Tucked away in Redondo Beach’s Riviera Village, Tapas & Vino is a quaint neighborhood wine bar. Michael and Bryan recently had the pleasure of sampling some of their tapas, each expertly paired with fine European wines.
Tapas & Vino has covered outdoor dining in addition to comfortable indoor dining. The outdoor scene depicts a European street café experience while the indoor portion of the restaurant adds music, spot lighting, a bar and TV monitors.
The proprietor, Andy Di Girgis, was previously in the Aerospace industry and decided on a career change based on his passion of “drinking and eating”. He was successful with two wine bars and decided to take it to the next level.
In August 2010, Andy opened Tapas & Vino in Riviera Village. He describes the restaurant’s theme as Spanish, French, and Italian with North African spices.
Chef Jose Franco, came to The Tapas & Vino from the Hotel Bel Air. He purchases produce at the farmers market in Riviera Village on Fridays and then weaves that into the menu. Regulars of the restaurant ar at ease asking Franco to make whatever he feels like, knowing the meal will be amazing. Andy states that Chef Franco “thrives on it”.
Michael and I first sampled the sashimi on a bed of thinly sliced cucumbers, topped with an Asian salsa. The sauce that lined the bottom of the plate was very reminiscent of the sauce you would find with Hawaiian poke. All of the flavors and textures worked well and in fact, it is one of their most popular dishes.
The Lamb lollipops were paired with a Spanish Tempranillo red wine. The lamp chops were topped with a hominy puree, seasoned with a very small amount of Serrano-mint pesto. The lamp was perfectly cooked and the Serrano-mint combination was the perfect complement to the lamb. The Tempranillo was smooth and mellow and didn’t overpower the lamb.
Another favorite was the grilled scallops with smoked red bell pepper mousse. The scallops were tender and moist inside. Michael and I were both curious about the red bell pepper mousse. The appearance resembled a salsa roja, but when tasting it, it had virtually no kick applied.
For dessert, we had their blueberry bread pudding topped with vanilla bean ice cream. A dessert wine, Pedro Ximenez sherry, accompanied the bread pudding and made for a delicious combination.
Tapas and Vino has archived Blue Zone certification. Since Blue Zones are about living better, longer, Tapas and Vino ensures that its menu has healthy offerings prepared in a healthy manner.
Because of its certification, bread is not automatically served unless you request it. We happened to sample their Kalamata olive bread and found it to be very tasty when paired with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Di Girgis explained that the cloudy appearance of the olive oil is due to the fact that it is cold pressed.
Andy is planning to have cooking classes in his restaurant covering kitchen techniques that are basic but essential to good cooking such as preparing and applying spices. He also plans to offer a class on creating sauces to teach students the proper way to reduce a sauce.
Tapas & Vino does a wonderful job of bringing the tapas culture of Spain to the South Bay for all of us to enjoy.
- Tapas & Vino
1729 S. Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach CA 90277
(310) 791-8200
- Website: http://www.tapasyvino.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TapasYVinoRB
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tapasyvino
Roasted beets – goat cheese, sundried bing cherries, candied walnuts & jerez sherry vinaigrette
Baked pear salad, topped with Cabrales cheese with sherry vinaigrette
* Some items mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this review. Prices and menu items mentioned are subject to change without notice. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinions of the reviewers.