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The Frederick News Post - May 31, 2007
Isabella’s Taverna & Tapas Bar
Jamie Bussey
Finally done with our spring semester, my former college roommate and I headed to Isabella’s Taverna and Tapas Bar on a Tuesday night.
Isabella’s, located on North Market Street, is one of the many restaurants to choose from in downtown Frederick. While I have not been to all the downtown restaurants, of the ones where I have eaten, Isabella’s was hands down one of the best.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is cool and inviting with a level of sophistication. With individual lighting and high-back booths one can surely enjoy a quiet, semi-private dinner — at least on a weekday.
The menu was a little overwhelming at first glance — especially since neither of us knew what tapas were exactly. Tapas in my opinion are the Spanish version of sushi; in reality they are small servings of food, which were originally served between lunch and dinner, according to the Global Gourmet website.
Isabella’s menu selection is large, with not only both cold and hot tapas, but also soups, salads and entrees. Along with the regular menu, we were also given a list of specials for Tuesday, which included half price on wine. Honestly, I think a person could go to Isabella’s a hundred times, maybe more, and not eat the same combination of food. With that in mind, obviously my roommate and I, despite being very hungry, could not sample everything. However, we did try to order a variety of items.
The first two we selected were the Paella de Gamabas ($5.99) and Alcachofa Rellena de Cangrejo ($9.25). The Paella de Gamabas, which was a Tuesday night special, consisted of saffron-infused rice, shrimp and asparagus. The Alcachofa Rellena de Cangrejo was two roasted artichoke bottoms stuffed with lump crab meat on saffron butter. The saffron used in both these items gave them a distinct taste. Saffron, which has a bitter- like taste to it, is one of the world’s most expensive spices, according to the Gourmet Sleuth website.
The Paella de Gamabas was quite good, with soft rice and bits of asparagus. The shrimp served with it was not seasoned, but the rice had enough flavor to compensate.
The Alcachofa Rellena de Cangrejo was definitely our favorite item. The artichoke bottoms meshed well with the soft crab meat. Also the bittersweet butter sauce complemented both the artichoke and crab meat quite well.
In other items we ordered it was the sauces used that made the final creations taste so good. For example: I ordered the Calamares a la Romana ($8.50), which was basically fried calamari, and while the calamari tasted like most restaurants’ calamari, the white creamy sauce served on the side was delicious. The sauce had a ranch like taste, but better.
Now I do not eat beef, but according to my roommate the test of a good restaurant is how good their beef is, and so she ordered the Filete al Parilla ($10.99). The Filete al Parilla, also a Tuesday night special, consisted of a smoked paprika marinated filet mignon, finished with ripe tomato and roasted garlic demi glaze. The filet mignon was cooked medium to medium rare, and after one bite the verdict was in — the filet mignon was exceptionally tender and delicious. The sauce, bringing a distinctive tomato taste to the dish, brought out the flavor of the filet mignon, according to my roommate, who enjoyed every last bite.
So just four tapas into the meal I was ready to throw in the towel, because although the portion sizes are small, they are still filling. But my roommate convinced me to try one more. So the last tapa we ordered was the Portobello a la Parrilla con Espinacas y Pimientos ($6.25), which is a garlic grilled portobello mushroom with wilted spinach, roasted red pepper and melted cheese. The item is literally a whole portobello mushroom, and so the taste of the tapa was a bit earthy. However, the dish featured a sweet orange glaze that balanced out the taste of the mushroom.
For dessert, each of us ordered items which featured our favorite types of sweets — sorbet and peanut butter. For myself I had a Mango Relleno de Nieve ($6.50), which was a mango sorbet in the shell of a mango, drizzled with kiwi and strawberry flavored sauce. Now mango-flavored items are not for everyone, but with the kiwi and strawberry sauce, and a little whipped cream the dessert was cooling and sweet.
My roommate ordered the Tarta de Mantequilla de Cacahuete y Chocolat ($5.50). The dessert, also a Tuesday night special, was sweet peanut butter and chocolate baked into a homemade tart shell, then drizzled with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. I had one bite of the dessert and found it to be very rich and of a cheesecakelike substance. According to my roommate it was a surprisingly perfect blend of peanut butter and raspberry.
All the items we ordered were presented beautifully and garnished perfectly, but one word of advice would be timing. Don’t wait too long to order one tapa after the first one, because while the food was great and well-presented, that sort of effort does take time. As for service, both the hostess and waiter were friendly and attentive.
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