what are tapas?
In Spain, there is a tradition of eating small, simple plates of food, or
little mouthfuls, to be consumed over drinks with family and friends. This
tradition began in the southeastern region where sherry is made when innkeepers
would put little plates on top of the sherry glasses (copitas)
to keep out the flies and dust. In time, they began to add little bits of
bread, cheese or ham to the little “covers,” or tapas,
and a wonderful tradition was born. Today, tapas bars are found in every
region of spain and offer a range of tapas that can be anything from a dish
of olives or a plate of cheese, to sophisticated cooked dishes.
At
césar, chef Maggie Pond honors this tradition by offering authentic
tapas made from the finest spanish ingredients combined with the unrivaled
fresh meat, seafood, and produce of the san francisco bay area. Maggie has
traveled throughout spain and continues to go back each year to scour the
markets for new ingredients, and to eat and cook in the finest tapas bars
in barcelona, madrid, and san sebastián. She brings back recipes
from all over spain, including signature dishes such as our salt cod &
potato cazuela, canapé de boquerones (sweet, white
spanish anchovies), spicy tuna & egg bocadillo, and mel
i mato for dessert, as well as her own inspired creations like fried
potatoes with herbs and sea salt, croque señor (toasted
palacios ham & cheese sandwich), and our fabulous bread pudding. at
césar, you will not only find the most extensive tapas selection
in this country, but a broader array than one is even likely to encounter
in spain. In fact, all that’s missing at césar is the sawdust
on the floor.
3 marzo 2010
tapas small plates
sopa de verduras y pollo, 7.75
vegetable & chicken soup
salt cod & potato cazuela, 7.75
pinchos de pollo a la costa brava, 8.75
roasted cauliflower & fennel with baby spinach, 7.75
toasted garlic vinaigrette
tortilla verde, 8.75
little gem lettuce with beets, cornishon, egg & orange vinaigrette, 7.75
camarones en mojo verde, 8.75
bacon wrapped fresh gulf shrimp (3), 11.75
migas con chorizo with spanish style fried egg, 8.75
brussels sprouts a la plancha with parsley garlic oil, 7.75
fried squid with mojo picón, 8.75
catalan style crab, shrimp & spinach canelones , 10.75
top sirloin with tomato-honey demi glace, 10.75
spinach mash potatoes
patatas bravas with spicy tomato sauce & alioli, 8.75
plate of cured meats, 10.75
jamón serrano, 12 month air-dried ham from landrace pigs
chorizo palacios, dry-cured pork sausage with spicy paprika
chorizo soria, cured pork loin & paprika chorizo
plate of jamon iberico, 21.75
12 month air-dried ham from iberico pigs
three spanish cheeses: 11.75
urgelia, cow
iberico, sheep, goat , cow
murcia al vino, goat
montaditos on toast
boquerones & alioli with spicy green olives , 8.75
smoked salmon and shrimp, 11.75
piquillo peppers with queso manchego in herb oil, 8.75
sobrasada & honey, 8.75
bocadillos sandwiches
spicy tuna & egg, 10.75
manchego & greens, 10.75
pork belly, cabbage escabeche & caramelized apples, 10.75
paella (please allow 25 minutes)
paella césar , 21.75
clams, mussels, shrimp, chicken & chorizo in a shrimp broth
with peas & piquillo peppers
postres desserts
bread pudding with orange-caramel sauce, 7.75
coffee pound cake with coffee cream, 6.75
mel i mato, grilled pears & almonds , 6.75
panellets, catalan-style cookies with almond & coconut , 5.75
crema de chocolate, 6.75
arbequina olive oil ice cream, 6.75
date-almond ice cream, 6.75
*while available
césar on piedmont
goes to latin america!
see our press release and menu by the front door
charcutería, quesos &
acompañamientos
marinated olives, 5.75
(first dish is complementary )