A birdie just told us Si Tapas will open tonight! Make sure you check it out and let us know how it compares to our Richmond experience.
Tagged as: Charlottesville, dining, Food, opening, Restaurant, si tapas, tapas
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2 part question: Does anyone know if they take reservations? if so, anyone have their #?
tonight @5 pm
They’ve got the chef and bartender from X Lounge, and the bartender from Kiki.
I heard they opened last night.
I heard they got the chef from The Box, thus further delaying their opening, and further beating this horse.
i heard they didn’t get their liquor license yet.
6: They got that straightened out.
the box isn’t even open yet, you guys.
so does that mean the $5 3 band ish they were supposed to host tonight is still on?
nice, parlie.
Seriously. I heard they had a music venue upstairs. Anyone have a scoop on that?
so does that mean the $5 3 band ish they were supposed to host tonight is still on?
It is definitely still on.
holler… not that it matters to me greatly but any word on who the bands are?
@12: There are some details on the Muse here. $5/$3 with a student ID; doors at 9:30.
apparently another bar upstairs now, meaning it’s a lot easier to get yer drink on. and the side effect of said drinking will further delay your comprehension of the venue’s name.
No soft opening and they got their ABC license today. Has anyone seen an ad for them or did they only reply on web gossip to get them going?
I talked to someone last week who said they over-hired in some areas and under-hired in others. On top of that, someone from management has stepped away from some time, so there was a breakdown in communication.
I think I’ll wait a few weeks before I give the place a try. I really want to like this place, especially if they start booking good bands.
@15 there have been multiple articles in both the weeklies.
Three bands upstairs, opens tonight at 5pm (got their liquor license today)
Tomorrow night too for normal service starting at 5pm
And a band on Saturday (I think it’s Kings of Belmont)
saturday is bird lips & trees on fire, according to the weekly.
..could be wrong on Sat. night’s band, anyone know for sure?
So it’s called Is, does that mean it’s music for dyslexic people? Will it be played backwards all satanic-like? T
ok, commentin’ all wrongsy, see ya’ll tomorrow night …
nice space, decent calimari, cute waitstaff-but why are the kitchen lights so bright??
See my review of the venue upstairs in CvilleMuse for the scoop…
http://cvillemuse.com/2008/10/03/thoughts-on-is/
Kings of Belmont website confirms; Saturday Oct. 4 @ IS
@ 22: Health code. We don’t want anybody chopping off a finger in the kitchen, now do we?
did anybody here anything about the west main bar crawl thing in the works? something about West Main, Zinc, Horse & Hound, Maya and Si/Is injecting the corridor with love? Is Wild Wings in on it too? that shit would be phat! hope its not just gossip.
@26 that would be AWESOME.
skip wild wings - add blue moon.
Ate there on Saturday. Way over-priced. To wit, 6 little cheese wedges about the size of a pack of gum for $12. The two of us spent almost $100 with one drink a piece. The menu is much smaller than Mas and the portion sizes are way too nouvelle cuisine. The food was at least one notch below that of Mas. It is back to Mas for me where I can eat and drink alot better for about half as much money.
i also ate on saturday prior to the KOB - hearing a microwave go off a minute prior to receiving the lamb-meatballs wasnt too surprising. food was basically cool, instead of hot.
bacon wrapped dates were good (hot or cold)
ham/cheese croquettes - the filling not so much..
liked the reworked bars upstairs, owner NEEDs to figure out smoke management - either open the windows or get a smoke scrubber (x3) - better yet dont allow smoking, there is a great outside area for that and that makes the place actually look busy…
i’ll give a few more shots, the decore was certainly a nice change, but no beers on tap was strange for a place that had been a brewery twice before.
@29 and 30 - thanks for the reports. 30 - especially thanks for the smoking info; sadly it’ll mean I won’t give the place a shot. No beers on tap? That’s just wrong on so many levels.
I walked by yesterday and peeked in and it looked like a Pier 1 had exploded in there. I’m sad to hear that the portions are small and micro-waved. I’ll have to try it at least once since they have that hot blonde bartender but deep down inside I’m a MAS girl.
Their sangria is good, and from what I hear, the calamari was prooty good too. Let’s give them a little time to settle down and get some mood lighting in the kitchen.
I’m checking it out tonight! Looking forward to it.
Also, I think that making the microwave accusation is pretty unfair unless you saw someone microwave something. Kitchens have all sorts of beeping gadgets… so it could have been anything, and those kinds of accusations end up unfairly creating a bad reputation.
@34, you’re right.
@30, it’s called a timer. There’s actually no microwave in their kitchen. Even if there was, and they used it, it’s not a sign of bad quality. Most kitchens use them to gently warm pre-cooked dishes such as lasagna or quiche that have been refrigerated before placing them in the oven to finish cooking. It ensures you don’t get an icy cold center. You will rarely have ANY kitchen use a microwave to cook meats, so be careful with your assumptions.
I went to the one in richmond last sunday and spent 100+ for super sub par food. Then I went on saturday in cville and had the lamb balls with sauce that wasnt there. I think if they are going to do tapas in a town with a great tapas place, they need to step it up. surprise us with more than the same menu as richmond. Or im going to a chain
Our waitress didn’t know how to open a wine bottle, so we had to open our own. (no joke)
Also, NO ONE we asked (3 different staff members) knew what beers they carried.
I know that the place is new and some kinks still need to be worked on; but seriously?
didn’t know how to open a wine bottle
she should have found the nearest tree.
Ate there this weekend. It’s unfair to compare to Mas, because the food is totally different styles, but the food in general seemed pretty so-so.
Can’t say I’m itching to go back.
Agreed that it is a poor comparison: It’s the same as comparing it to Bang or Zinc (small plate concept as well). Each of these restaurants has it’s own, very different style.
Bang = Asian tapas.
Mas = Spanish tapas.
Zinc = French tapas.
Si has its own style, don’t think it sticks to the framework of a specific country’s/region’s cuisine.
Yet the name is spanish, so that makes you expect Spanish tapas, no? And what’s with the Moroccan decor? A REAL Moroccan place in opening in the Ix soon.
yup, next door to Al Dente!
It’s supposed to be really authentic with hookahs and rugs and shit.
hookah rug and shit? better than shittin a hook and rug
the space is lovely; all the furnishings came over from morocco just weeks ago.
That’s really too bad to hear all the negatives about this place. I had such high hopes.
Seems like a strage mix, though, a local acts music venue upstairs with upscale tapas downstairs. I feel like it’s attacking too many market groups.
Let’s get Vanillavy to get his dirty drug dealing Wall Street friends to score us some weed and go down and put it in the hookahs at the new Moroccan place. What’s the name of it going to be anyways? Can you actually smoke pot out of a hookah? Any Hokies here? They prolly know.
The name of the place is Al Hamraa. It’ll be opened by Karim Sellam, the owner of Al Dente.
He is Moroccan, so it’ll be legit
They should do a late night dance party à la OXO. That would be sweet. That would be the only bar in town with a parking lot. no?
i was trying to get karim to do a boheme-type thing, emphasis on the specials for villains.
If anyone could seduce him, it would be you. He is a sexy dude. Does he have a harem? I wanna be in it.
thanks, but i don’t seduce.
You give BJs instead?
nope
@ 51 While I am sure he could ‘make your carpet fly’, so to speak, he is married if I am not mistaken.
@55: Married? Something tells me that wouldn’t stop her.
Stop who? Orchid or myself? Which one of these ladies iz you calling a homewrecker?
orchid, duh. You’re classy (I have no proof of that).
oh, please. it only wrecks homes if the wife knows about it.
@59 And even then, sometimes it makes the home a little neater, rather than wrecking it.
You must explain that one to me, Two-Six.
Oh, you know, cleaning house and all. Sending one packing.
@60
one does the dishes while the other one vaccuums?
/i’m a bachelor, this stuff is Greek to me.
@62: Ok, got it. Sorry, not getting your jokes today. I blame the cheap red wine I drank all night.
Sooo….how’s the wine selection at Si?
i tried a couple reds by the glass & didn’t like either. & i’m not terribly picky.
@47 There was a guy down the hall from me in college who smoked weed out of a hookah and put a little flavored tobacco in there as well to mask the smell, thus fooling the sadly oblivious and naive, but genuinely nice RA.
So it is possible. Alright alright. We going to the Hamraa. Is that Moroccan for Box?
I’m going to Si in a bit. I’ll let you all know what it’s like.
Si was awesome! It looks so much better than Starr Hill ever did. Its like they feng shui’ed it or something, the energy is totally better and it’s warm and welcoming feeling. The bar is a cool space on the right with a TV and a couchy lounge space in the window. The bartender is also reallllly nice!
The food was good, not like Mas at all, just its own unique thing. We didn’t even get the bacon wrapped-dates, there was so much more grabbing our attention. Little dishes for sharing: we had the Chorizo-stuffed Calamari on crunchy black rice (MMmmm!), Exotic mushrooms with lentils and almonds (my fave!!), 3 servings of the cheese fondue with apricot (lovelovelove), roasted beets with chevre covered with microgreens, polenta fries with tomato dipping sauce, and some other stuff I can’t remember but it was all good. Except the white cheese grits with the pork belly. Hello, I’m southern and I know what cheese grits should taste like. Make them taste cheesier and I will be so happy.
Also, our server, Eric? was very cute and very nice to us despite the fact that we were a large party and arrived in shifts and ordered at whim. He finagled us some sangria even though they were out of it or something and it was good. He knew how to open wine too.
We weren’t there for beer, so that didn’t bother us. It’s not really that kind of place. We did have “wine shots” at the bar which is the raddest idea and felt so european. The windows into the kirtchen let you see all the awesomegoodlooking people that work there.
So I give Si an A. I had a really good time because the food was yummy, the atmosphere was warm and comfy, and the service incredible. Some guy, a manager maybe? kept coming by our table to see if everything was ok. We assured him we were fine and felt like kings. The chef came to our table at one point too and talked to us and told us how he makes the fab black rice with squid ink. The chef is such a hottie.
The food does come out randomly, not in courses though, so don’t go there if you’re impatient. Go there if you wanna drink wine and talk with good friends. Yo te gusta Si!
I heart Eric. He’s dreamy. Y’all should go to Si just to be waited on by him.
wine shots? it sounds blasphemous and brilliant all in one. not so sure about european… i have a feeling a chorus of ‘mamma mia!!!’s would resound if italians got wind of that particular method of imbibing. maybe not the spaniards though… when i was there my friends mixed pepsi and wine together and had a special name for it.
when i said, ‘that’s ghetto fabulous,’ they thought that was the english name for the concoction.
pepsi and wine
That’s called a jote in some countries! And it’s gross.
or “tinto de verano”
He finagled us some sangria even though they were out of it or something
I thought sangria was outlawed in these here parts.
sangria became legal again July 1. Not a law I minded breaking when it was in effect.
“tinto de verano”
Do they make tinto de verano with cola, too? I’ve had it only with seltzer water (on ice), which is nice and refreshing.
Stanley loves wine spritzers, they’re fabuloousss!
#77: Of course I do. They’re great, say, at lunchtime during the summer (hence the name).
Went to Si Tapas last night too. The service was attentive and the space looks great, but some of the food was a bit hit or miss. The crispy pork belly was really fantastic, as were the short ribs. Bacon-wrapped dates are pretty ubiquitous these days, so we passed. The Patatas Bravas were really under-seasoned and a tad flabby. The polenta fries were very attractive, but lacked something flavor-wise. The sauces they were served with were delicious, but not enough the elevate the fries to anything special. We liked the Croquetas well enough (who doesn’t love a ham and chicken croqueta?!), but the Bechamel was weak making the filling too runny. They should definitely be creamy inside, but not quite that wet. The roasted broccoli raab as great, well-spiced with lemon and red chiles, and cooked perfectly. There was good music by two guys singing and playing guitars. we’ll definitely come back, but hope the kitchen ups its game in the coming weeks and works on its seasoning.
jeez, no comments in an hour, didja pass out?
fine, i got driving duty again in the early morning hours, peace out, folks
1) later than bp AGAIN…
2) eric is the cutest little thing evar.
3) by wine shots, do you mean wine in those crappy glasses that look like the ones the echo & the sweet are served in at zocalo? seriously, what is wrong with wine glasses nowadays?
@75, that was the shortest ban ever.
orchid - not that hard! You’ll probably post later than me tonight, too. Gotta horse show delivery in the verbotem wee hours. Damn, I so hate this early morning shit. I’m movin’ to Spain.
@83 sangria(or fortified wine) was illegal in Virginia since prohibition
really??? - am feeling the buzz cause I’m so the criminal since prohibition
/only the best for my latino friendz
@85, for a second I wuz confuzed. but then I realized that the ban I was thinking of was just on pre-mixing, and that still exists.
SB 584 Alcoholic beverage control; prohibits certain acts by licensees, exceptions for sangria. Allows a mixed beverage licensee to make sangria. The bill defines sangria and provides that a mixed beverage licensee is prohibited from pre-mixing containers of sangria to be served and sold in pitchers for consumption on the licensed premises.
But now I’m wondering if it’s just a ban on pre-mixing if you’re selling it by the pitcher.
@88 that wouldn’t really make sense because si tapas does sell it in pitchers (okay… carafes) as does mas. i like to think sangria was simply removed from the ban because lawmakers in virginia are beginning to pick up on the silly/archaic-ness of our alcohol laws but i think that’s just wishful thinking. there must be a better reason.
i also was at si tapas friday night, went with juicyfruit’s suggestion of the apricot fondue and enjoyed it a lot. the polenta fries were pretty much just what i was expecting, and the sangria was good. my date got the mussels and said good things. music was good. all in all a good experience but i’m pretty easy to please.
@89, then that rules out @88. Looks like they just don’t want any beverage to be mixed before it’s ordered.
why, cause the waitstaff will suck it all down before the happy hour crowd moves on??? friggin fascists
i don’t want anyone to precook any of my food before I order it either…
/idiots, there should be a requirement for everyone to serve two years in food and beverage immediately after high school, unless they already met the requirement previously
//so understand the israeli military system
So Si has cut bartender’s shifts because nobody is going to the shows at Is, and now all these poor tenders have to beg for their shifts back at the places they ditched for Si. That sucks. I was hoping it was gonna work out better for everyone.
bartenders’
Is Calvin coming back to X? I hope so, besides you, he’s my favorite. We got a new one, she’s iffy in my book.
Hopefully. Calvin is the best bartender in town.
Where’s Eric? Haven’t seen him recently at si …..he’s our fave~
Calvin is the best bartender in town.
Who is this Calvin? I don’t think I agree with you.
@97 ditto.
Calvin used to work at X Lounge. He’s really funny and awesome and a fast bartender. But echo, your usually too drunk by the time you come into X to remember anybody but Shen
@100: Also, I only order drinks form either you or shen.
We finally got our bartender Calvin back from Si, since the management cut back everyone’s shifts. Thanks Si! Way to FAIL. Fleurie’s happy to have Sarah back too I bet..
What is happening @ Si? Is the new owners, lack of business, what’s the scoop?
I think they overhired and aren’t getting a lot of bar business. They also haven’t done much with the upstairs.
Well I went to Si last night and had the WORST dining experience ever with the WORST, RUDE service ever.
My beau and I had an 8pm reservation for a 7-course wine dinner, which was going to be our Valentine’s Day dinner. This time was posted both on their website, and in their ad.
We arrived 10 minutes past 8 and were informed that they were already on the 3rd course.
Turns out they changed the dinner time to 7:30 without updating their website.
They did not want to serve us the early-serve courses we would have been paying for, and the manager had the nerve to tell us that “Since you were late. . .” What a lack of finesse!
After hesitation, we left and went to Zoccalo where our similarly-priced dinner was delicious and served by a pleasant, informative waiter.
you didn’t actually eat there and you were late? Um ok Devon you made your point. They were mean and you left in a huff. Thanks I got it.
Bad dining sucks but 4 post about one non dinner?
I got to Si at 7:40 and had a wonderful time. They didn’t start serving till close to 8 so you must have been pretty late Devon. Too bad for you, you missed some amazing food and wine.
Perhaps she was late for Heartless Bastard as well. I heard it was a good show
I was supposed to be at Si 15 hours ago. Hope everything still works out.
I am fucking disgusted with this place as well. I turned up 3 days early for the 7 course wine dinner, and they told me to come back on the right day. What sort of customer service is that,eh?
So anyone want to talk about the actual wine dinner… reviews??? I didn’t go b/c I had to work early but am really jealous of anyone who did.
@112 the food was lovely. i hate shrimp, & the shrimp was delicious. the salad dressing was delicious. the black rice was fabulous. loved the cod fritter & the chile bisque. sherry is disgusting; no one will ever convince me otherwise. but the other wines were all good. it was a great event; thanks, eduardo!
How often do they do dinners like this? The 7 course menu looked great.
AF is sad. Me need consolation.
@114 that was their first.
sounds delicious! chile bisque really makes me wish I’d gone. Can’t wait til they do another
I think that anyone can appreciate that when a restaurant misposts their dinner time both on their website and in their advertisement, and someone shows up expecting that seating, that they would be accommodating in light of there error. Instead they were glib. To be precise, we arrived in the door at 8 minutes past 8:00pm, and although a few minutes late, such a late arrival is generally accepted within the restaurant industry. I don’t believe they (or any other restaurant) has a “we don’t seat if you 10 minutes late” policy.
Further, the manager never even apologized about the misunderstanding about the posting, and rather insulted us for arriving “40 minutes late.” A simple apology for the misposting would have been all that was necessary to rectify the situation.
Yes, the dinner did look lovely, that’s why we booked the reservation. Unfortunately, the poor service got in the way of being served the dinner.
This is simply poor service.
Tasting dinners require careful timing so that enough of each course comes out efficiently. You should have realized that being late to a carefully timed meal was not the best idea and throwing a tantrum when you weren’t allowed to disrupt it is just ludicrous.
Also, how is it that everyone else but you managed to show up on time if it was so misposted?
So to be fair I just looked up their menu on the website and the pdf has 8:00 pm all over that thing…still. I’m just sayin.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
/Damn you control-c, control-v!
//I could never stay mad at you…you’s how i write good
///cuddles with keyboard
@120 Yeah I looked too. It does say 8:00pm.
@120, 122: And 8pm is when the first course came out. Too bad Devon wasn’t there in time for that.
You’re feisty.
Went to Si last week and had a very nice dinner. It was a great improvement over 2 previous visits. Hope that is a sign of things on the upswing.
Oh, ok, for some reason I thought her point was that it was at 7:30 or something. Nevermind.
/The most indispensable qualification of a cook is punctuality. The same must be said of guests.
- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
/Damn you control-c, control-v!
//I could never stay mad at you…you’s how i write good
///cuddles with keyboard
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Possibly both.
˙ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ǝʇıɹʍ ʇsɐǝl ʇɐ ɹo `ǝɔuo uıɐldɯoɔ os ˙ǝɯ sʎouuɐ ƃuıɯɯɐds oslɐ ʇnq
@124: That’s a nice way of putting it.
@126: At 7:30 they started passing the first course wine out- a Cava and people were mingling around the bar. We started to sit at quarter till and the first course came out around 8. The dinner started at 8 just like it was advertised.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
But also spamming annoys me. So complain once, or at least write something different.
does this site banninate certain tags?
I suppose it does. My apologies. I will shut up now.
the marquee tag is awesome, why for is it banninated?
@117 “I don’t believe they (or any other restaurant) has a “we don’t seat if you 10 minutes late” policy.”
THEY DID SEAT YOU. they moved the wine rep to seat you at the 2-top near the chandelier. presumably, you bitched. then you left.
/left favorite spin class early. was on time.
punctuality. it’s not difficult.
So Devon, you showed up later than everyone else, were seated, then bitched when you weren’t allowed to disrupt the flow of service. That’s such a tragedy. Your attempts to soil Si’s reputation just make you look like a jerk.
At what rate do they put out each course?
I don’t remember cuz I was drunk on delicious Spanish wine but I know it was pretty efficient and well timed. But that’s probably cuz Devon wasn’t there demanding to be served out of course.
@137 slowly, but not painfully slowly like at l’etoile.
@ 137 Actually, it is more complex than the german train system. Fortunately its all spelled out on their menu.
/subtle?
I think Devon is amazing and has every reason to be fucking livid. It isn’t every day that the center of the universe comes to a Cville eatery. They should have thrown all the other proles out to make way for D and her entourage of orbiting planets.
@140 LOL
Hahahahahaha.
Thank you for making our first wine dinner at Si a success! Please stay tuned for next months…. same deal, same price, same times. XO