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.
19 enero 2010
tapas small plates
butternut squash & fuji apple soup, 7.75
salt cod & potato cazuela, 7.75
fried potatoes with herbs & sea salt, 8.75
pinchos de pollo a la costa brava, 8.75
roasted cauliflower & fennel with baby spinach, 7.75
toasted garlic vinaigrette
*sobrasada & caramelized onion empanada, 8.75
potato, mushroom & onion tortilla, 8.75
coca, flat bread with piquillo peppers, capers, cilantro & queso blanco, 8.75
gambas salteadas con alioli, 14.75
gulf shrimp with white wine & alioli
garlic & bread crumb crusted salmon with mixed greens, 10.75
spicy lamb meat balls with garbanzos 8.75
brussels sprouts a la plancha with parsley garlic oil, 7.75
patatas bravas,with spicy tomato sauce & alioli, 8.75
charcutería, quesos &
acompañamientos
marinated olives, 5.75
(first dish is complementary )
marcona almonds, 6.75
house-made potato chips, 5.75
a 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
butifarra, cooked pork sausage, with garlic & nutmeg
a 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 & black olive alioli , 8.75
smoked salmon and shrimp, 11.75
oil-cured anchovies with salpicón verde, 8.75
bocadillos sandwiches
spicy tuna & egg, 10.75
manchego & greens, 10.75
melted queso tetilla, grilled eggplant & peppers, 10.75
paella
paella mariscos , 21.75
shrimp, clams, squid & chorizo in a shrimp broth with peas & piquillo peppers
(please allow 25 minutes)
postres desserts
bread pudding with orange-caramel sauce, 7.75
crema de chocolate, 6.75
mel i mato with poached apples & almonds, 6.75
panellets, catalan-style cookies with almond & coconut , 5.75
arbequina olive oil ice cream, 6.75
date-almond ice cream, 6.75
*while available