by Shavira
Tapas is arguably the most famous restaurant in Aranor. The word, of course, references 'finger foods', the small delicacies often presented before noble meals. The restaurant has taken the spirit of such foods and made it into a truly delightful and unique dining experience.
There are no utensils in Tapas. When I first entered with my date, Seldon, we were greeted by a smiling host who asked us if we had ever been to Tapas before. When we replied 'no', he told us that we needed fair warning -- no eating utensils were present in the building. No eating stilettos, no tines, no spoons.
Undaunted, we were led to a table on the lower level (there is a higher loft, as well), and took our seats with growing excitement.
Our server, Marishell, was a pretty blonde who explained the menu to us very lucidly.
"First," she smiled, "there are Simple Tapas." She pointed to the listings. "Anything under this heading is meant to be eaten with your fingers, and won't make a mess."
Sounded fine enough to me. I saw small pastries encasing meat, shish-kabobs on sticks, various pickles, sliced cheeses, olive cheese balls, Masallan Anything Pies, quiches, and other easy-to-eat fare.
"These," she went on, "are called Endeavors. Recall that you don't get any utensils. These are a bit more challenging."
Stews with bread, a sausage dish, soups, pork chops and steaks, fish in paper, roasted chicken, and pot roasts were among the offerings.
"And here we find Dragonslayers. If you can eat these without utensils, you'll be considered a hero."
Indeed, the offerings were grim to behold. Lasagna, a slippery white sauce over noodles, creamed corn, gravy with mashed potatoes and sauced chicken, an onion-zucchini-squash-hen casserole, and other such things.
Being brazen and wanting to show Seldon that I was no meek little wench, I requested long noodles in meat sauce off the Dragonslayers menu, and Seldon got himself the pork chops off the Endeavors.
The clientele seemed all in good humour, with much laughter all about, and words and jests exchanged between tables. Here and there were cries of despair.
The food, just as I had heard, was delicious. Much care obviously goes into the preparation of each dish, for the sauces were rich and flavorful, the meat tender, the salads we were served (at this time of year? Obviously some magic at work!) were crisp, cold, and well laced with Masallan balsamic vinegar and a rich, golden olive oil. Our meals came with a bowl of water and a small cloth napkin to keep ourselves at least mildly presentable.
Desserts then emerged, displayed on a platter. Again, there were Simple desserts (brandy cake, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and apple fried pastries), Endeavor desserts (baked custard in almond-caramel sauce, a meringue shell with whipped cream and strawberries in the middle, and raisin-rum bread pudding), and Dragonslayers (vanilla-cream pudding with cherry sauce, spiced applesauce, trifle in a long, tall wine glass, and iced creams).
Needless to say, all three of my dessert selections were to die for.
Bloated, I managed to stumble out on Seldon's arm. Just barely.
If you go to Tapas, you'll find moderately high prices, which attracts a cultured, refined clientele interested in letting down their usually stuffy attitudes. You'll get friendliness, more than your gold's value in food, and perhaps a few memorable stains on your clothes. But you'll also take away some fabulous memories, and a burning desire to return.