Espana located on 60th and Maple is a place that you won’t be able to get enough of.
They serve tapas, which are a never-ending feast of small delectable servings. They can be a first course before an entree or mixed and matched for a meal.
Tapas come in hot and cold varieties. It takes a touch of daring and adventure to check out the menu. It may actually look imposing at first glance with more than 60 tapas to choose from. But no matter, each server and bartender is extremely knowledgeable. They are very open to questions and are excellent with recommendations. Start things off with a sangria, available by the glass or pitcher. Their signature drink is made by careful preparation days ahead of your visit in both classic red and white.
Espana will make you change your mind about mushrooms, mussels, and every other food you think you can’t pronounce. It’s an easy answer to the question, “what’s good?” Everything’s good. It may not be what you’re expecting..its probably better.
Here’s what I tried (so you can try it too):
Tres Quesos-a plate of the finest spanish cheeses with fruit
Endivias Valencia-This is a suprisingly delicious mix of belgian endives, almonds, and valencia oranges.
Mejilones a la Crema de Jerez-steamed mussels in a sherry cream sauce
Gambas al Ajillo-sizzling shrimp
Empanadillas de Atun y de Pollo-tuna and chicken empanadas
Champinones Rellenos con Cabrales-cheese stuffed mushroom caps
Flamenquines-pork tenderloin stuffed with serrano ham and ground beef. It’s crispy on the outside and meaty on the inside.
Pierna de Cordero Asada-slow braised tender lamb with rosemary.
Go ahead and take your time eating. It is a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy even as the tables fill up.
The very talented flamenco rock band, Tablao was performing live the night of my review. I caught up with lead singer, Kaitlin Heavin, to ask her a few questions.
She describes Tablao’s sound as a mixture of flamenco, jazz, rock, and latin music. They aim to keep their musical selections eclectic and unique. She and her father, Hadley Heavin, guitar professor at UNO, started the band about three and a half years ago. He holds masters in classical guitar and flamenco guitar. In addition to that, he has also studied in Spain with Maestro Segundo Pastor.
Kaitlin has been locally trained as a singer. She also was very involved in musicals in school. “Music has always been a part of my life,” she says. She likes to pick up the phonetics of songs written in different languages. This makes it easy for her to sing in Portuguese and Spanish. The names of the other guitar players have changed since the beginning, but now they consist of Heavin’s students. Each brings punk/rock backgrounds to classical and flamenco guitar playing for a whole new twist on the same songs.
After dinner and music there were drinks with a flare. Well, actually with a flame. Sambuca with coffee beans. Lit on fire, the beans enhance the drink. But you had better wait until it cools for your first sip!
Oh and don’t forget dessert. The traditional flan is homemade at the restaurant. Even for those who have not had a lot of flan, this one is a perfect creamy custard with carmel sauce on top.
It was easy for me to believe, with the assistance of a glass of white sangria, that a sun-drenched Spanish avenue may be outside the front windows instead of Maple street. At Espana, they truly have created an palpable atmosphere that is hard to deny. Fancy yet not pretentious, a meal at Espana is an experience worth telling about. Make your reservation today and enjoy an authentic slice of Spain right here in Omaha.
