Last Friday Jessica and I had dinner at Azucar Tapas in Logan Square. Jess had been there once years ago and had kind of a “meh” experience, but was willing to try it again. I’d never been there and hadn’t had tapas for years, so I was all for giving it a try.

There was no wait to get seated and were maybe about 8 groups of people seated and eating dinner. Actually, there were quite a few more people just having drinks at the bar. The space is cute, with small tables in the front and a bar in the back. We could imagine coming just for a few cocktails, if we weren’t in the mood for food or needed a drink before going somewhere else.

Here’s what we ordered:

• Olivos Machacadas En Casa: House-marinated blend of olives
• Ensalada: Mixed Greens, Blue Cheese, Roasted Beets, Walnuts and Walnut Vinaigrette
• Patatas Bravas: Crispy potatoes, brava sauce, paprika aioli
• Vieiras Salteadas: Sea scallops dusted with smoked paprika caramelized onion, mushrooms, serrano ham, porcini mushroom sauce
• Datiles Con Almendras: Almond stuffed dates, honey-mascarpone cheese, mint pesto, balsamic syrup

We also each had a glass of sangria. Jess had red and I had white.

Overall we enjoyed dinner. There were some things we really liked and some things that were just ok. The salad was good, but we realized we could get a salad like that anywhere. Nothing outstanding. The patats bravas were not what we expected. They were more like french fries with some sauce on the side. Probably our least favorite dish of the night. On the otherhand, we were still talking about the olives days later and the scallops were to die for.. so savory and delicious. The waitress came to take the plate away and we wouldn’t let her. Instead we requested more bread and then used it to sop up the sauce from the scallops. It was THAT good. The dates were also delicious. We hadn’t intended for them to be dessert, but they were served last and were just sweet enough to finish off the meal right.

So, our mission is this, if we choose to accept it: Keep going back so we can find all of the standout points are on the menu and order those. I think we’re up to the task and will be back!

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