled pork sausage was my favorite of these, though the Cabrales and Serrano ham were also very tasty.
For a second plate, we ordered one of the hot tapas, the Alcachofas y Setas ($13) – artichokes and mushrooms infused with truffle oil. This was absolutely exquisite.
Then my husband and I each ordered a paella. The paellas here come in individual sized cazuela dishes. On my first visit, I had tried the paella Valennciana ($15) – the traditional paella of chicken, shrimp, scallops and calamari – and it had been delicious.
So this time, I decided to try the paella de mariscos ($15), a seafood paella. My husband opted for the paella negra ($15), a seafood paella turned black by squid ink.
Both of these paellas featured shrimp, squid, mussels and scallops. While the paella de mariscos was very good, I thought the paella Valennciana was better. And my husband thought the more unusual black paella was the best of the three.
On our previous visit, we also tried the beef carpaccio ($9) – a tasty and attractively presented array of wafer thin slices of beef surrounding an arugula salad with a sherry vinaigrette; the pulpo a la gallega ($9), Spanish octopus served with delicious baby potatoes; and gambas al ajillo ($8), very tasty shrimp prepared with garlic.
On both visits, our favorite dessert was the flan – a perfect consistency as only one gets in Spain. We also enjoyed excellent espressos, most reasonably priced at $2 for a single, $3 for a double.
Is this restaurant worth the one-hour drive? If you like good authentic Spanish tapas, and even better paellas, you may want to pay it a visit.
And if you don’t want to journey that far, Rodriguez broadly hints that he will be doing this one day soon in Vero
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
Hours
11 am
to late
Bar
Full Bar
Address (MAP)
1628 SE Federal Highway, Stuart, FL, Phone: (772) 320-1273
