August, 2006

Rating : 8 out of 10

Tariff : Dinner for 6

• 8 small plate tapas dishes
• 2 large plates
• 5 drinks
• 2 wine bottle corkage fees (@ $15 ea)
• 1 dessert
• tip (20% automatically included for a party of 6)
• $234

Atmosphere

The restaurant has the feel of a cross between a family style Mexican spot and a middle eastern or Moroccan restaurant (which it formerly was and that accounts for a few leftover Moorish decorative touches). But it works and is comfortable as well as attractive with a bar area, a place for live music, and several separate dining rooms that are more intimate that one big space.

Service

Service was great, as our waiter was comfortable with us ordering one round of small plates to try first and then another when we were ready. He was attentive to drinks and uncorking* and pouring wine for us. He made a number of humorous remarks about the food and the kitchen, which were amusing.

*We were later surprised to find that the cost of uncorking the wine was $15 per bottle (and this, especially after we'd purchased a round of drinks from the bar, seemed like a bit of a rip off).

Food

Tapas is an ideal style of dining for sampling and discussing over conversation: A bite of this, a piece of that--oohs and aahs over a certain sauce or a particular presentation. All six of us enjoyed sampling the small plate tapas and a few large plates as well. Among our selections were:

Dungeness Crab Cakes were tasty and chock full of sweet crab meat, breaded and fried to crispy perfection (there wasn't much of the mango papaya dressing, but who needed it anyway!).

Tortilla Espanola was not like other tortillas I've had it was a slice of mild potato pie, layered with soft and creamy slivered potatoes.

Gambas a la Goa were large beer battered prawns that were puffy but not greasy; I really enjoyed the slightly sweet, creamy mustard sauce.

Piquillo was a Spanish pepper stuffed with mixed seafood and Spanish cheeses. It was very attractive--smooth bright red peppers with creamy white filling at the opening. The filling had a smooth texture and was very mild--almost bland--but the pepper sauce gave this tapas its spice.

Pinchitos Morunos were 2 kabobs of firm and flavorful chunks of grilled pork.

Roasted potatoes were good, but nothing extraordinary.

Mushroom caps cooked in a creamy sauce of Spanish red peppers, garlic, and cream cheese was one of my favorites.

Stuffed Cabbage Pirineos was not something I would have chosen , and so I was quite surprised to enjoy the delicately seasoned ground pork inside the 2 fat, rolled up cabbage leaves.

One of the large plates we tried was the Moroccan Lamb Merguez, roasted sausages artfully skewered and stacked above a bed of spinach, which had been marinated with Spanish brandy and dotted with raisins and pine nuts. The creation looked something like a weathervane!

The other large plate was Paella a la Valenciana, served in a small paella pan, strongly seasoned with saffron, and topped with a mix of seafood, chicken and pork.

At Avance, not every item was remarkable, but there are a good number of tasty treats to sample and some real winners--everyone can find something to enjoy!

Avance Tapas Bar
200 Merrydale Road
San Rafael, CA  94903
415-472-7101