Skewering A Glass Of Spanish Wine At Bar Pintxo

I was visiting a friend on the west side of LA recently and looking for a place to grab a bite and a glass when he mentioned Bar Pintxo as a “cool little spot that served Spanish Wine”. “Stop right there…” I interrupted him, “…you had me at hello”.If you’ve spent any time on the site, you know I’ve been on a Spanish kick for some time, so I was sold pretty quickly on checking out a wine bar that was dedicated to Spain. What I found was a pretty cool spot to eat as well. Pintxo means ‘’skewer’ in the Basque language of Northern Spain, but apparently in Santa Monica it means tasty small dishes and excellent Spanish wine.

The skewer, by the way, is quite prevalent in Bar Pintxo- lots of small plates and finger foods, many held together with a skewer (toothpick).

We sat down and were greeted with a plate of ‘Dates Wrapped in Bacon with Cabralas Cheese’ (are you kidding me?) They were delicious. Orders of ‘Chorizo and Fried Quail Eggs’, ‘ Tuna Stuffed Tomato, Garlic and Parsley’ and ‘ Grilled Shrimp, Piquillo Pepper, Tomato Conserve, Yogurt & Caviar’ followed soon thereafter. It seemed as though there were a million small plates; and we rocked them all. All the food was fresh, flavorful and well presented. And at $5-$8 each it was a sure bet the check would be easy to swallow. Oh, and did I mention the wine?

Dates wrapped in bacon

Let me start by saying that putting ‘by-the-glass’ and ‘Spanish’ in the same sentence doesn’t always produce positive results. Some trendy wine bars in any-town USA have taken advantage of the average patron who have heard ‘Spanish’ as the new wine buzzword but who don’t know what good Spanish wine tastes like. They serve really inexpensive, generic Tempranillo and in the end Spanish wine gets a bad rap (it would be like offering California wine-by-the-glass at a wine bar in Europe and pouring Two-Buck-Chuck (all due respect to the folks at Charles Shaw)). But I digress…

The friendly staff at Bar Pintxo should be commended on their patience; I asked for six different ‘tastes’ before I made my by-the-glass choice (what can I say, I’m thorough). In my defense, there are a lot of choices. The menu offered a plethora of whites, reds and Cavas from all over Spain: Montsant, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Bierzo, Toro, Rioja, Penedes, Rias-Baixas, Rueda… (I could go on). Highlights from those that I actually drank (and those that I ‘tasted’):

2005 Do Ferreiro-Albarino-from Rias Baixas- Strong citrus and minerals on the nose and on the palate; crisp and refreshing.

2000 Rotllan Torra-Reserva from Priorat – A big, bad red that nearly brought tears to my eyes. Dark fruit with a dusting of oak, a blend of Cabernet, Grenache and Carignan.

2003 Ostatu-Crianza from Rioja- Tasty! A basket o’ berries, with spice and mocha; a blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo,Grenache and Graciano.

2004 Joan d’Anguera Finca l’Argata from Montsant- I like blueberries and that’s what this bad boy tastes like, with notes of mineral and spice. Reportedly made from the oldest Syrah vines in Spain with a bit of Cabernet and Grenache for good measure.

With the average price of the glasses we had hovering around $10 (and many glasses on the menu in the $6-$8 range), the bill was much smaller than we expected.

All in all a great time was had by all. Bar Pintxo has small plates, good prices and a big selection of Spanish wines. If you find yourself on the west side of Los Angeles, swing by and have a glass. As I type this blog, I’m reading a note on their website touting a daily happy hour special from 4-6:00PM that involves 6 tapas for $6.00. “…you had me at hello…”