Imported. $29
Coqueta, San Francisco CA
Omg, this is the best quality of cured Spanish ham around! I loved the super thin slices and they had such a wonderful flavor. I didn’t like the tiny, dry breadsticks though, and the twenty nine dollar price tag was pushing it for me especially for the modest serving size. But that didn’t fully detract from the amazing quality.
Chorizo, roasted artichokes, and piquillo pepper. White anchovies, olives, pearl onions, and guindilla pepper. $10
Coqueta, San Francisco CA
This place did NOT make a good first impression. The service was excruciatingly slow, and the food was overpriced. Each of these tiny skewers were $2.50, really?! And I ordered a glass of sangria when I first sat down, but it didn’t arrive until half way through our meal even after asking about it several times! That is simply unacceptable especially when the sangria is pre-made! They kept saying, “The bar is really busy.” Puhlease, it shouldn’t take 40 minutes to pour a single glass of bland sangria! Shame on you, Coqueta! #FAIL
Sangria: red wine, manzanilla sherry, orange, lemon, ginger, berries, chamomile, and local apples. $9
Crisp fried potatoes, aioli, tomato salsa brava. Tapas tasting menu
Contigo, San Francisco CA
For me, it’s all about the potato preparation and the tomato salsa brava when it comes to this dish. I’ve tried a whole lot of them through my travels, and I know what I like. This version was really delicious and I liked the rich flavor and thick consistency of their salsa. The potatoes were also nicely fried. Noms!
Walking my baby girl!
Garlic, cherry tomato, chilies. $6
Alicante, Palm Springs CA
This dish was light and refreshing, but I guess I was wanting something more rich like a traditional gambas al ajillo. There was more citrus in this preparation than garlic and butter. It was still pretty tasty, but not what I was craving.
Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park.
Fried bechamel croquettes flavored with spanish ham. $10
Canela, San Francisco CA
Noms, these are some of the best croquetas I’ve had in a long time! The outside is crispy and not over-fried and the creamy center is SO warm and velvety with a wonderfully rich flavor. More please!
San Francisco view from Potrero Hill.
Pork and jamon meatballs in tomato sherry sauce. $11
Contigo, San Francisco CA
You can’t beat a moist, flavorful meatball! Contigo makes this delicious version that’s sure to please everyone.
Beautiful paddle plant/flapjacks/desert cabbage (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, Crassulaceae), West Field Road.
Merluza En Salsa Verde: sea bass, cockles, salsa verde. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
The sea bass had a light and fluffy texture but it was definitely on the salty side. The cockles were ok but the sauce was too starchy and pretty much set while we were eating, gross! They didn’t have much flavor, but then my tastebuds were fried from the salty sea bass.
Moules Basquaise: mussels, chorizo, sauce basquaise, french fries.
I wasn’t expecting this. The mussels were shell-less, and they tasted really sour especially when paired with the salty fries. Part of the fun was lost because there were no shells to dig through. And the sauce tasted suspiciously like chili – odd.
Jumbo Rocks campground, Joshua Tree National Park.
Pork belly, honey lacquer, shaved apple. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
Duck confit, serrano ham, black cherry, la peral spread.
Montaditos are delicious bites on slices of baguette. These were very tasty and had very different flavors. I liked the pork belly montadito a little better, perhaps because the duck montadito was a bit on the salty side.
Pretty flower box, E Tahquitz Canyon Way.
Serrano ham, mission fig, fried goat cheese, spiced almonds, sevilla orange vinaigrette. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
This salad was pretty tasty! I especially loved the little fried goat cheese balls – they were delicious. The salad had lots of great ingredients and they all tasted great together.
Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park.
Heirloom tomato, fried padron pepper, avocado. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
I thought the padrons suspended above the gazpacho were a cute touch! The cold tomato soup had a great flavor and nice consistency.
Metal conquistador statue, North Palm Canyon Drive.
Semi-firm, raw, sheep’s milk. with pear, membrillo and honey. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
Never had this cheese before and it tasted great. I’m a huge cheese fan so I’m always excited to try varieties that are new to me. I think the good food helped to calm me down after dealing with the clueless hostess and my eyes finally adjusting to the cave-like dimness of the restaurant even when it was blindingly bright outside.
Bread with smoked salmon spread. Complimentary
This was frickin’ delicious!
Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum, Poaceae) in the backyard of the PS house.
Andalusian mountain cured ham, egg salad, guindilla peppers. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
I can’t really complain about jamon serrano – I love the stuff! I really liked the texture of th eggs salad too. It was super silky and very tasty.
Our overall experience at this restaurant was a mess though. We had an early reservation because we had a flight next morning, and it was rocky from the get-go. We were the first people in the restaurant and the clueless hostess decides that she wants to sit us at some sad table surrounded by two rows of booths. Hello! This place was pretty empty throughout our dinner so I’m not sure why she wanted to seat us at such a shitty table in the first place. Thank goodness our server let us move to a more comfortable table. I will say that he was amazing – very friendly and accommodating. If it wasn’t for him, I think this dinner would have been a complete bust.
Marinated mantequilla olives. Complimentary
Mmm, I love these olives!
Wooden fence, Joshua Tree National Park.
Vittle Monster 