News-Journal entertainment writer Rick de Yampert and his fiancee, Cheryl Sheppard, recently invited her sister Brandi Shannon to join them for dinner at The Dish Tavern and Grille, a new restaurant in Ormond Beach.
What's the dish on The Dish?
It's a tapas restaurant.
Tap what?
According to spanishfood.about.com<cm cq RdeY>, tapas (pronounced TAH-pas) are simply appetizers, canapes or finger food, and are popular in bars and restaurants in Spain.
However, Wikipedia adds that "in North America and the United Kingdom, as well as in select bars in Spain, tapas have evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine. In these countries, patrons order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them."
That's the deal at The Dish. The portions are small -- that is, appetizer size -- and the idea is for each diner to order three or four (or more) items and share them with each other.
The Dish's motto is: "Your plate or mine -- a bottle of wine and great food beg to be shared." Cheryl, Brandi and I noticed that, curiously, neither the menu nor the restaurant's signage mention the "T" word, but the helpful staff were quick to explain that The Dish is indeed a tapas place.
So, how was the food?
In two separate visits, The Dish lived up to its motto -- great food that begs to be shared. And, like that Wiki entry mentioned, The Dish offers sophisticated cuisine that goes far beyond weenie 'n' cracker appetizers.
I'm a vegetarian (who's OK with cheese-y dishes), and The Dish offers a cornucopia of hot veggie dishes. I couldn't pick out a favorite among the white lasagna with grilled eggplant and a rich bechamel<cm cq RdeY> sauce ($5.50), the oven roasted asparagus with melted blue cheese and drizzled with olive oil ($4), black bean cake with cilantro lime sour cream ($3.50) and the sweet potato fries sprinkled with brown sugar and served with cinnamon butter ($4.25).
True to The Dish credo, I kept "borrowing" Brandi's three cheese mac and cheese ($4.50) and portobello pizza -- actually a giant portobello cap topped with herb and garlic marinara, mozzarella and basil.
As for the carnivores at the table, Cheryl was quite pleased with her fried shrimp -- this from a person who, at various restaurants, has bounced many an inferior shrimp dish back to the kitchen in shame. (Various shrimp dishes at The Dish -- fried, blackened, scampi, parmesan -- cost $1.25 per shrimp, with a minimum order of four.) Cheryl said her crab cakes (real crab, $9) were good but could have used more spice.
Brandi loved her mojo chicken, a dish served over black beans and brown rice with French baguette slices ($6).
If tapas are appetizers, then how big are the portions?
Some dishes -- in our case the white lasagna and the mojo chicken -- are larger and quite filling. In a previous visit, <ho>Cheryl got the chicken pot pie and found it both tasty and enough for a light meal in itself. My four veggie dishes, plus my samples of Brandi's veggie fare, were actually too much for me.
What else is on the menu?
The menu's "Carnivorous Creations" include filet mignon au poivre (tenderloin tips served over mushroom and scallion risotto, $9), various veal scallopini dishes ($8), vodka penne d'Andouille<cm cq RdeY> ($5.50), Cuban sliders (smoked pork with swiss cheese pickles and mustard, $5), lollipop lambchops (in a cherry glaze, $11) and many more.
The menu also includes escargot scampi ($5), frogs' legs ($6.50), sesame seared ahi tuna ($7), grilled Scottish salmon and brie ($9), and many other seafood and chicken dishes.
What about desserts?
Cheryl, an experienced baker and aspiring pastry chef who recently graduated from the baking/pastry program at Daytona State College, was disappointed with the chocolate pot de creme. She said it tilted too much to the bittersweet chocolate side and was covered with too much whipped cream. But she liked the tuxedo bombe, a chocolate mousse-like dessert with a crisp chocolate shell.
What was your tab?
$72.96 before tip. But, frankly, we each over-ordered, subconsciously thinking these "appetizers" might not be enough.
What else is notable about The Dish?
The music over the PA system -- any place that plays "Going to California," that gentle Led Zeppelin ballad, and acoustic Bruce Springteen gets a thumbs-up from this pop music critic.
The Dish Tavern and Grille
WHERE: 1185 W. Granada Blvd., Suite 1, in the Tuscany Shoppes plaza, Ormond Beach
HOURS: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday
PHONE: 386-672-3567, thedishtavernandgrill.com
MISC.: Restaurant includes full-service bar and outdoor dining area. Currently features live music Wednesday nights.
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