Friday night at a Tapas bar

I've been wanting to go to a tapas bar for ages, but just never managed to make it. But since resolution No. 2 is to try five new restaurants this year - and a new tapas bar opened in downtown Gilroy - it seemed like the perfect time to try it out.

Lizarran Tapas Selectas opened a few months ago in Gilroy's Old City Hall. It has a few things going for it - it is a really cool building and it seems like a perfect fit for the chic feel in the tapas restaurant. The restaurant is casual while being a little more upscale than most everything in town. Though it is a chain, only two locations exist in California - the rest are in Europe and Spain - so it still has a unique vibe about it. Plus the food was really good.

The menu has a lot of offerings, including a huge number of appetizers but there are also entrees on the menu for people who are looking for a full meal. My friend and I started out with the pinxtos, which are little mini appetizers that are displayed at the bar. They can be purchased individually for $1.75 each. It worked out well since my friend was able to have a salmon cream cheese roll since I don't eat fish and never order fish appetizers to share. There are an awful lot of fish options on the menu, but there were plenty of others things I was willing to try.

Instead of going with entrees, we chose to get a cheese and cured meat tray as well as a couple of the hot appetizers. We shared a plate of deep-fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce with aioli and some grilled asparagus. We ended up taking home at least half of the potatoes and the cheeses and meats. The restaurant seems like it would be a perfect place to go with a group for drinks and snacks. There is an extensive wine menu and a full bar. There is also an upstairs area in the City Hall building so it will be interesting to see how the staff make use of it.

The staff was also very attentive - and patient - with us as we took a long time to select what we wanted. The manager even stopped by to apologize when they didn't have the hard cider we ordered.

I hope the Lizarran fares better than the last few restaurants that made a go of it in the city hall building. I'll be sure to eat there again.

Serrano ham served with brie and olive tapanade.

Manchego cheese served with quince and mint.

Patatas brava de Madrid, or deep-fried potatoes served with a spicy tomato sauce and aoili.

Esperragas Verde a la plancha, or grilled asparagus with sea salt and olive oil.

Cured meat and cheese tray.

Pinxtos, such as these hard-boiled eggs served with tuna, are sold individual at the bar.

Photos by Melissa Flores