Bar Bodega For Great Tapas

In September our lunch bunch went back to Little Italy.  There are so many good restaurants, and new ones popping up all the time.  We enjoyed a feast at Bar Bodega, on Kettner.  It's a new dining spot, great for lunch, happy hour, or a light dinner.  Drinks are plentiful.  We had a pitcher of red Sangria, made with Spanish wine.  Delicious and not too sweet.  We had a number of tapas, maybe six or seven, which we shared, plus, since it was Tuesday taco day and tacos were half price, we all had a taco.  I had the lamb taco with cilantro and avocado on a corn tortilla, which was excellent, others had the shrimp taco, which looked good, but I'm allergic to shrimp, so I just took their word that it was good.

We enjoyed deviled eggs, roasted and fried potatoes, white anchovies, stuffed dates, caesar salad, beet salad, and brussels sprouts.  Everything was delicious, but the potatoes, served with  slightly spicy red sauce, the caesar salad, stuffed dates and the brussels sprouts, stood out.  The brussels sprouts were loaded with cheese and panchetta.  We couldn't stop eating them, and had to order a second bowl.  The dates were out of this world.  Stuffed with a mild blue cheese and wrapped in a thin layer of serrano ham, I could have eaten them all.

Bar Bodega is best for a light snack or grazing meal.  There are no real entrees.  It's a great place to stop in at the end of a shopping day in Little Italy.  The tables are not too comfortable.  That's my only negative comment.  High top tables or bar stools, and just a few low tables with hard chairs.

FYI, a friend of mine told me a bit about the history of tapas.  During the time of the Inquisition, tapas were popular, and pork tapas were often served.  Seeing who ate the pork tapas was one way Spaniards identified Jews.  Of course Jews did not eat pork.  Pork is still popular in tapas dishes, but thankfully they are no longer using them to identify Jews.