Ibiza Tapas Restaurant & Wine Bar
2224 E Carson St
Pittsburgh, PA
(412) 325-2227
Cuisine:
Tapas, Spanish, Casual dining
April 14, 2009
Great Food and Fun Experience.
Now, I’ve never done Tapas before nor had anyone in our party, but when my parents came to town and my dad wanted to try something new I thought it’d be just thing since I’ve always wanted to do it. And it definitely was a hit all around.
The restaurant had a very fun feel to it, not too upscale, but just the right amount of trendy and relaxed. The music was a little loud, but we ended up catching an early dinner cause my parents had spent the day flying and were starving. I’m guessing when the place gets busy later in the night the music would be the appropriate volume.
The food was fantastic. We got two things each to share and so were able to have a variety of the dishes and love everything we tried. Our waiter kept the dishes coming out at an even pace making sure we were never sitting around waiting, but also did not feel pressured with too much food on the table. It was laid back and a very good place for a first meeting (my parents were meeting my long time boyfriend for the first time). It really took the pressure off and allowed for everyone to help dish people up to give a really positive atmosphere at our table as well.
The waiter was also very helpful in making recommendations on both food and wine. I’d definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice meal out. They also do meal and wine parings on occasion where they serve you a multi course meal each course paired with a new wine. And they have wine tours where you get 2 oz. of each wine on a list for a reasonable price to let you get a variety of flavors. It’s really a perfect place for either larger groups or smaller and more intimate ones.
Dishes I tried:
Grilled sea scallops in mango sauce
I’m not a big fan of scallops so I’m really not one to review them. They were cooked well, but I didn’t think the mango sauce enhanced them in the way that most of the other dishes here seemed in unison. Was still very tasty though!
Artichoke fritters with fresh garlic and olive oil
This was definitely a favorite of our group and while it was fried, which I’m usually not a big fan of, it was also artichokes which I am a big fan of. In fact the artichokes were so good and the breading for the fry so subtle that it was really a perfect blend.
Beef shish kabob ala parrilla with onions and peppers
The chunks of beef were not only large, but also very well prepared. So tender, so tasty, so good. There wasn’t a lot of onions or peppers on the kabob as it was mostly meat, but I’m definitely not one to complain about that and the sauce they served with it was simply magnificent. This is definitely one I’d order again if I returned.
Wasabi Encrusted Lamb
This was my personal favorite dish of the night and while it was a special and therefor not on the regular menu, I’d highly recommend it to anyone who had the pleasure of finding that as a special of the night.
My mom was afraid when she heard the term wasabi, but it was actually prepared in such a way where it was more sweet with just hints of that powerful taste here and there. The lamb was cooked beautifully and with four lamb chops on the one plate, it was definitely filling enough.
I would definitely order this any time I heard it as a special. It was simply fantastic.
Spicy Shrimp
This was actually the most anticipated and the most disappointing dish of the night. Probably the only dish we didn’t really enjoy. The sauce was red and less complex than anything else we’d had that night. On a whole it just felt like something that we had had before. It didn’t taste very special or unique like most of the other dishes were for us. It didn’t stand out at all. Luckily it was just a special for the night, so hopefully you won’t even have to think about avoiding it. On a plus, we were not upset in the least that the plate contained only 4 shrimp and nothing else because no one wanted any more of it.
Creme brulee
I love Creme Brulee it’s one of my favorite deserts of all time and I’m happy to report this is one of the first creme brulees I’ve had in a very long time that met my standards and that I was actually pleased with. Thank god! It had that perfect blend of cold custard inside with a beautiful layer of caramelized sugar on top. Very rarely do I see such a nice layer that I can really crack into it. Often I find it to be so thin its gone soggy. The flavors were so rich and the textures fantastic. Definitely happy I risked ordering it.
Chocolate mousse
My dad’s personal favorite. Very rich, very chocolately, very light, very fantastic. So much so that I only got one bite. He hogged the rest for himself. Get it so you can review it better and let me know even more so what I was missing!
Fresh Fruit Tart
I love tarts so much, but this one was a little disappointing. It had fermented pears on top, which were pretty good, but the mustard wasn’t set enough. It oozed everywhere when I put my fork to it and poured out on to the plate after the first bite was taken. Also, the crust was a bit hard to cut through and ended up breaking apart a bit. The tastes were all there though, it was just annoying to eat and ended up presenting itself poorly.
Kobe beef tenderloin carpacio with arugual salad and manchego cheese
My first experience with beef carpacio and it was a fantastic one. It was flavored perfectly with olive oil, salt and freshly cracked pepper. It was fantastic. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone willing to try raw beef.
Fresh tilapia ceviche with avocado
My biggest sadness with this dish was there wasn’t so much avocado in the dish as on the side of it. It was fantastic, light and refreshing though. The tilapia was mixed with onions, corn and a few other ingredients to make a light salad that was very nice and subtle.
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