Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba

4.5/5

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba's lil' sister serves up a tasty brunch, complete with bottomless sangria options (not pictured because we were thirsty). The place is definitely smaller so be ready to bump chairs with the table behind you. As with the larger locale, everything is tapas style and easily shareable. For the good stuff:

Spanish Tortilla: 3.5 - We ordered it because how can you not at a Spanish place? However, without the garlic aioli it's somewhat devoid of flavor, despite it having onions. It's a 3.5 because it is fully cooked through which I prefer.

Chorizo-Wrapped Date Pintxos: 5/5 - Take everything you love about a bacon-wrapped date, then elevate the flavor profile by 5. The chorizo brings a warmth and spice that the manchego stuffing helps to balance out. The dates are just a vessel for cheesy filling and spiced chorizo goodness, giving every bite a delicious sweet ending. Would eat multiple orders of this.

Seared Sea Scallops: 5/5 - I'm a sucker for scallops so these are going to rank highly. the parsley cream and asparagus create a tangy, crunchy contrast to the otherwise soft, buttery scallops. These were delicious, no notes, just eat them.

Crystal Bread Tartine Sandwich: 4/5 - For someone who lives his life between brunches, I'm not normally an egg fan. However, this was actually the PERFECT soft scramble. The bread is very crispy, the tomato crudo is a good acidic cut to the super soft egg texture. Minus points here for not enough avocado and a spicy pepper marmalade that lacked heat.

Pulpo  A La Plancha - 5/5 - If grilled octopus is your thing, definitely give this one a go. It had some charred bits, some softer parts, and overall a great flavor. It's paired with an nduja vinaigrette and a saffron aioli that were the perfect savory combo.

Torrijas & Rhubarb Compote: 5/5 - I've had my fair share of torrijas in my time, these were top 3. Crisp, firm, not cloyingly sweet, the perfect carby vessel for the rhubarb compote which I would happily eat by the spoonful.