Tapas del Mundo, Dec 25 2012

Tapa del Mundo is located in Bucerias, Mexico. It was a short cab ride from Nuevo Vallarta.

Housemade Margarita

Bruce and Cindy has discovered this place on a previous visit and thought we might enjoy it. It definitely exceeded our expectations as far as quality of food and atmosphere. They are normally closed on Christmas day, but Bruce was able to convince Jorge to open just for us! Jorge is a character with stories that will entertain all!

We started off with drinks, Margaritas for myself, Brent, Cindy and Bruce. Tara and Kevin stuck to Coronas. Cindy had warned us that the drinks might be strong. She was right, but they are the dangerous kind of strong; alcohol was not overpowering and it tasted really refreshing! Bruce and I also had a Nebbiolo red wine.

Olives and mushrooms

Olives Eduardo/Aceitunas Eduardo
stuffed, breaded Spanish manzanillo olives sautéed in olive oil (& Eduardo??)
Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms/Champiñones Rellenos con Chorizo
fresh mushrooms stuffed with our own special chorizo

The olives were simple, but great! These could be a really great bar snack instead of peanuts! The chorizo was not as flavorful as what I expected, and I enjoyed this one the least. In fact, this was everyone's least favorite and was the only dish we did not polish off.

Spanish Torta Ophelia/Tortilla a la Española Ofelia
the Spanish poor man’s potato cake cooked in olive oil with egg & onion
Shrimp in Garlic Sauce/Gambas al Ajillo
shrimp sautéed in olive oil, garlic, limon, chili guajillo, dried red chili
Grilled Cuban Sausage/Salchicha Cubana a la Parrillaa handmade sweet sausage with white dipping sauce

The Torta was pretty bland, but Kevin, Tara, and Cindy really enjoyed this. The cuban sausage was Brent and I's favorite by far. So sweet and a very dry texture compared to normal sausage. It was fantastic, with or without the dipping sauce!

Carrots Dyanne/Zanahoria Dyanne
Fresh carrots sautéed in butter & a killer of a white sauce
Brie Cheese Pasta/Pasta con Queso Brie
Garlic, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, brie cheese over Italian pasta
Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast/Pollo Relleno de Queso Brie
grilled breaded boneless breast stuffed with a touch of brie cheese & topped with brown butter

And if that weren't enough... Dessert time! I only had a bite of each, since I was stuffed beyond what I should have eaten!

Creme Brulee and Blessing

Crème Brûlée & Blessing
our own classic creation with the notorious Blessing

Jorge used an old French salamander, that is basically just a flat branding iron. That was very cool. The creme brulee itself was a weird texture, and didn't taste much like the classic.

Flaming Bananas Damiana/Platanos Damiana Flama
apple bananas flamed in the desert aphrodisiac Damiana with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sinful and erotic

Chocolate Caramel Brandy Fondue & Fruit/Fondue Chocolate Cajeta Vino con Frutas
seasonal fresh fruit to dip in Esme’s special blend of Mexican chocolate, caramel & brandy

Flaming Bananas Damiana

We enjoyed it so much, that we went back for cooking classes a few days later.

Brent signed the wall for us.