Costa Brava part 1 - Happy Hour Tapas

My first interaction with Spanish Tapas was in Atlanta, back in the late nineties. And I say interaction, because there is definitely action that occurs between one and the sometimes innumerable dishes that are sometimes offered. Sometimes just deciding becomes quite a feat within itself. I was fascinated with tapas that I bought two of Penelope Casas' books; The Food and Wines of Spain and Tapas (an earlier edition of this). Unfortunately, the books mostly reside on my bookshelf. I need to get to some of those recipes one of these days.......

A few weeks ago, we had some very pleasant weather (as was today), and the Missus was in the mood for some sangria, so we headed back to Costa Brava on Garnet in Pacific Beach.

Even though Costa Brava sits right on busy Garnet, they have tried to make the space a bit more intimate and quiet by putting up hedges as a border between the dining area and the street.

We've found the service to be good.... most of the Servers are kind of cautious and stand-offish initially, but once they figure you out, they are quite accommodating. There is one older gentleman who, once he got to know us, was quite friendly.

I've had some pretty good dishes, and some disappointments ( i.e. the gambas al ajillo). But I don't think I'd ever heard about happy hour, between 4 and 6pm during the week. There's a short list of tapas ranging from $2-$4, and a pitcher of sangria is $8.

I'll usually only have a glass, since I find sangria a bit too sweet for me. On one visit, it tasted very watered down, but on subsequent visits, it was fine.... and the Missus really enjoyed it.

There are about nineteen items on the Happy Hour menu, and I'll cover those we've tried in this post. I'll do the rest in a future post. I'm listing the items in the order of the Missus's preference. The prices listed will be the HH cost.

Her #1 is without a doubt, the Pescaito Frito (fried baby anchovies - $4):

 
I'm pretty sure the Missus could eat three of these by Herself. Crunchy, salty, and savory, the lemon adds a nice bit of acid to smooth out any very strong flavors. Call them french fries of the sea if you will..... the Missus loves these.

#2 Patatas a la Brava (spicy potatoes - $4).

I really don't know of too many people who don't like this. It was the item FOY Candice mentioned first when we were chatting about Costa Brava. Alice Q Foodie has this as one of her 100 Thing to Eat in San Diego. Potatoes + Allioli (mayo) + Spice = Very hard to wrong......  

#3 Pulpo A la Vinegreta (Marinated Octopus - $3):

Tender Octopus, fairly balanced marinade, with a decent vinegar bite.

That's our top three of the Happy Hour items we ordered. Here's the rest:

Caracoles al Alioli (Escargot in Alioli Sauce $5):

Loved the alioli, which was fantastic on bread. The escargot was overdone, and tough as heck.

Speaking of bread..... Cesta de Pan con Alioli (basket of bread and alioli - $2):

The bread was decent, fairly light, almost like heat and eat stuff. Loved the large pieces of garlic in the alioli.

Aceitunas Alinadas (marinated olives - $2).

Yes, olives.... hard to go wrong with this.

Champinones al Ajillo (Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic and Sherry - $4):

Much too sour for my tastes.

Croquetas de Queso (cheese crouquettes - $4):

Actually blue cheese croquettes..... very mild blue cheese croquettes. I still scratch my head as to why I ordered these. Add a couple of bucks and get the Croquetas de Bacalao instead.

So there you go......... a couple of Happy Hour items from Costa Brava that won't break the bank. In part two, we'll cover stuff like this.

Costa Brava
1653 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Open 11am - midnight daily 

You can find TFH's post on Costa Brava here.  Vicki's post on Costa Brava can be found here.  

Comments

[Tammy]

Yummy. I had really good Tapas in LA a couple years ago.

You should ask YY to make escargo with alioli. It's soft and you can eat it with a toothpick.

[kat]

looks delicious!

[bill]

If I recalled I accidentally stumble upon a tapas at the Block in OC once. Wife and I had no clue what a tapas was but the size of our dish left us, WTF? LOL
All the read had lifted us up a little. Next time we won't be too shock I guess.

The little fish fries look like a must order item.

[Denver]

Some interesting stuff.

Roppongi's in La Jolla has good tapas. They're sorta high-end Asian-fusion food but they have half-price tapas during Happy Hour too(4pm-6pm I believe).

[Rosa]

I've only done tapas twice in my life, once in Fort Collins, CO and then at Picasso in the Hillcrest/North Park area. Both were really good, from what I remember. But then again, I'm susceptible to sangria so who knows.... :)

I love me some pasteis de bacalhao. Got some frozen ones in my freezer purchased from the Portuguese Imports shop in Artesia. Mmmmmm...

On a side note, whenever I tell someone I've been to a tapas bar, they think I said "topless"... =P

[mike]

I really like Costa Brava - it is definitely one of the standout places in PB.

The mushroom dish is one of my favorites - but then I'm a vinegar fiend.

[Kirk]

Hi Tammy - I will!

Hi Kat - Some of it was....escpecially the little fishies....

Hi Billy - He-he-he..... now you know those folks feel in VN restaurants when the big plate of veggies and herbs hit the table! ;o) Tapas usually mean "little plates".

Hi Denver - I've been to Roppongi's HH, it was goood, but they kinda ruined a lot of good ingredients with sauces and stuff.

Hi Rosa - You always write the funniest things..... the Hubby must always be in stitches!

Hi Mike - The flavors of the mushroom really tasted out of balance..... and I like vinegar.

[Lynnea]

Yes, fried potatoes in any form are good. Can't go wrong with that. Everything else looks delicious as well.

[kirbie]

I love tapas! Especially during happy hour! Sangrias! Costa Brava is pretty yummy. I haven't been there in a while. Have you tried Picasso? Not as many options but what they have is pretty good.

[Michael]

Fried baby anchovies are my absolute favorite at this place!! yummy stuff. reminds me I have to go back again....

[Tracey]

I like Costa Brava, and I also like the Turquoise Cafe in PB (on Turquoise St, imagine that). The ambience at Turquoise is a little more fun, I think, dark and dramatic and on some nights they have live entertainment. They make a great Spanish tortilla. They also have a happy hour though I haven't been there in a long time.

[caninecologne]

Hi Kirk - nice post - Costa Brava is one of my fave places. Haven't been there in awhile. Their "brava" sauce isn't really all that spicy though. You're right about the waiters - they warm up pretty quickly. When I went with my girlfriends, we ended up getting free sangria and free dessert. woo hoo!

[Rosa]

Nah...I'm Korean! All I do is nag my husband. ;)

[Kirk]

Hi Lynnea - Those potatoes are good.

Hi Kirbie - We haven't been to Picasso in years.... I guess it's the parking that drives us crazy. We're probably due for a visit soon.

Hi Michael - The Missus can devour a whole school of those.... or maybe two schools???

Hi Tracey - I've heard of the place..... but we've never made it there. Hopefully soon! Thanks for the reminder.

Hi CC - That spicy alioli isn't very spicy, but has a nice kick to it.

Hi Rosa - Wait, I thought you were Chinese!!! he-he-he...... ;o)

[Mary Travel]

I think Tapas in Costa Brava and Barcellona are the best!

[Shiffer Smith]

Hmmmm Yammeee

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