Basque in Glory

Jose Garces' Tinto takes tapas back to their roots.

by Trey Popp

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Published: Apr 17, 2007

ON TAP: Skewers of lamb loin and eggplant wrapped in bacon and served with onion cream and sherry jus. : Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

The Philadelphia dining scene is in the midst of a small-plates revolution, and the man who jump-started the trend with Old City's Amada is striking again while the iron's hot. This time, Jose Garces has narrowed his culinary focus from Spain to the Basque Country, where the tapas tradition is said to have been born. Tinto follows a model straight out of San Sebastian, the seaside town that boasts more Michelin stars per capita than any other city in Europe. And from the charcuterie case at the Tinto bar to the flavor-packed morsels perched atop baguette slices, it's probably as close to the real deal as this city will ever get.

In contrast to the airy openness of Amada — and the even more sprawling venue that will house Garces' forthcoming Chilango in University City — Tinto is about as spacious as a train caboose. The ground floor is jammed with waist-high two-tops, and unfortunately for such a cozy interior, the design scheme amplifies the sense of enclosure. A wine rack made of blond wood stretches to the ceiling behind the bar, creating a repetitive rhythm that would be overwhelming even if the opposite wall weren't lined with the same oppressive grid. More puzzling is the presence of a mirror behind the wine bottles, and an overhead row of bare light bulbs shining inside a fixture that recalls a laboratory cage. It's like a Japanese Shoji house updated for the Tron age. The plush, loungelike basement level is a far more soothing place to dine.

Then again, with food like Tinto's, you might not care about your surroundings. From smoked almonds that transport your senses to the curing house to one of the purest and most intense chocolate cakes in town, Garces' team gets a whole lot right. (And what a team it is — the menu lists the names of no fewer than 45 sous chefs, line cooks, servers and the like.) Some dishes are classics that appear in every self-respecting bar in Basque, like black cod in a garlicky pil pil sauce or marinated tuna bocadillos with anchovies. In this category, the tiny squid served in ink around a mound of crabmeat-studded Bomba rice is hard to beat. The sauce is as black as midnight and has a salty spike that's redolent of low tide, and marries perfectly with the mellow short-grained rice. In another corner of the menu, twin slices of toasted bread are smeared with bleu cheese and topped with a mound of duck confit whose mouth-coating richness is set off by tart black cherries.

The kitchen executes these classics with precision and admirable speed, and part of its success hinges on ingredients that would shine even in less-able hands. Guindilla and espelette peppers, membrillo quince paste, lomo — these are goodies that don't need to be gussied up. A cast-iron dish filled with wild mushrooms, potatoes and shallots is as simple as it sounds, but it could hardly be more delicious if the cookware were seasoned with pure truffle oil. A traditional black-bean stew with chorizo and pork belly worked less well as a tapa, however. This is a solid, peasant dish that makes for tasty ballast in a heaping portion, but it didn't hold up against the more concentrated flavors of other small-plate offerings.

Tinto is not just about faithful renditions. The menu frequently pushes into creative territory with some more inventive concoctions. Three skewers of lamb loin and eggplant are wrapped in bacon and served in tall shot glasses full of sweet onion cream and sherry jus. The sauces meld so succulently that you might find yourself wishing it had come in an imperial pint glass, yet the meat's distinctive flavor doesn't get lost at all. Back on the seafood side of things, shirred eggs are loaded with lobster and asparagus and drizzled with an oyster cream that's brightened with the clean, clear taste of cava, Spain's sparkling wine.

Cava is available by the bottle, too, as is another effervescent white that you almost never see in the United States: txakoli. This bright, refreshingly acidic varietal flows like water in Basque, and its relatively low alcohol content makes it a perfect summer quaff. Its presence on Tinto's wine list attests to the care that went into stocking the restaurant's cellar. From Priorat to Montsant to the underrated region of Somontano, the wine list uses the Pyrenees mountain chain as an organizing principle, offering an eclectic but geographically focused selection of wines that are often hard to find. Better yet, the knowledgeable sommelier can tell you just about anything you want to know about a particular vintage, right down to whether it was aged in oak or stainless steel.

Tinto's expensive small plates add up quickly, especially if you follow the servers' recommendation of five or six dishes per person. That's all the more reason to save plenty of room for dessert. A goat cheese mousse is exceptionally delicate and understated, but it should have been accompanied by something more restrained than orange segments and off-putting sweet potato coins. Luckily the Bananas y Azafran more than made up for it, with a dense cake fit for a serious chocolatier. You're unlikely to find anything better even in San Sebastian, Michelin stars be damned.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

TINTO, 114 S. 20th St., 215-665-9150, www.tintorestaurant.com, Small plates, $4-$24, Open daily, 5 p.m.-mid. Reservations required. Credit cards accepted.

 

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