Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant

02/12/10

Cool environment

by mammerjammer

Have enjoyed many meals at Modesto. The Paella is great and the wine list at times unique. Our most recent visit though provided us with a server(MS) who was mechanical at best. It was akin to dropping off and order at a step up window and having the same delivered to your table a'la-Culvers. I expect more interaction but perhaps we do not fit the demographic the server wishes to interact with.

• Pros: Fine Paella
• Cons: Unfriendly service

10/25/09

Won't go back

by nancydrew7

I had been to Modesto for the fifth, and final, time on Friday, October 23. I chose it for a get together with friends, as I have thoroughly enjoyed the first four trips. Apparently, my luck had run out. We had a reservation for 10 at 6. At 6:30 we were informed that we needed to speed it up as there was another reservation at 8 for that table. Not only did the bum's rush not set the right tone, we waited 40 minutes for things from the grill. No apology, just some excuse about how the "grill is backed up." Even if we wanted to eat quickly, it would not have been possible. And, my husband did not get his final entree. The waitress claimed she "just took it off of the table," after we asked. It is a shame when you spend two hours at dinner and still have to hit the White Castle because you didn't get any food. I won't return, and I'll tell everyone who asks to go to Barcelona in Clayton.

• Pros: The food
• Cons: The slow, bad, rude service

01/11/09

Just okay...we won't be back.

by michaelggraham

Pros and cons.

First, I'll tell you that this is my sister's favorite restaurant....not sure why, but she loves it. (She was with us too)

If you don't like Tapas, you won't like this. If you've never had Tapas-beware. It's not for everyone. We are okay with it, but we're not Tappas lovers. And, we've had MUCH better Tapas in other cities.

The location is good, atmosphere also quaint, no complaints. We were there with a party of 9, and didn't feel like we were in a crowded place where we couldn't enjoy ourselves. The nice concept of Tapas, is to sit, drink, talk, and "nosh" all night long trying different things.

The lighting fixtures hanging from the ceilings were a bit of a discussion topic...I'll leave them to your interpretation too.

The food, was just okay. -average Tapas. I'd say we ordered over 20 dishes that were of 10 or more varieties....i.e., we ordered 2 of each dish we tried. We also ordered 3 different Paellas (Traditional Spanish Rice Dishes). These were, and usually are our favorite. We had the vegetable, chicken, and the combination chicken/pork/sausage Paellas.

UNFORTUNATELY, what was probably the biggest detractor of our enjoyment, was our waiter. I read in other reviews that people have had similar trouble. Several times during the evening, our waiter made us feel uncomfortable, and awkward. You know those waiters that if you ask for more bread they make you feel like you're putting them out....well that was this guy. It was a shame, because just with the food being okay, we probably would have still enjoyed the company and the evening if he wasn't so rude. Honestly, because of him I was close to giving this a 2 star rating. Our final impression when we left was depressed, because we were sooooooooo close to unbelievable food everywhere around us in the Hill, and we (I) dropped over $300 only to be dissappointed. I would have enjoyed a sandwich at Adriana's better down the street.

• Pros: Atmosphere / environment. Location
• Cons: The waiter. Small portion Tapas for the $'s.

09/17/08

Best Tapas

by Jwhasan

Amazing and varied selection of food and Spanish wine. Beautiful location in quaint neighborhood. Very pleased with the service and decor.

• Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance

03/24/08

Won't be back

by DIW2K

I'll preface my critique by saying both that tapas aren't for everyone and by admitting that I likely fall into the group that gravitates towards larger servings. Still, I know food - know what tastes good and what doesn't regardless the amount on the plate. I'd never been to Modesto but thought it would be a nice change - went in with a totally open mind and even held a sincere hope that I'd enjoy the experience. I went on a Wed., arriving as they opened the doors at 5 PM. I wanted to try one of each type offering (i.e. cold tapas, hot tapas, soup, salad and a drink).

For the cold tapas I had the Plato de Quesos - 3 Spanish cheeses with walnuts, honey and grapes ($8.95). I can't say I'd again want to taste any of the cheeses offered - the walnuts had a couple bad ones in the group and the grapes were something akin to what you'd expect to find in the grocery store bin after everyone has picked over and taken the good ones. How could anyone so thoroughly screw up a chesse plate?

For the hot tapas I had the Almejas a la Marinera (steamed clams with Serrano ham, bacon, tomato, peppers and fino sherry ($9.95). I don't know if the chef got the order wrong or what but what I ended up with was a half dozen of the smallest clams I'd ever seen (slightly larger than a quarter. They were warm and covered in a third rate salsa - no ham - no bacon, peppers or sherry.

The soup: Caldo Verde (Portuguese sausage with greens and potatoes ($5.95). There were 2 small bits of sausage hidden in a mix of greens and mushy potatoes - all in a broth that tasted like someone had stewed onion and spinach together.

The salad: Ensalada Caesar - Ceasar salad with capers, Manchgo cheese and croutons ($5.95). The salad consisted of a half dozen green leaves sprinkled with capers, 1 gram of cheese and a drop of dressing. I started looking around to see if I was on a hidden camera show.

Drink: Sangria with 2 dwarf grape escapees from the cheese plate.

$40 + tip!

• Pros: Is on 'The Hill' so you can go get some decent food when you're done at Modesto
• Cons: Pretty much everything and I had honestly wanted the place to be a great find