Campus Connection

There are many different restaurants to choose from in the Greater Baltimore Area. Whether it is out in the open or hidden in the various nooks and crannies of the city, there is a place that will appease the palate of even those with the most discriminating taste. On the night of my most recent birthday a few short weeks ago, a friend recommended that we try Tapas Teatro, located at 1711 N. Charles Street, adjacent to the historic Charles Theater.

Although I knew what tapas were, I had never been to a tapas restaurant, so I was excited at the prospect of trying something new and different. Their motto “small plates, big pleasure” set me aback just a little. I’m from the southern United States, where “bigger is better”, but given the current obesity rates in the country, I decided I could try downsizing it for one night.

Despite being in the middle of the week, my visit coincided with a pretty large crowd and several other people also celebrating their passing years. The atmosphere was mellow, with lighting low enough that it felt private, but not so dark that I could barely distinguish what the servers were placing in front of me. (I loathe those types of places.)  However, we were seated very close to our nearest neighbors, and the noise level was definitely above average.

Anyway, we all ordered several dishes and dined family-style. The restaurant was offering a special menu in addition to their regular staples. Since it was my birthday, I decided to first start with items from the special menu. The first dish contained calamari sautéed in a wine sauce with snow peas. The calamari was surprisingly soft compared to most chewy preparations, but the sauce flavorings composed a single spicy note.  Overall, it was not very interesting.  The following dish had scallops that were lightly breaded and fried. Despite the delightful, almost sweet flavor of the breading, the scallops were indistinguishable as scallops.  They were sliced very thin and could have been replaced by virtually any generic seafood with an equitable result.

The potato and cheese croquettes were expertly prepared, with crunchy coating on the outside and soft mashed potatoes on the inside.  However, they were mildly seasoned and boring, so the only pleasure was in the textures.  In contrast, the grilled lamb chops were heavily seasoned and served with a barbecue-style dipping sauce.  The lamb chops were delicious and lacked the normal fatty texture of lamb on the bone.

The grilled chicken with cumin was excellent, a decidedly Indian twist with a heavenly medley of spices.  The whole shrimp with hot chilies and the batter fried vegetables were passable, but not brilliant. The best item we sampled was the whole rainbow trout.  (We ordered this item as a result of our nearest neighbors receiving this dish before we began ordering.) The fish was cooked to perfection, moist and falling off the bone.  It was lightly seasoned, allowing the mild flavor of the trout to be the star of the dish.

For dessert, we tried a couple of our favorite stand-bys.  I ordered the pistachio ice cream and there was nothing special about it. It was the standard freezer variety that can be purchased at your local grocery.  We also sampled the flan, typically a favorite among my friends, and it was terribly average.  It tasted as though it came from a mix rather than prepared fresh.

As a whole, the experience at Tapas Teatro was slightly above average. Several of the dishes were spectacular, and several of the dishes were disappointing.  Perhaps the most impressive part of the experience was the opportunity to sample world flavors in a single place.  The assorted menu offers a geographical selection to please nearly any palate.  Additionally, the price was very reasonable, about $30 per person including a pitcher of sangria.  I would recommend it, but only with advance reservations: we waited for nearly 45 minutes to be seated on a Wednesday night.