This holiday season I found myself addicted to eating tapas. On my to-do-list, meet friends for a "chi chi" dinner - so dropped by Chic from Barcelona. I'm normally not a big fan of Spanish cuisine, particularly Catalan cuisine with its heavy emphasis on seafood dishes of all kinds. But I love tapas. My favorites were the gazpacho (cold soup). It's a great choice if you like tomato basil. Aceitunas alinades, seasoned olives are addictive. Have an adventure and choose about 6 dishes from their tapas menu. I could not get enough of the patatas bravas - and had to find the recipe. My drink of choice is the sangria, which is a Spanish classic. Their signature dish is the rotisserie chicken with roasted apples and the paella. I'm partial to the vegetable paella.
The decor is bright and cheery - literally it's a loud bright yellow, just like a little chick. It's a happy place to be and a happy place to eat.
Tapas dishes make great party food. And so part of my New Year's resolution is to whip up some tapas dishes that are not seafood heavy and are easy to make. Dallas' Central Market has a Tapas Party on January 29 (there's a waiting list of course), but includes Spanish meatballs, fig tarts (hmmm?).
Found the recipe from Authentic Spanish Recipes.com for my favorite dish - patatas bravas. It's potatoes with a little spice and this delish mayo dipping sauce.

Websites
Chic from Barcelona
Central Market
- Denise
Patatas Bravas
Crisp Spiced potatoes
Patatas bravas is a basic, traditional tapa as popular in elegant big-city establishments as it is in the more modest village hostelries. As with most tapas, each bar and household will have its own recipe, naturally believed to the best! Savor this mildly tangy version of patatas bravas with a chilled white wine.
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, and cut to 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) Ketchup
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) mayonnaise
- Chopped parsley, to garnish
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz) olive oil , for frying
Preparation
The brava sauce
In a saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft. Turn off the heat, and add the paprika, Tabasco sauce, and thyme, stirring well. Transfer to a bowl and add the ketchup and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
The potatoes
Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt and black pepper. In a large skilletfry the potatoes in 1 cup (8 fl. oz) olive oil until cooked through and golden-brown, stirring occasionally. (Take care when adding the potatoes to the saucepan because the oil will splatter due to the salt). Drain the potatoes on paper towels, check the seasoning, add more salt if necessary, and set it aside.
Getting it all together
Mix the potatoes with the sauce inmediately before serving to ensure that the potatos retain their crispness. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.