Tapas!

Last night included a trip to Tapas Valencia, to celebrate a friend's birthday. Delicious. We tried bacon-wrapped dates, spicy potatoes, goat cheese, lamb chops, stuffed mushrooms (I personally despise mushrooms in all forms, but my friends said these were really good), and seafood pasta and seafood paella (I'm also not a fan of most seafood, but my friends liked these as well.) Everything was very flavorful and it's not too expensive, either. It's great for groups (well, tapas in general is great for groups, of course) and the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, but still sophisticated. We also shared a small dessert, chocolate cake with hazelnut mousse and strawberries, yet another genius combination of chocolate and hazelnut. That combo is never a bad idea. : ) As always, my trusty camera was by my side to capture a few images before the food disappeared:
On the far left is the seafood paella. It looks rather intimidating, especially for someone who is not a fan of shrimp or scallops or mussles or clams...but I did try some of the rice, which was really good. I also ate one scallop, which wasn't so bad, I guess. We've since given scallops the endearing nickname of "marshmallows of the sea". It did look like one. ;-) The other picture consists of the first round. And damn it all, I forgot the sangria. That was delicious too.