Barlotta Alotta

Monday nights generally are not a big "do something" night. About as much as I can muster up is dinner out (or in). In this case, we chose to head out to this relatively new Spanish Tapas restaurant, Barlata, which I had been looking forward to visiting for some time.
Fortunately we didn't have a long wait, as the restaurant is small and weather was "iffy".

I consider myself a "California Vegetarian", translation, chicken and fish aren't "meat". Pork, a staple for many Spanish dishes, falls into the meat category. On the plus side, Spain is surrounded by water. Fish live in the water, therefore fish ends up on Spanish plates for dinner - probably fried in pig fat, but I'm assuming that when my dinner is cooked, it's cooked in olive oil. If it's not, I pretend.

We ordered pan fried shrimp in garlic and butter (I don't think there's pig butter), ceviche with a grilled scallop and avocado (most likely safe from pig fat), fried potatoes (did I detect a bit 'o pig?), and seafood paella (again, probably safe). The shrimp was dish licking good, though I strongly advise against as it comes out in a searing hot cast-iron skillet. The paella, a highly recommended dish, was probably my least favorite. The 'taters were delish as was the ceviche.

I loved the atmosphere, the food and the menu. It was definitely worthy of a repeat.