We’re hardly tapas experts but you can put us down in the “we enjoyed it” group. We had a very pleasant meal, liked the food (and service) and will return.
I probably haven’t been to Ba-Ba-Reeba in a good ten or fifteen years and I decide that I ought to introduce the Lovely Dining Companion to this Chicago institution. We made what I thought was an early reservation, 6 pm, this past Saturday and arrived to find the place already pretty well-packed. Fortunately, I had asked in advance for a quiet table, to the extent that such a thing exists. Well, it doesn’t, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the event, we given a table in a small side room that was much quieter than the rest of the place.
We were seated immediately and had a prompt, attentive server who knew his menu. I asked about having sherry with my dinner (it wasn’t listed on the drinks list; turns out that sherries are on the back of the dessert menu—or maybe vice versa). He recommended the flight of sherries which, in my humble estimation, was a terrific deal. There were four glasses: Pedro Domecq “La Ina” (fino); Vinicola Hidalgo “La Gitana” (manzanilla); Antonio Barbadillo (amontillado); and Emilio Lustau “Escuadrillo” (amontillado). All for $7.25.
I began with an intriguing gazpacho made from cucumbers, almonds, and red grapes. I liked it quite a bit though LDC scrunched up her face. Can’t please everyone. Our shared tapas were the garlic potato salad (a huge portion); asparagus, griddled red onions, and piquillo peppers with orange sections; mushrooms stuffed with spinach and manchego in a creamy manchego sauce; shrimp with (plenty of ) garlic, oil, and red pepper flakes; and roasted dates wrapped in bacon with apple vinaigrette.
Brief takes: we both really enjoyed the potato salad; the potatoes were perfectly cooked, dressed just right, and the flavors were wonderful. It was a very large portion and we just about finished it. The asparagus dish comprised four battering ram-sized spears and though it worked, neither of us were taken with it; it was the single dish we agreed we wouldn’t bother ordering next time. Nothing affirmatively wrong, we just found that it didn’t really come together for us. The mushrooms were a surprise hit: stuffed mushrooms, after all, are stuffed mushrooms. What set these apart was the sauce...excellent. (For those unfamiliar with manchego, it’s a sheep’s-milk cheese that resembles cheddar. Like cheddar, it sharpens with age.) Roast dates in bacon: what’s not to like? I didn’t taste the vinaigrette although LDC said she did and enjoyed it.
The restaurant has a nice selection of tapas-style desserts, meaning small portions. But for $2.75 each, you can taste more than one and so we shared three: a cherry bread pudding, chocolate tres leches cake, and flan. Each was a miniature version of a large (full-size) portion and all were beautifully made and presented. All were hits at our table with excellent coffee as well.
Is it a destination spot? No, not for us. But we enjoyed our meal. $53 before tax or tip. Café Bab-Ba-Reeba has been open forever and runs like a well-oiled machine. Seating and service were prompt. We never had to wait for our dishes and for all the hordes waiting in the bar, we were never rushed in the least. Our server was attentive without hovering (or, contrariwise, disappearing for long stretches). With a reservation, it was a most enjoyable time and I have no doubt we’ll do it again before too long.
Gypsy Boy
"I am not a glutton--I am an explorer of food." (Erma Bombeck)