Companion(s): Mr. Dark, The Princess of Wands, The Captain
... And while the four of us could have probably tangoed just fine, since three of us were straight guys, that probably would not have worked out so well. In the words of Chrissie Hynde, don't get me wrong. I have no problem with two guys tangoing, if that's their thing, but in our case it would have been a recipe for awkward. Thankfully we were there for the food and drinks. The dancing that evening would instead be provided by a belly dancing trio, but more on that later.
If you have never been to Tango's it's really worth the trip just for the experience. The food is Tapas style (appetizer portions meant for sharing), and they also have a full liquor bar, with a great beer and wine selection as well. The establishment is part bar, part restaurant, part art gallery, and part performance space. Original art adorns the walls, all of which is for sale. There are numerous artists in residence there who sit and do their work while you eat. The next time you come visit, you just might see what they were working on hanging on the restaurant walls. Thankfully, the spray can artist was outside. :) In addition to the painters, etc. Tango's is also home to a number of performing artists. Who is performing on a given evening is subject to chance, and a rotating schedule. This particular evening featured the aforementioned trio of Belly Dancers, who while talented, were on too long, and their music was too loud. Frankly, so was the Cafe's background music, so I don't hold that against them. Maybe the manager has been to one too many Who concerts. The other featured entertainment for the evening included a fortune teller doing Palm and Tarot Card readings, and a strolling magician. While none of us got our fortunes told, we did invite the magician, who's name was Alex, over for a visit. We enjoyed his act, especially the card flourishes, but felt he took himself too seriously, and it hurt the entertainment value.
In addition to tables, there is a bar if you prefer (where you can order anything on the menu) and also some couches in the middle, for hanging out with friends. We opted for a couple of the couches and settled in for an evening of not so quiet conversation, good drinks, and tasty treats. I should mention that we were sitting under an air conditioning duct that had a tendency to drip, probably from the ice cold air blowing through it and the brutal Florida humidity. Still, that's no excuse for Chinese Water Torture.
I wasn't in a wine kind of mood that night, so I opted for a corona (I almost went for the Framboise, but $12 is a bit on the steep side, even for framboise, but such is life when you are on I-Drive). My companions however are all oenophiles, and were all too happy to delve in to the Cafe's ample wine list. The Princess of Wands seemed quite happy with her Rosemount Estates Shiraz, fro Australia, and spoke highly of it's tannic, long finish. She commented it went especially well with the Barcelona Seafood stir-fry, discussed below. Mr. Dark and The Captain opted for the Riscal Tempranillo, from Spain. Mr. Dark liked it's smokey notes but was unimpressed overall, while The Captain had a far more descriptive review... "A defensive tackle has nailed me with a sack full of tannins for the entry. As I'm recovering a dump truck full of tannins lands on me, and as I crawl out from under that pile, I experience a dry, somewhat thin finish. At least it's not floral". Well said, Captain.
As mentioned before Tango's menu is served Tapas style (That's tapas, not topless, for those of you with screen reader software). We started off with a Barcelona Stir-fry, which consisted of shrimp, chicken, Andouille Sausage, mushrooms, red peppers, and garlic over rice. Though the chicken was dry, the calamari was tender, the shrimp was tasty (someone commented that it would have been better grilled and added late in the preparation process) and the rice was failry well done. The dish reminded me a bit of Pallela, without the mollusks. Hence the Barcelona, I suppose. The Princess asked for extra peppers, but for some strange reason got extra mushrooms, which the server told us she ordered for us instead. Maybe on her off night she is one of the psychics, though not a good one. We might not be at Burger King, but we should still be able to get it our way, instead of the server's. She did however bring us an extra dish of red peppers, which we happily added to the dish and devoured. At least she was attentive. The evening was more about the company than the food, so we didn't order much, but we did decide to try one of the desserts at the end. After some discussion we agreed on the Trio of Tarts. When I first saw it on the menu, I wondered if it referred to the belly dancers. Instead what we received was three miniature pies, Guava, Key Lime, and Coconut Cream, which we quartered and shared around. The crusts were a little too thick and ordinary for my taste, and slightly overpowered the fillings. The coconut cream was by far the best of the three in everyone's opinion. The key lime was disappointingly average for a Florida chain (at least it wasn't green) and the guava was just kind of there.
I've been a long time fan of Cafe Tu Tu Tango. There are times I have been in and would come really close to giving it a 9. Comparing price to quality and portion size, however I just justify that high a score. I don't mind paying for great food, but the food isn't "I'd pay anything for it" good (which is not to say it's bad). Factor in the psychic server, the dry chicken, the loud music, the water torture and the average dessert, and I just can't give it the 8 I had hoped to this visit, either. Mr. Dark and The Princess of Wands gave it a 7, The Captain gave it a 5 to be kind. I hope that what we experienced was just an off night. I do recommend visiting Cafe Tu Tu Tango's, but my reviews are based on my experience ON THAT VISIT. That being said I give it 6 tarts, three on the dance floor, and three on my plate.
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