Email
PrintSpain
Some misses, but more hits.
Spain has moved from its longtime quarters in a hotel off Rt. 161 to a nice brick building on Powell Road. The much improved ambiance—the setting is lovely and warm, with lots of exposed red brick and hardwood—apparently has encouraged the owners to offer an even larger menu, Spanish and not-so-Spanish.
Caution is always required when confronted with a menu on which the number of items exceeds the number of chairs in the restaurant, and Spain’s menu is that big. With all that to buy, keep fresh and prepare, it’s tough to turn out excellent food every time. Beyond that, the place is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and so you may or may not come when the best cooks are at work.
Overall, Spain’s food was good, but it could be a bit hit or miss. Here are the hits:
The colorful seafood rice (paella without sausage or chicken) was quite good, with the shrimp, clams, mussels, crab and squid properly cooked, their juices enhancing the mixture of yellowed saffron rice. Very much Spanish was a dish of long-braised goat in a rich and salty red wine sauce. It was a fine way to prepare this mildly gamy, lean and chewy meat.
A 16-ounce, broiled Angus sirloin was a real bargain at $19.95; remember that sirloin is not as tender as rib-eye or filet, but the extra jaw work was worth it for this beefy piece of meat. Good, too, were the lamb chops with a lemony-mustard glaze.
Entrees came with a choice of several side dishes, including rice, thickly sliced fried potatoes and vegetables (which change). On the appetizer list, Spain turned out proper calamari—lightly breaded, crisp, fried just a minute or two and, thus, still tender. The squid arrived with a spicy marinara, but also was nice with just salt and a squeeze of lemon (and a glass of fruity white wine). Grilled and thinly sliced chorizo with bits of red pepper and onion was garlicky, salty and oily—just as the dish should be. Another good choice for a starter was the cold gazpacho vegetable soup, with plenty of onions and peppers. As for desserts, I liked the not-too-sweet housemade cheesecake.
Now for the misses:
The stuffed mushrooms were underdone, with a mushy crabmeat and cream cheese mixture; the dish was something out of a 1950s cocktail party menu, where it should remain. Cheese and fish should rarely mix, and so it should be with the entree of grouper stuffed with cream cheese and crabmeat. The fish also was overcooked.
Several dishes, such as pasta in tomato sauce with chunks of filet, were not Spanish nor of particular interest. I was surprised by the absence of Spanish “tortilla”—a pie of potato, onion and egg first fried in olive oil and then baked, one of the great dishes of this cuisine. Maybe it will be added to the menu. I also was puzzled that another Spanish great, sangria (the combination of red or white wine with fruit and a little fruit juice) leaned more heavily toward the fruit than the wine. On two samplings, it was too sweet, though I suppose the chef here knows his customers. (Spain has a full bar, and a small and mostly Spanish wine list at reasonable prices.)
Other than one young server who was perhaps a bit too enthusiastic (read: chatty), I found the service to be quite good, even charming. I had young kids along on two of my visits, and they were treated with gentleness and patience.
Overall, prices at Spain were quite reasonable, especially given the generous portions.
Spain
76 W. Powell Rd., Powell
(740) 548-6900
spainrestcolumbus.com
Atmosphere: Warm and comfortable.
Recommended dishes: Seafood rice, paella, goat in red wine sauce, fried calamari, grilled chorizo, gazpacho, cheesecake.
Prices: Appetizers, soups and salads $4.95-$13.95; entrees $17.95-$23.95 (with choices of sides); desserts $6.95.
Hours: Sunday noon to 9 pm; Monday through Thursday 11 am to 2 pm and 5 to 10 pm; Friday 11 am to 2 pm and 5 to 10:30 pm; Saturday noon to 10:30 pm.
Service: Friendly, charming at times.
Reservations: Accepted.
Rating: ***
