In painting, music, literature and food, this case can be made: Context is crucial. Portraits are best viewed in a complementary frame. Rock music sounds best in a fast car with the windows down. Literature is best read in a hardcover book with paper pages. (Sorry, Kindle-lovers.)
The correct context for tapas is at a bar (or a succession of bars), ideally in San Sebastian or Barcelona or another of Spain’s sexy, vital northern towns, where you stroll from bar to bar, sampling one or two plates at a time, with glass after glass of local wine to wash it down.
Short of flying to Spain, we in Denver have to find workarounds. One option: Gather one (or maybe two) like-minded cohorts and hit Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar in Cherry Creek North. Trot down the stairs into the softly lit room (totally refreshed since it last housed French 250) and position yourself near the photo-mural of the harbor at San Sebastian. Commence ordering.
Start with a glass of wine. The by-the-glass list is substantial but not overwhelming, and all Spanish. Choose a sparkler or a rose; you’ll be happy at how well they conspire with the food.
Call for a bowl of olives and almonds to nibble as you peruse the frequently changing menu.
Whatever you do, don’t neglect to order the best dish at Ondo’s, which is also its simplest: The tortilla española, a clear, delicate egg-and-potato bake that’s so far from that browned, crispy frittata you made last week as to be unrecognizable. As soft as a pullman loaf, and as pale as a cup of buttermilk, the textbook wedge (balanced carefully, pinxto- style, on a slice of lightly toasted bread) is almost popoverlike in its airiness, but aggressively savory and just salty enough.
Equally simple and equally addictive: the unadorned patatas bravas, tiny nuggets of crispy fried potatoes, served with a simple, soft red pepper dipping sauce. Counterpoint these with the skewered langostinos (shrimps), succulent and salty and set off with a delicate but insistent pepperiness.
Dare yourself to eat just one deep-fried croqueta of ham and rice, or just one of the mixed-media albondigas (meatballs) floating in a savory broth. You’ll fail.
Be wary of, but don’t ignore entirely, the cordero, shredded lamb pressed into a loaf and served with quince paste. It was on one visit beautifully seasoned and perfectly textured, but on another visit it was stringy and lackluster.
Eschew the chorizo and potato cazuelita, a hot dish that arrives sizzling with promise, but delivers a watery sauce and uninteresting sausage. And if beef cheeks are offered, dismiss them out of hand — they, and their attendant potato puree, were tough and rubbery. Ditto the monkfish, which was miscast under a cloying gravy. Play it safer with the savory paella of the day (which doesn’t as its name might suggest, change every day, exactly, but usually involves chorizo, shrimp, chicken and plenty of saffron-inflected rice).
Forgo dessert in favor of another glass of wine. If well-intentioned, the deconstructed piña colada (rum-infused pineapple, coconut- studded whipped cream) held too many opposing vectors. And the chocolate souffle was flat, both in aspect and flavor.
There is not enough bar space at Ondo’s, and the dining room is too big. Tapas aren’t really meant for tables. There’s something incongruous and logistically awkward about a succession of small plates plopped into the middle of a four-top, triggering forks in all directions. Tapas are best enjoyed in groups of two (or three at the most) perched at a bar, where etiquette is looser and spirits are higher. A bite of this, a sip of that, a joke, a confession, a secret. Tapas are best when they aren’t the main thrust of an evening out. They shine brightest as supporting (essential, but supporting) components of an evening that hinges mainly on wine, friends, flirting, conversation.
Which means this: Ondo’s is best for dates or lively tête-u-têtes at the bar. If you’ve got a big group, take it to Tambien next door for Mexican.
What do you think of Ondo’s? Visit denverpost.com/restaurants to share.
Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar
Tapas. 250 Steele St., 303-975-6514, ondostapas .com
** (Very Good)
Atmosphere: Bright, simple, spacious dining room and bar. Patio on nice days.
Service: Friendly and tuned in.
Wine: Small, nicely edited list of Spanish goodies.
Plates: Nothing over $16.
Hours: Dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Details: Reservations suggested but not usually needed. Parking behind restaurant. Call ahead for wheelchair accessibility.
Three visits.
Our star system: ****: Exceptional ***: Great **: Very Good *: Good
