Call me ignorant, but the last time I had Spanish food, it was pretty different from that of Mexico. Then I thought, maybe it was because I've only been to the Andalucia region of Spain and El Valenciano supposedly served up food from the region of Valencia. But I am almost completely positive that taquitos, enchiladas, and burritos are NOT Spanish fare anywhere in Spain. Maybe I waived my right to complain because I didn't get up, even after realizing this information, but we were already seated and I didn't want to make a big scene. Not like the three other people in the restaurant would have noticed. To their credit, they did have offerings that were Spanish in origin. I'm an optimist, and I wanted to believe that my expectations would be blown away, so I ordered away.
The restaurant was quite expansive, but the bar seemed to be where the regulars where hanging out and chatting. Despite a huge painted map of Spain on one face and a wall of wine bottles facing it, it still lacked character and personality. It could easily have been an Italian restaurant, or a Mexican restaurant, or a French restaurant. But being the optimist I was, I overlooked the lack of decor and tried to enjoy the bread that was served before our meal. At least the company was great, and soon the dull surroundings faded away.
Though they were few and far between, there were several items of Spanish origin in the Tapas section. We opted for the patatas bravas and the gambas al ajillo. Patatas bravas is usually a delicious dish of diced baked potatoes covered in a spicy, tangy sauce with the consistency of mayonnaise. This offering left a bit more than a little to be desired. The potatoes could easily have been of variety found in the frozen food section next to the other Ore-Ida potato products. The sauce, while edible, was lacking the requisite zing found in most dishes of the same name.
Still being the optimist, I hoped that the gambas al ajillo would more than make up for the shortcomings of the former tapa. I mean, come on, how can you mess up garlic sauteed shrimp? The dish was colorful, with 6 shrimp laying out on dish with the garlic sauce in the middle. OK, it seemed promising. My friend Lucky took her first bite. I waited, hoping that she would not suffer any adverse reaction. But there was no reaction, which was demonstrative of the dish. While they didn't "mess it up," it fell far short of what it should have been. It tasted more like shrimp. And garlic sauce.
But still hoping for the best, we stuck it out and waited for the Paella Valenciana, a saucy rice dish made with a variety of seafood, meats, and vegetables. It was a huge entree chock full of mussels, shrimp, scallops, pieces of chicken, and sausage. What usually distinguishes a good paella from a decent paella is the type of rice used and the amount of saffron used. While they used the right Spanish rice, it seemed as though they used more salt to make up for the lack of saffron. It, like the rest of the meal, was a shadow of what it should have been.
1153 Valencia St.
826-9561
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