While Jose Garces has made high-class tapas a Philly food staple with Amada, he reinterprets the small plate at Tinto. The ordering format — a number of small dishes to be shared — is the same, but this Basque-influenced restaurant proves that for delicate palates and wine connoisseurs, pintxos are the new tapas.
Upon arriving at Tinto, patrons are greeted with rustic-turned-classy decor and mood lighting, making the feel of the restaurant akin to entering a small, underground bar in the Basque country. The walls are lined with wooden, wine rack-like grids and the high-top tables made of thick, reclaimed wood.
As with tapas, the pintxos menu is designed for each patron to order three to five of the smaller-portioned dishes. We began with the mixed cheese plate ($15) which included two French cheeses and one Spanish cheese. The cheeses, along with a pitcher of red sangria ($8 for a glass, $30 for a pitcher) provided an ideal beginning to the meal. The pairing options served on the plate provided sweet flavors to accompany the slightly tangy, high quality cheeses, and the sangria showcased Tinto’s namesake, red wine.
Our first pintxo was the tuna tartare bocadillo ($10), a “sandwich” of refreshing big eye tuna, pickled guindilla and cilantro served on a croissant topped with a pepper mayo. The ingredients were of the highest quality, and the bocadillo format provided a beautiful and simple way of managing the fresh fish, tangy spread, and flaky croissant all in one bite. The next dish was the brocheta of lamb loin ($14), skewered with eggplant and wrapped in bacon, wittily served in a double shot glass of sweet onion cream. While we thoroughly enjoyed the presentation of this dish, the salty bacon and lamb proved a bit too heavy for one bite. Conversely, the duck canapé ($10), our final pintxo, was a delectable pork-wrapped bite — this Spanish and French finger food consisted of tender duck confit wrapped in savory serrano ham, served with a black cherry, a tangy surprise of sweetness on a base of bread and la peral spread.
We then ventured into the bottom portion of the menu, the dishes in this section described as “more substantial.” We selected the lobster ($16), deliciously fresh and accompanied by a subtle and interesting vanilla-grapefruit nage and smoky Spanish “migas” (croutons). We also opted for the Merluza en Salsa Verde ($14), or sea bass, served with cockles. The clams were slightly fishy, but the bass was cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection, and the sauce brought out the natural flavor of the bass.
While the menu is a bit meat-heavy, the vegetable selection did not disappoint. We chose the baby artichokes ($12) served in a Meyer lemon sauce over fresh pappardelle.
Our final selection from the main menu was a traditional beef tenderloin ($16), which was cooked to a perfect pink medium rare and was served with Catalan spinach topped with raisins, apples, and pine nuts, as well as a tasty cabrales crisp. While the staff recommends a number of dishes per person, we found that the average diner could easily be satisfied with one pinxto and one of these larger dishes.
Our meal concluded with a dessert (all $8) of Crema Catalana, a Basque take on crème brulee served atop a cinnamon shortbread with poached figs and fig sorbet. While desserts can sometimes seem like an afterthought, this was playful and tasty, a strong ending to a unique and fully satisfying dining experience.
Tinto
114 S 20th St
(215) 665-9150
Dont Miss: The tuna tartare bocadillo Skip: The lamb brocheta
