[mixergirl]

Anyone know anything about Cafe Tapeo? I walked by a couple days ago and it looks nice and I am a big fan of tapas. I am interested to know if anyone has tried it yet or even checked out the menu.
_________________
Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.

[Flexichick]

I love tapas, but didn't notice this place yet. Did it replace something? It's hard to keep up with the turnover
_________________
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[Bergenites]

I think it just opened last Friday. We tried it on Saturday and it is *very* good. The portions are a bit small for the prices, but all of the food was excellent and they have a great wine and especially beer list. Yet another great addition to the neighborhood!

[mixergirl]

Ok, I am now going to answer my own question. Went to Cafe Tapeo last night and probably won't go back. The service was horrible, the food was almost inedible. It was definitely not authentic Spanish tapas. Not to mention that after the meal, we wanted to go out and get a slice of pizza, the portions were sooooooo small. At the end of the meal, the waiter gave us our bill and right as we were about to pay it, another waiter came, snatched it out of our hands saying they forgot to add a couple glasses of wine. Come on dude. At that point you can just comp us a couple instead of ripping the bill out of our hands.

The owner was there and he was super nice and seemed really concerned about what people thought of the place. Hopefully as they are open a little bit longer they will start to work out the kinks. I will say this, the olives, bread and cheese were very good. I would maybe sit at the bar and eat that before having dinner at Alchemy.
_________________
Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.

[Bergenites]

I'm surprised you had such bad service... we had really excellent, attentive service on Saturday. And the food was inedible?? I thought it was excellent - not authentic Spanish tapas, but I don't think they ever claimed to be. They are eclectic but very good. The portions were small, but we ordered 4 or 5 things for 2 of us, and were pleasantly satiated. I hope the nice owner will talk to the waiter who rudely added on the wine.

[quiddity]

We went on opening night. They were a little disorganized but the food and service was good. Service was MUCH better than the service we had a few days later at the Osterium place. Those guys can take their "European" serving ways and stick 'em. The food there does not rate the half-assed service.

OH, back to Tapeo. I didn't mind the serving sizes. They are tapas. They are supposed to be small. Our dishes were all tasty except for one chicken dish wrapped in lettuce. That was weird. But the Devilish Eggs were yummy. The pierogi were delicious. My husband loved the chorizo whatever he had. We were happy. (It is on the pricey side but it's not like we'll go there every night.)

[780425abm]

Hi,

I would like to introduce myself as the owner of Cafe Tapeo. As already mentioned
we did indeed just open . I am also the owner of Black Sheep Pub on Bergen St. I mention
this because when we opened the sheep we based our choices for beer, decor, wines, loading our jukebox all from neighbors, surveys on craigslist and then modified it as we went along.

As for Tapeo we intend to follow the same tactic. I therefore make it my business to
Scour reviews from yelp to citysearch and all local message boards.

I have found there to be very opposite opinions, either disappointment on service
or portion size or people r blown away. I feel it is necessary to offer my defense on the negatives at this point.

To begin with we opened our first week without the POS system (destroyed by the flooding and storm) just the week before. Out of money and completely exhausted we decided to open regardless and give our best.

Without this luxury it left us slightly disorganized and upset our training. As a side note, why is everybody on vacation over the previous and following two weeks – our scheduling nightmare!!

As for portion size, we do not want to increase size as this moves away from the concept
of tapas. Originally it began as a piece of bread topping a drink to prevent flies
using it as a landing strip. And so it progressed.

We consider Cafe Tapeo to be somewhere between a bar and a restaurant. We don’t turn
tables over in the typical 45 minutes in fact the average have been over two hours.

The idea is to come spend an evening with us and eat and drink over time. The time spent relaxing and enjoying our beer, wine and food as you please makes for an evening out by itself.

As for food prices we will be looking into food costs and reevaluating everything once again.
But in our defense the food reviews have been truly wonderful. Our costs range from $4 to $15 most settling around $7. We only purchase Grade A seafood’s and meats and buy local and organic as much as we can. A common shock is our $12 empanadas, to explain, they contain Fois Gras product that costs $28 dollars a pound. Either way we still reevaluate and probably make some adjustments.

Please if anybody was disappointed, come again once the training wheels are off and let us treat you a little.

Thanks for listening and thank you for your comments both positive and negative.

Tony

[shishkab]

Tony,

Thanks for stopping by and introducing yourself. I for one always appreciate it when an owner reaches out to the neighborhood and says "hi". Best of luck to you with Tapeo!
_________________
Get your paws off my canned chicken

[Flexichick]

Hey Tony -

Good for you for responding!

I'm a big fan of tapas, but usually try to hold off on a new place for a few weeks until they iron some kinks out.

Much luck with your new place!
_________________
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[Mamacita]

Hi Tony!
I love Black Sheep, it was the first bar that I went to when I moved here and the bartender there made me feel at home, she even made fun of me for always having a target bag when I came in (everyone needs a drink after braving Target). Good luck on the new place. I know you guys worked really hard to pull this off and I support you.

[Drea]

Tony, are you seriously serving Foie Gras? I hate to be a stinker, but are you aware of the cruelty involved in that food? Are you aware that Chicago banned the use of that stuff? Why would you use that?

[giraffehead]

I went on Friday night. First off, service was excellent: super-nice waiters, told us to order some stuff, sit as long as we liked, order more, whatever. Definitely liked the vibe and friendliness of the place. Good beer. Food was a bit hit-or-miss, though. I agree with some people about the very-small portions/not-so-small prices of some things, particularly the items over $10. If you order enough of those to feel full you're really getting into a pretty-expensive-meal zone. I guess you have to try to fill up a bit on the cheaper things, but that's no fun. (By the way, I'm a small woman, not some giant-appetited lumberjack-type.) Case-in-point: delicious (if a little mild) baby back ribs, falling off the bone, but $12 for 2 tiny ones? I don't know. As for the owner explaining the expensive empanades: dude, why not lose the foie gras a knock off a couple bucks? Who needs that in empanadas? My favorite thing was the breaded mushrooms, by the way. Yummy, and kind of intense so you don't really need a bigger portion. One disappointment: the cheese plate. Not enough bread, and the cheeses didn't overly impress. But overall i did really enjoy the relaxing experience of the place.. the music, the service, the super-nice chef came out and introduced himself to everyone, asked how we were finding things (we lied up a bit, i admit). I can understand why someone said they needed a slice of pizza after though... I considered it but then just had some cheap beer at Mooney's instead.

[Flexichick]

I have to agree about the foie gras - cruel and there are many ways to make a great empenada using other ingredients.

I do love me some cheese - too bad Giraffehead wasn't impressed. Was it the selection, quality or quantity?
_________________
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[alafairnadia]

hrm. I'm thinking about going to this place tomorrow but is it possible to get a reasonably filling meal in 1 hour for less than $1 million? for the record, I love black sheep, love tapas, and can't really have a true problem with foie gras considering I ate (a lousy) veal stew this weekend.
_________________
like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote

[boerumhillguy]

What's up with the foie gras comments? Foie gras is one of the most heavenly culinary delights in the world. Thank you Tony for bringing such top-notch gourmet ingredients to 5th Ave.

Are those concerned with foie gras also refusing to eat anything but free range poultry and beef products? Chickens that are kept in a holding pen that barely allows them to turn around or cows that are give unnatural supplements to make them burst with milk live far more tortured lives than a goose that roams free and is force fed on occasion.

I've been to a farm with force fed geese, and trust me, they do not live horrible lives by any stretch of the imagination.

So for the people who don't want foie gras, there's a very simple solution -- don't order it.

[Flexichick]

Boerumhillguy - I do choose not to eat it, and I am well aware that much of the food I eat comes from animals that were not raised in good conditions.

I just find it odd to have foie gras in an empanada in a tapas restaurant.....high-end French place where the clientele are probably expecting it....well, ok...still not my thing, but makes more sense.

Since Tony says they are not intending to be a full-on restaurant (something between a bar and a restaurant), it seems like an odd choice.
_________________
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[boerumhillguy]

Flexichick, thanks for the response. It is a little strange to have foie gras in empanada form, but heck I'll try almost anything once. I had the foie gras and scallap dish at Tapeo and it was quite an interesting flavor combination. But you're totally right that it's a little different and may not be for everyone.

[steve]

Hey Tony.

Always liked Black Sheep and I'm sure your new place will go over well. I for one look forward to trying the fois gras emps as soon as I get a chance to head over.

S
_________________
For The Love Of Paris, Don't Go To The Lounge!

[OpossumQueen]

The fella and I tried this one last night and were pleased.

Service:
Our server was happy to find out about and item if he didn't know the details (I ask strange questions sometimes). He did forget one thing we ordered at the end but we were actually glad it didn't come and forgot about it ourselves. That said, our server and the other person bringing some of the food and drinks around were both incredibly nice and attentive--much more so than anywhere I've eaten in the area. Our guy checked on us just enough and was helpful.

Food:
The drink selection was small, but we were both happy with the choices. The food was different and excellent. We had:

chipotle chicken with mango salsa--great, but needed more mango to
keep the flavor of each bite balanced.

begger's purses--the meat, veggie, and fruit ones were all small but the flavors and quality made up for that. I especially loved the veggie purse--I could eat those all day.

The atmosphere was nice and relaxed and we'll definitely take friends there for a lazy evening (but not our big eater friends).

[Drea]

Actually, I'm a vegan, and I choose not to partake in any animal products whatsoever. And I don't agree with foie gras *at all* in that it is an exceptionally cruel way to make food out of something. And I will make a point to not go to this place, due to the fact he wants to serve foie gras.

[veets]

[Bergenites]

Well, i have no comment on the above comments. To each their own.

Cafe Tapeo got a mention in the Times today (my mother who lives on the other side of the country pointed it out to me). Hope it helps them out - I for one am very happy to have another nice place to eat in the neighborhood!

[sprite]

Tony, thanks for taking the time to tell us a bit about your place. I wish you the best of luck and hope to stop by sometime soon.
_________________
What is essential is invisible to the eye. —Antoine de Saint Exupéry

[The Chipster]

I agree. Kudos Tony, for having the integrity to answer as yourself on this board. That alone makes me want to go. Best of Luck!!
_________________
Ask a burning question, get a burning answer.

[The Chipster]

I agree. Kudos Tony, for having the integrity to answer as yourself on this board. That alone makes me want to go. Best of Luck!!
_________________
Ask a burning question, get a burning answer.

[boerumhillguy]

Everyone is free to choose not to eat foie gras. My only problem is when others try to tell me not to eat it. Again, the force feeding of geese is far more humane than the the treatment almost any chicken one can pick up a the local market receives. It's the hypocrisy of the foie gras critics that annoys me. I for one am psyched Tony is serving such fine products in our neighborhood.

[Drea]

In a perfect world, I'd eat only at vegetarian spots, but if I did that, I'd be terribly limited, and I doubt many people would want to go eat with me, lol!

Also, to clarify, I didn't tell you not to eat there. Nor did I tell you that you shouldn't eat something. That is your choice. I stated my position. And for you to call me a hypocrit when you don't know my stance on the other issues either is nonsensical. Unless, of course, you weren't referring to me-but I think that you were.

And no, I wouldn't frequent any place that served foie gras. That, again, is my choice, not yours.

[Bergenites]

It doesn't sound like boerumhillguy was referring to you specifically, Drea, but to everyone in general who criticises a practice such as the production foie gras but is perfectly happy to scarf down other foods that likely came to their dinner plate via equal or worse production methods.

For this reason, I personally would never shun a restaurant for "ethical" reasons regarding the production of their food. I'd rather just enjoy a good meal and try not to worry too much about where it came from. If I did that, I would eat at home every meal, eating only what food I managed to grow on my balcony, along with the milk and eggs from the cow and chickens I keep in the second bedroom... (Other reasons, including poor treatment of workers, as is overly prevalent in this city, sadly, will make me stay far away from restaurants and stores. As will roaches in my food...)

As I said before, to each his own.

[Drea]

Exactly, to each his own. And that is also why I do shun all animal products, because to consume them-now *that* would be hypocrital, yes?

One day, I'd love to have a garden and grow my own vegetables. Get a soymilk maker, make my own soymilk, the whole deal. Since the only space I have to do any sort of growing is out of my roommate's window on the fire escape-and for some odd reason, he just won't let me grow things out there in pots, LOL!!!!! One day, but for now, I get into fairway, 3 guys from brooklyn, farmer's markets, etc. I'd never eat eggs or milk or anything again, though. It's just been too long. About 11 years.

[GiGi]

I finally had an opportunity to try Cafe Tapeo last night and I loved it from start to finish! I'm a huge fan of tapas and thought that these were among the best I've had. The thoughtfulness of the ingredients, the sauces that accompany each small dish, and presentation were wonderful. They are "new" tapas so those who like the more old world style may not appreciate it as much (although there are some old world reinterpretations) so please don't criticize so heavily here on the board if you are looking for something else. I thought the chef who came out to greet was gracious (and absolutely adorable). I look forward to churros and chocolate very soon. I wish this place all the best and will eat here weekly. It's now my favorite place in the neighborhood. Here are my recommendations if you haven't been yet:

perogis with potato
perogis with cheese (this version was almost like a dessert and a good end choice)
shrimp wrapped in bacon
crab croquettes
polenta with chorizo

Tony, a great addition to the neighborhood and thanks to your lovely staff.

[newtoyou]

I went last night. Very nice atmosphere and the open window gave a great breeze. We ordered 5 different vegetarian tapas. All very tasty but super tiny portions. Yes, I know it's tapas and have eaten tapas many times. But the 2 perogies were so teeny, about the size of my thumb and the 2 empanadas were even teenier. There were 3 of us so splitting these mini treats were tricky. There were 3 of the beggers' purses so at least we all got a full mouth full. The humus was awesome, but could have had more bread and I can't remember the last thing we got. Often when I've had tapas (even at "non-authentic" non Spanish style places) you get a big bread basket and some dipping oil. That takes the hunger edge off. So overall the food is great, but the portions were generally smaller than expected. Will probably go back at a later date but eat a snack beforehand.

[780425abm]

Hi,

I just want to let everybody know we are still monitoring and listening to what the neighborhood has to say and keeping a close eye items we have to tweak. I ask you to understand once again our aim is not to feed you until you are full. The food is to complement the beer and wine and we do not rush you to seat another party. In fact you can sit there all night and just enjoy the atmosphere and drinks.

As for the bread mentioned in the previous post, our servers would have been happy to provide you with more but once again we will not just drop it on the table as our aim is not to feed you until you explode. (This leaves a mess for us to clean up )

For those looking for a bit more value we plan to start a 2 hour daily happy hour special. This will include a 1/2 bottle of wine with hummas & bread plate and any 2 tapas of your choice for $25 between 5 and 7pm.

Thanks for the input!
Tony
Cafe Tapeo

[Bergenites]

Tony, I think your happy hour sounds like a great idea!

I was wondering if you might also consider allowing guests to pick 2,3,4, + tapas for a set price. Maybe that could be done with the majority of the ones that are under $10, say, and the "special" ones (i.e. more expensive because they include expensive ingredients) would not be a part of it.

Maybe 2 tapas for $10, 3 for $14, 4 for $18... or something like that. It could work well for things like olives, bread and hummos, cheese, pierogies, ribs etc.

But I do like the happy hour idea! Maybe if I get off work early someday I'll be able to partake! Cheers!

[alafairnadia]

so I ate in this place last night and I have to say that for the prices paid I was Not Impressed. I was with a pretty large party and we all tried various things across the menu. there was a godawful lavender cheese on the cheese platter that tasted like soap. the braised ribs tasted like rosemary (as in, drenched). my croque monsieur was the same price as the one at le gamin but not nearly as good (and the one at le gamin isn't really anything to write home about). there were some combative oils on the plates, and the deviled eggs tasted mostly like chili oil.

yep, another restaurant in PS that I paid batali prices at and won't be coming back to. le sigh. I wish all of these restaurant owners would go eat a really great restaurant - tapas, italian, argentine, whatever - and then open their space. tony - you need to go to bar jamon and check out the portion sizes, the wine list, and the extremely limited, restrained menu. you'll be happy you did, and you'll get your chef to lay off the wacky oils and spices and extraneous ingredients.
_________________
like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote

[ilovecarbs]

I went there earlier this week and I have to say I was very disappointed. I know tapas means small plates but the portions were ridiculously small for the prices. The food was so-so and the service was good, but I doubt I'd go back there. It just seems like such a watse because it's a cute space and such a wonderful date spot. Hopefully you guys work out the kinks.

[GiGi]

[alafairnadia]

[OpossumQueen]

I'm not well versed in tapas, but I thought the flavor combos I had there were fantastic. I'm known to be a picky eater but I can't wait to go back for more (though I would go back sooner if there were one more piece/slightly larger portions).

Maybe the flavors vary by night/cook. Some places (esp. new places) aren't always consistent...

[nitcomb]

[780425abm]

Hello Folks,

Just thought I would drop an update as we continue to monitor the forum.

It seems some concerns are still relating to portion size.

As I have explained in previous posts. It was never our intention
to offer you a meal to fill you up. It was more about taking you on a
journey with our beer, wine and food pairings.

We have however decided to offer an option to double up on
portion size on any tapas for an additional $3. We hope this satisfies
our hungrier customers and really provides the best of both worlds.

As a reminder we also offer a $25 happy hour special - 3 tapas (chefs choice)
and 2 glasses of wine.

As for the previous comment on our ribs not being to your liking
I decided to pull a report from our POS and check their sales.
I was happy
to see that it is the 5th best selling item over the past two months on
a menu of 32 different tapas. Numbers don't lie

Once again folks we are always listening thank you for all comments positive
and negative. We hope you will try us again as we continue to shape
our tapas bar to your liking.

Tony
Cafe Tapeo

[Carnivore]

Tony, as a moderator of this site, I want to thank you for your thoughtful responses to the comments and criticisms here. I especially appreciate how you haven't taken the criticism personally or reacted defensively, but instead have taken the negative comments as free market research. I haven't tried Tapeo yet, but despite some negative comments from several people here who I know and respect, I definitely plan to try your restaurant soon. A business owner who obviously cares a lot about what his/her customers think is going to get it right eventually, even if there are a few missteps early on.

[belzjm]

A Rave Review for Cafe Tapeo
52 5th Avenue, Park Slope; (718) 638-1066
"The food was fantastic! We're going back ASAP in case something changes. Here's what we had, all upsized for four people: Cheese plate - good selection, missing a bleu though; meat filled beggars purses - nice hearty flavors; brown ale braised baby backs - falling apart tender, could've used a little more seasoning but that's being really picky; carpaccio - was tasty, but I'm not a huge fan of carpaccio in general; scallops - crown jewel of the evening, both the fois and chorizo versions were brilliant; pierogies - we had the classics and they were very tasty (my friend who is full-on Polish agreed)." [Chowhound]

[spiredem]

SERVER:
Super nice and attentive young European guy.

PRICE/PORTIONS:
I am not someone who looks for a bargain meal every time I go out to eat so I had no problem with the portions or prices - I didn't go there for a three course meal. Beast calls it's menu a tapas menu but it's really more like regular portion sizes versus American portion sizes whereas this place actually serves what I would call tapas portions - perfect for pairing with wine and conversation, not for an empty stomache.

FOOD:
We had Truffle Chips, meatballs, crab fritters, and avo/crab salad. I thoroughly enjoyed each except for the salad but my bf liked it as well. I will definitely go back.

[brooklynisbetter]

My husband and I went to Tapas once so far, and LOVED it. Cool place to stop by after work, decor is great, food amazing. Yes, portions were small, but hey, it's Tapas. We got the $25 Happy Hour deal and paid $3 for double portions.

I must say, I am amazed to read Tony-the-owner's postings, and learn how the specials got their start - through this forum. Thank you Tony! Really, makes us want to come back even more - and sooner.

[raw]