Tapas-style dining has more to do with the way you experience a meal than it does the size of the plate on which it's served. Popular in South America and Europe, where lunches and dinners can span hours, it means slowing down, savoring the company of the people with whom you're dining and enjoying an array of foods rather than committing to a single entree. Fountain owner Iris Wheeler and La Boca Barrio owner Rosita Kutkut both have restaurants where tapas take the spotlight, so we asked them their advice for slowing down and kicking back.
Think smaller.
"You're not preparing yourself for this big entree because you're getting what an entree would be in these little portions," says Kutkut, a native of Argentina. "It's a tasting of something, not an appetizer." She explains that the latter primes your appetite for the main course. Tapas are the meal.
Be social.
Going solo for tapas is possible (order a couple dishes to start out), but the experience is best enjoyed in a group. Wheeler suggests ordering one plate per person and sampling a bit of everything. "[It's] a lot more social way of eating," she says. "There's a lot more sharing." Wheeler says the small portions are a low-risk way to try new tastes, and she suggests stretching outside your comfort zone. "We want people to experience new food or different food that they don't get everywhere," she says.
Take your time.
The laid-back vibe of tapas-style dining is meant to be an evening in itself. "[We] want people to feel like they can stay here for hours," says Kutkut. German-born Wheeler recalls a group of guests who sat down at 7 p.m. "It was 10:30 when they thought the first time about leaving, and they couldn't believe it."
La Boca Barrio, 5800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-961-5800
Fountain, 34105 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills, 216-755-1225, fountainoh.com
Both restaurants have other dishes on the menu, but tapas are the focus. At Fountain, try the spicy shrimp and the scallop crudo, or go for the veal meatballs and the saffron rice with tasso ham and olives at La Boca Barrio.
