You know you are a little crazy about food when you trap your friend into driving over an hour from Charlottesville to Richmond to eat dinner at a place called “Si Tapas.” My companion goes “but Thor, why do we have to go to Richmond, can’t we just eat at Mas!?” I told this one (who grew up hunting wild animals and knows how to wrestle bears, but barely knows how to use the internet) that it’s something I’ve been meaning to do and we can’t question my intentions. I digress.
In case you didn’t know, Si Tapas will open in the old Star Hill space in Mid-Town within two weeks. It’s an exciting competitor for Mas, which is loved and hated by Charlottesville for its food and service, respectively (despite the employee praise that happens on this site, it’s a common issue). What better way to preview it for Charlottesville than to visit the Richmond location?
Ambiance
While the exposed brick decor dominates Charlottesville’s latest dining scenes, Si offers diners a clean wooded interior. Lighting is intelligently placed and the space feels very comfortable. I’m sure this place gets slammed, but I think they used some of the design to make the acoustics more manageable. It’s a small, cozy space, a perfect setting for tapas. We know the Charlottesville location is going to be much bigger, so we’re hoping Si Tapas can create that same feel… time will tell.
Bonus points: the bathrooms were really nice.
Service
It’s hard to judge service on slow nights, but our server went through the recommendations (which we didn’t listen to; the most popular dishes were boring picks by Richmonders) and did a wonderful job. No complaints, didn’t bang food on our table and had the desire to help us through the meal.
Food
For this review, I took a little different approach and will review each dish. Overall, the plating was amazing; one of the best platings I’ve seen for a restaurant in this price range, anywhere.
The fried calamari came with a marinara and a super garlicky REAL aioli. The frying job was just right, but we weren’t happy with the thickness of the calamari pieces. They were thin and this caused the squid to dry out a little in the fry job. The sauces were excellent and paired well together.
Braised Boneless Short Rib in Polenta. Oh goodness, two of my favorite dishes. The polenta was super creamy but still had enough texture. It was extremely rich and kingly. The braised rib was well balanced with a gravy-esque reduction. It could have been slightly more tender. This could be because it was not braised long enough or it lacked enough fat to support a long cooking time.
Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Goat Cheese and Fennel Conserva were like a warm loaded gun. $10 didn’t make us think twice after we tasted this amazing dish. The peppers were perfectly roasted, the cheese was warm, but not melting all over the plate and the Fennel added just a hint of aromatic anise (licorice flavor) which made the pepper flavor jump out at you. Very high praise for this one!
Crispy Salmon with a fennel balsamic compote (I think this is right, although maybe the chef can correct me). My dining partner almost lost control at the table because it was so tasty. This was a healthy sized piece of salmon with a sweet, super crunchy skin. Salmon is often overcooked, but Si Tapas did it right, even with the crisping. You could make a light meal out of this one. Look for it as a winning dish in Cville.
Drinks
We didn’t try any of the cocktails, but the half price wine on Monday is something I really, really hope they bring to Charlottesville. We had an Gouguenheim Malbec for $15. Malbecs quickly are becoming my favorite red wine. This one we wanted to take home; it started with a very subtle approach and ended in that spicy, earthy sexy bite that we love Malbecs (and women) for.
Overall
That’s right, we drove to Richmond to preview a new place that everyone in Charlottesville hopes will become a shining star. Prices are up there with Mas and so is the food. If Si Tapas can overcome a difficult location, a very large venue and do a par or better job with service, then Mas should watch out, in fact, everyone in Charlottesville should watch out because small plates with unique tastes are winners in this town. I’m really looking forward to Si Tapas and I hope you are too.
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Tagged as: Charlottesville, dining, Food, Mas, Restaurant, review, Richmond, si tapas, tapas
Suddle?
I have a pea sized brain.
Holy smokes, that all sounds lovely. I can’t wait for this joint to open. Excellent (p)review, Thor.
jeez, no one sent me a message about this visit? sounds amazing. Braised short ribs were in vogue 2-3 years ago, but this might tempt me to go back…
Si Tapas open your doors already!
Oh wow. I can’t wait for this to open. I bet we have a little quarrel over the first to review it — I say….me!
employee praise? I’ve been completely neutral for months and only chime in to defend myself from vicious attacks. You’ve caused my responses. Oh, and thanks for outing me
I don’t know if it is official yet, but we may have a Villain working there.
Is it Thor? cuz that would explain a lot
I don’t think it’s Thor, but it could be Thor #117.
What on earth are you talking about?
Whether or not you or one of your clones will be working at Si.
Oh ok.. i have a spawning pool now actually (superior to the cloning mechanism which was our prior method of replication), so we call them spawns, not clones.
Evil Spawns?
Spawn thors?
Is that like financial benefactors with lisps? AA for the speech impediment set?
I’m envisioning Original Recipe Thor waving a cane and yelling from his front porch: “Hey! You kids! Get off my spawn!”
a villain working at Si…the plot thickens…..inside Tapas scoops to come
the plot thickens…
yeah, i guess. not by much though.
I have eaten at Si twice. The first time was great. I was impressed. The second time was not so great and actually felt as if I had dropped a lot of dough on a less than great meal. Who knows, maybe they were having an off night, but I don’t think that I can go back. We should have gone to Kuba Kuba around the corner.
All in all, I don’t think that Mas has too much to worry about.
ps. what’s up with the dig at Richmonders?
@18 - The wait person said all the popular dishes were fried food. So he recited them and were were like.. well, let’s not take those recommendations.
as a lover of Tapas in general and the food at Mas in particular (have to agree about the service needing work, however) i’m excited.
speaking of new places to eat, did i miss a Boylan Heights (wtf?) review? i’m interested in the burgery goodness, especially after the Gusburger thread. also, what’s the word on the Thai place that took over the Casella’s spot in BR?
@20 thai place is far from open–still has pizza counter, but thai sign out front instead of casella’s sign.
si tapas sounds like a great option if i’m ever in richmond and for some bizarre reason don’t want fuddruckers. but i do not need it here.
@19 Having worked in both Richmond and Cville restaurants, I also found that many Richmonders tended towards the fried side of things. Or at least the more traditional, “safer” dishes.
Um, yeah. As long as there is a thorazine tapas at either joint, i think we might be ok…
Otherwise, not so much.
“6 434, baby! said:
employee praise? I’ve been completely neutral for months and only chime in to defend myself from vicious attacks. You’ve caused my responses. Oh, and thanks for outing me”
What on earth are you talking about?
Any truth to the rumor that one of Cville’s hottest…er, I mean finest…will be behind the bar?
My favorite bartender in C’ville will be working there (who I don’t think is a Cvillian) so I’m guessing I may be a regular. Tho he hates making martinis and Si has a whole list of ones for me to try.
Unfortunately, I don’t like fennel (or anything licorice flavored) so a lot of what Thor described won’t be what I order, but I doubt I’ll starve. The bacon wrapped dates on their menu will make me have to compare them with the ones I love love love from Mas. Mas’s cost $4 and gets you four of ‘em. Si is charging $8….wonder how many there are.
For now I will spend the next few weeks dreaming of the fried chevre.
@salmon- the dish is crisp skin salmon with pancetta and spanish cider reduction
i don’t really think it’s even a fair comparison, mas to a restaurant in richmond. sure, we’re getting one here but it will be in a totally different venue in a totally different city (where people like food that isn’t always fried). the space of a restaurant impacts the restaurant as a whole, probably more than any other factor, so we don’t know what that will be like. thor, we know someone slammed your plate down at mas, and that’s really a deal-breaker for you apparently, but trash talking to the point of driving 50 miles just to make an unjustified comparison? i’m bored by this post and this argument.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m looking forward to trying it and being open minded about it. I’m sure it’ll have its own unique things and charm as other places do. If nothing else, competition raises the bar in terms of quality, experience, knowledge and service.
someone told me that anyone that’s excited about Si coming to cville is retarded and deserves to be publically stoned. sweet, lets get pumped about chain restaurants!! PF changs should come to town next!
Is Si a chain? I thought it only existed in Richmond and it’d be opening in Cville under the same ownership
speaking of chains, I wouldn’t mind a Fudruckers or a Baja Fresh around here…
What I really want is for Sticks to open on 29North /Forest Lakes area so that I can eat there all the time (I work up here)
@32 loves fuddruckers. hates sticks.
i heard Si wasn’t doing well in richmond and that’s why they’re opening here. i bet after 5 years they’ll be operating on a waitlist every night like that other tapas place in cville…
@33: Zocalo french toast for brunch and Fudruckers road trip to Richmond??
Anyone else in?
@32
what we really need up on 29N/Forest Lakes is a Bodo’s. i’m sick of driving all the way into town on a Saturday or Sunday morning and dealing with hungover students and soccer moms. it makes my hangover that much worse.
i would, however, patronize Fuddruckers, Baja Fresh AND PF Changs.
@31- Si isn’t a chain, it is the second restaurant of the same name under the same ownership. If I go to Si when it opens, can I get publically stoned:)? Maybe it could help me deal with all of the so called “foodies” in Charlottesville who have more opinions than knowledge about food, wine, or the restaurant industry in general?
@37, did you read my comment? “Si is not a chain” is what I said.
I’m planning on going too, and no one better get close to me with a stone because I’ll slam a plate on you.
Maybe it could help me deal with all of the so called “foodies”
Good luck. The foodies are everywhere, relentless and unforgiving. Once they sense your vulnerability, they will swarm and attack you with vorpal blades of condescension, slice your gullet, bathe in your liquid ignorance like sharks in blood and feast on your inexperience with fennel and fava beans. Their egos have the metabolism of a hummingbird and their hunger for informed opinion can never be sated, their thirst for display of knowledge can never be slaked. God help ye who tread in ignorance where foodies gather, for yours is borrowed time.
/Worst. Tartare. EVAR!
@39- twelve years working in the top restaurants in cville, d.c., and san diego don’t breed vulnerability. You could say that more years than that dining in Europe and the U.S. as a “foodie” myself would also lend me a smug sense of ego when it comes to my opinions on food and how to correctly cook and season a fava bean, but maybe your tenure here in belmont and sharp wit are more than enough to get you through your insatiable nights.
Nothing gets me through my insatiable nights.
And truly, I’ve nothing against foodies, everyone has their thang, as it were. I was just looking for something to riff on. I feel equally impassioned about visual arts (another reason I stay the fuck away from muse –- lest I become the cocoNUT of the blue side).
@36 i’ve eaten at pf chang’s once & was soooooooo underwhelmed. they give you seasoning so they can serve you bland food? i don’t get it.
/mas-ing tonight
wow!
FYI about the Si Tapas coming to C-ville…one of the chef’ that will be cooking there will probably be one of the amazing sous chef’s from X lounge. The chef that stays and cooks late night food will probably be transferring over to Si. He is an amazing and kind chef who is tired of working late nights. Also, he’s one of the ones that makes that amazing mac n chz we serve at X. Just thought I’d throw it out there. Enjoy!
@39 - I think I’m in love with you
@41 - ok, I know I’m in love with you
apparently they’re looking for bands to play in the old music space upstairs for their soft opening… looks like we got ourselves a new(kind of) music venue!
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