Our last night in Grand Rapids for our little getaway and a chance to be a tourist, we enjoyed a dinner of tapas at San Chez Bistro.   We have been to Grand Rapids several times, but the last time I wrote about this restaurant was in 2012, and truthfully, the concept of tapas style restaurants was very novel at the time.  I am not sure what the original business was, where the restaurant is, but I can tell you from my short life, that we were dining in what used to be called a mezzanine, like in the old J.L. Hudson store in Downtown Detroit.  Nowadays, it would be more vogue to call it a loft, but it is a second floor that doesn’t cover the entire first floor. 

We were seated just off the staircase of the mezzanine and it was a great location for people watching, plus to observe some of the varied dishes that were on the trays carried by the staff.  Tapas are meant to be shared, and my Bride and I have been sharing dishes almost from day one, but the other unique item about tapas, is that they arrive, as they have been prepared; hence what you may have thought was an appetizer might arrive with an entrée, or vice-versa.  We just ordered dishes and they arrived as the kitchen decided.  We hand Champinones, garlic and herb braised Pebble Creek mushrooms, red peppers, and grilled bread.  Alcachofas a la Parilla, sautéed artichoke hearts, bell pepper cream sauce, with red pepper flakes.  Medjooles Rellenos, honey-cardamom goat cheese stuffed date, with a spicy Harissa sauce.  Atún en Escabeche, Jamaican jerk seared Ahí Tuna, carrot ribbons, mango coulis, and salsa verde.  Gambas Asadas al Fuego, spicy fire-roasted shrimp, banana-mustard cream, and white rice (but we up-charged the dish by substituting Scallops.  Langosta en Crema, sautéed Langostino Lobster, roasted red peppers, anisette-mustard cream sauce, and grilled bread.  I also created quite a stir among the staff, by showing them a photo of a matchbook from the restaurant, which no one had ever seen, some didn’t even know what a matchbook was.

The wine list was rather eclectic, and I thought it should have been top-heavy with Spanish wines, but I knew that we were going to have a Spanish wine in keeping with the food selection.  We enjoyed a bottle of La Perla del Priorat Noster Inicial Priorat DOCa 2018.  The Priorat region of Spain is located in Catalonia and is known for having intense, full-bodied wines. Priorat is also known for having low yields: climate, nutrient-poor soils, and vine age.  La Perla del Priorat is one Priorat’s oldest wineries.  It was founded in the Fifteenth Century by the Carthusian monks of Scala Dei under the original name of “Mas Dels Frares” (House of the Friars) and was a very important monastery.  The fame of the wines grew and the winery was renamed La Perla del Priorat in the Eighteenth Century. The wine is a blend of seventy percent Garnacha (Grenache), twenty-five percent Carinena (Carignan) and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is made from old vines that are grown on slate terraces.  Half of the wine is aged in French Oak, and the other half of the wine is aged in Stainless Steel vats, which gives the wine a fresh fruit flavor.  A very deep ruby red wine that offers notes of cherry, plum, currants, figs, and vanilla.  On the palate tones of rich red and black fruits, traces of raisins and prunes, big and chewy (it is how I describe it) with just enough acidity along with some mocha and vanilla hints, with a nice medium finish of terroir.  A great wine to accompany the mélange of dishes that we chose.