Si Tapas Opens Tonight

Posted by Scowly on October 2nd, 2008 105 Comments

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.

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105 Responses to “Si Tapas Opens Tonight”

  1. 02 Oct 2008 at 1:33 pm1cb said:

    2 part question: Does anyone know if they take reservations? if so, anyone have their #?

  2. 02 Oct 2008 at 1:46 pm2duckduckgoose said:

    tonight @5 pm

  3. 02 Oct 2008 at 1:57 pm3Pink Panther said:

    They’ve got the chef and bartender from X Lounge, and the bartender from Kiki.

  4. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:04 pm4echo said:

    I heard they opened last night.

  5. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:08 pm5Tuffy McFucklebee said:

    I heard they got the chef from The Box, thus further delaying their opening, and further beating this horse.

  6. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:09 pm6oh hi said:

    i heard they didn’t get their liquor license yet.

  7. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:10 pm7Stanley said:

    6: They got that straightened out.

  8. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:11 pm8parlie said:

    the box isn’t even open yet, you guys.

  9. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:13 pm9oh hi said:

    so does that mean the $5 3 band ish they were supposed to host tonight is still on?

  10. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:14 pm10Tuffy McFucklebee said:

    nice, parlie.

    Seriously. I heard they had a music venue upstairs. Anyone have a scoop on that?

  11. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:18 pm11Stanley said:

    so does that mean the $5 3 band ish they were supposed to host tonight is still on?

    It is definitely still on.

  12. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:21 pm12oh hi said:

    holler… not that it matters to me greatly but any word on who the bands are?

  13. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:24 pm13Stanley said:

    @12: There are some details on the Muse here. $5/$3 with a student ID; doors at 9:30.

  14. 02 Oct 2008 at 2:57 pm14duckduckgoose said:

    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.

  15. 02 Oct 2008 at 3:07 pm15TheUpstart said:

    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.

  16. 02 Oct 2008 at 3:20 pm16orchid said:

    @15 there have been multiple articles in both the weeklies.

  17. 02 Oct 2008 at 4:32 pm17sdigga said:

    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) :)

  18. 02 Oct 2008 at 4:38 pm18orchid said:

    saturday is bird lips & trees on fire, according to the weekly.

  19. 02 Oct 2008 at 4:40 pm19sdigga said:

    ..could be wrong on Sat. night’s band, anyone know for sure?

  20. 02 Oct 2008 at 4:56 pm20Pink Panther said:

    So it’s called Is, does that mean it’s music for dyslexic people? Will it be played backwards all satanic-like? T

  21. 02 Oct 2008 at 11:52 pm21backup planet said:

    ok, commentin’ all wrongsy, see ya’ll tomorrow night …

  22. 03 Oct 2008 at 4:26 am22orchid said:

    nice space, decent calimari, cute waitstaff-but why are the kitchen lights so bright??

  23. 03 Oct 2008 at 11:53 am23squidtank said:

    See my review of the venue upstairs in CvilleMuse for the scoop…
    http://cvillemuse.com/2008/10/03/thoughts-on-is/

  24. 03 Oct 2008 at 1:29 pm24c-lyn said:

    Kings of Belmont website confirms; Saturday Oct. 4 @ IS

  25. 03 Oct 2008 at 1:32 pm25c-lyn said:

    @ 22: Health code. We don’t want anybody chopping off a finger in the kitchen, now do we?

  26. 04 Oct 2008 at 10:29 am26eduardo said:

    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.

  27. 04 Oct 2008 at 11:34 am27orchid said:

    @26 that would be AWESOME.

  28. 04 Oct 2008 at 1:22 pm28duckduckgoose said:

    skip wild wings - add blue moon.

  29. 05 Oct 2008 at 2:12 pm29dharmaguy said:

    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.

  30. 06 Oct 2008 at 7:53 am30let down said:

    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.

  31. 06 Oct 2008 at 11:02 am31Chris said:

    @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.

  32. 06 Oct 2008 at 1:27 pm32Pink Panther said:

    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.

  33. 06 Oct 2008 at 2:19 pm33Tuffy McFucklebee said:

    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.

  34. 06 Oct 2008 at 2:43 pm34434, baby! said:

    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.

  35. 06 Oct 2008 at 6:53 pm35duckduckgoose said:

    @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.

  36. 07 Oct 2008 at 7:00 pm36still hungry and broke said:

    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

  37. 08 Oct 2008 at 10:44 am37434, baby! said:

    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?

  38. 08 Oct 2008 at 1:28 pm38duckduckgoose said:

    didn’t know how to open a wine bottle

    she should have found the nearest tree.

  39. 08 Oct 2008 at 1:52 pm39turkeyjerky said:

    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.

  40. 08 Oct 2008 at 2:01 pm40434, baby! said:

    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.

  41. 08 Oct 2008 at 2:08 pm41Pink Panther said:

    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.

  42. 08 Oct 2008 at 2:16 pm42434, baby! said:

    yup, next door to Al Dente!

  43. 08 Oct 2008 at 2:18 pm43Pink Panther said:

    It’s supposed to be really authentic with hookahs and rugs and shit.

  44. 08 Oct 2008 at 7:56 pm44backup planet said:

    hookah rug and shit? better than shittin a hook and rug

  45. 08 Oct 2008 at 11:14 pm45orchid said:

    the space is lovely; all the furnishings came over from morocco just weeks ago.

  46. 09 Oct 2008 at 8:00 am46just say grrrrrrr said:

    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.

  47. 09 Oct 2008 at 9:25 am47Pink Panther said:

    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.

  48. 09 Oct 2008 at 9:40 am48434, baby! said:

    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

  49. 09 Oct 2008 at 10:02 am49Pink Panther said:

    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?

  50. 09 Oct 2008 at 1:07 pm50orchid said:

    i was trying to get karim to do a boheme-type thing, emphasis on the specials for villains.

  51. 09 Oct 2008 at 1:16 pm51Pink Panther said:

    If anyone could seduce him, it would be you. He is a sexy dude. Does he have a harem? I wanna be in it.

  52. 09 Oct 2008 at 1:27 pm52orchid said:

    thanks, but i don’t seduce.

  53. 09 Oct 2008 at 1:34 pm53Pink Panther said:

    You give BJs instead?

  54. 09 Oct 2008 at 1:36 pm54orchid said:

    nope

  55. 09 Oct 2008 at 1:58 pm55black marquette said:

    @ 51 While I am sure he could ‘make your carpet fly’, so to speak, he is married if I am not mistaken.

  56. 09 Oct 2008 at 2:22 pm56echo said:

    @55: Married? Something tells me that wouldn’t stop her.

  57. 09 Oct 2008 at 2:47 pm57Pink Panther said:

    Stop who? Orchid or myself? Which one of these ladies iz you calling a homewrecker?

  58. 09 Oct 2008 at 2:55 pm58echo said:

    orchid, duh. You’re classy (I have no proof of that).

  59. 09 Oct 2008 at 3:19 pm59orchid said:

    oh, please. it only wrecks homes if the wife knows about it.

  60. 09 Oct 2008 at 3:21 pm6026 world said:

    @59 And even then, sometimes it makes the home a little neater, rather than wrecking it.

  61. 09 Oct 2008 at 3:27 pm61Pink Panther said:

    You must explain that one to me, Two-Six.

  62. 09 Oct 2008 at 3:36 pm6226 world said:

    Oh, you know, cleaning house and all. Sending one packing.

  63. 09 Oct 2008 at 3:36 pm63otterdung said:

    @60
    one does the dishes while the other one vaccuums?

    /i’m a bachelor, this stuff is Greek to me.

  64. 09 Oct 2008 at 4:00 pm64Pink Panther said:

    @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?

  65. 09 Oct 2008 at 4:03 pm65orchid said:

    i tried a couple reds by the glass & didn’t like either. & i’m not terribly picky.

  66. 09 Oct 2008 at 4:27 pm66Tinkertoy said:

    @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.

  67. 09 Oct 2008 at 4:57 pm67Pink Panther said:

    So it is possible. Alright alright. We going to the Hamraa. Is that Moroccan for Box?

  68. 09 Oct 2008 at 5:33 pm68juicyfruit said:

    I’m going to Si in a bit. I’ll let you all know what it’s like.

  69. 10 Oct 2008 at 11:14 am69juicyfruit said:

    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!

  70. 10 Oct 2008 at 12:42 pm70shenanigans said:

    I heart Eric. He’s dreamy. Y’all should go to Si just to be waited on by him.

  71. 10 Oct 2008 at 1:50 pm71oh hi said:

    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.

  72. 10 Oct 2008 at 1:54 pm72Stanley said:

    pepsi and wine

    That’s called a jote in some countries! And it’s gross.

  73. 10 Oct 2008 at 1:56 pm73434, baby! said:

    or “tinto de verano”

  74. 10 Oct 2008 at 2:22 pm74duckduckgoose said:

    He finagled us some sangria even though they were out of it or something

    I thought sangria was outlawed in these here parts.

  75. 10 Oct 2008 at 2:58 pm75df said:

    sangria became legal again July 1. Not a law I minded breaking when it was in effect.

  76. 10 Oct 2008 at 3:00 pm76Stanley said:

    “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.

  77. 10 Oct 2008 at 3:04 pm77shenanigans said:

    Stanley loves wine spritzers, they’re fabuloousss!

  78. 10 Oct 2008 at 3:51 pm78Stanley said:

    #77: Of course I do. They’re great, say, at lunchtime during the summer (hence the name).

  79. 10 Oct 2008 at 11:54 pm79Lulu Fishpaw said:

    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.

  80. 11 Oct 2008 at 1:04 am80backup planet said:

    jeez, no comments in an hour, didja pass out?

  81. 11 Oct 2008 at 1:05 am81backup planet said:

    fine, i got driving duty again in the early morning hours, peace out, folks

  82. 11 Oct 2008 at 1:39 am82orchid said:

    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?

  83. 11 Oct 2008 at 3:05 am83duckduckgoose said:

    @75, that was the shortest ban ever.

  84. 11 Oct 2008 at 6:42 pm84backup planet said:

    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.

  85. 11 Oct 2008 at 9:52 pm85df said:

    @83 sangria(or fortified wine) was illegal in Virginia since prohibition

  86. 11 Oct 2008 at 10:37 pm86backup planet said:

    really??? - am feeling the buzz cause I’m so the criminal since prohibition

    /only the best for my latino friendz

  87. 12 Oct 2008 at 3:42 pm87duckduckgoose said:

    @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.

  88. 12 Oct 2008 at 3:43 pm88duckduckgoose said:

    But now I’m wondering if it’s just a ban on pre-mixing if you’re selling it by the pitcher.

  89. 12 Oct 2008 at 5:13 pm89oh hi said:

    @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.

  90. 12 Oct 2008 at 8:35 pm90duckduckgoose said:

    @89, then that rules out @88. Looks like they just don’t want any beverage to be mixed before it’s ordered.

  91. 12 Oct 2008 at 10:41 pm91backup planet said:

    why, cause the waitstaff will suck it all down before the happy hour crowd moves on??? friggin fascists

  92. 12 Oct 2008 at 10:43 pm92backup planet said:

    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

  93. 17 Oct 2008 at 2:49 pm93shenanigans said:

    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.

  94. 17 Oct 2008 at 2:50 pm94shenanigans said:

    bartenders’

  95. 17 Oct 2008 at 2:53 pm95uva non-douche said:

    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.

  96. 17 Oct 2008 at 2:55 pm96shenanigans said:

    Hopefully. Calvin is the best bartender in town.

  97. 21 Oct 2008 at 5:37 pm97ditto said:

    Where’s Eric? Haven’t seen him recently at si …..he’s our fave~

  98. 21 Oct 2008 at 5:44 pm98echo said:

    Calvin is the best bartender in town.

    Who is this Calvin? I don’t think I agree with you.

  99. 21 Oct 2008 at 6:03 pm99orchid said:

    @97 ditto.

  100. 21 Oct 2008 at 6:37 pm100uva non-douche said:

    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

  101. 21 Oct 2008 at 7:07 pm101echo said:

    @100: Also, I only order drinks form either you or shen.

  102. 10 Nov 2008 at 9:47 am102shenanigans said:

    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..

  103. 10 Nov 2008 at 10:11 am103dieter said:

    What is happening @ Si? Is the new owners, lack of business, what’s the scoop?

  104. 10 Nov 2008 at 10:22 am104shenanigans said:

    I think they overhired and aren’t getting a lot of bar business. They also haven’t done much with the upstairs.

  105. 10 Nov 2008 at 11:01 am105cVillain » Blog Archive » A Review of Charlottesville’s Si Tapas Restaurant said:

    […] comments like “We (X-Lounge) finally got our bartender Calvin back from Si” and “So Si has cut […]

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