The great thing about staying a couple blocks from Union and Chestnut streets is that we have really accessible good eats, just a hop, skip, and possible tumble down some steep hills. I don’t want to be mean, but it would be hilarious to see one of the drunkards take a tumble down Filmore after a night of drinking. Anyway, this post isn’t about the hilarity of drunkeness, it’s about some really good Spanish tapas on Chestnut at a place called Laiola. Even though I’ve been to Pacific Catch numerous times, which is next to Laiola, I’ve never actually noticed the existence of the restaurant until I saw a picture of the sangria on Eat, Drink, and Be Merry. Although when I went, my Sangria looked very different, and tasted quite average, I did enjoy eating Spanish food for the first time.
When I saw that they had chickpea croquettes on the menu, I had to get it; I was on a croquette high after Oyaji, and needed some more fried fluffiness in my belly. And they didn’t disappoint. They were stacked like Jenga blocks, and shaped more like fries than like croquettes, but they were soft and fluffy on the inside and had a nice crunch on the outside. It was like eating fried hummus, which also sounds like an awesome idea. The aioli that came with the croquettes were quite olive-y, but weren’t necessary to enjoy the croquettes.
Next came some charcuterie made from pork confit. They looked like slices of salami, but were soft, bordering on mushy because each slice had an immense amount of fat. It was like pork-butter almost. If I had the resources, I would make a sandwich out of the croquettes and charcuterie, a deliciously simple idea that combines two strong flavors between a slightly doughy piece of French bread. Oh, the possiblities…
To continue with this theme of porky goodness, we ordered bacon-wrapped dates and some roasted (?) piglet. You can tell that I have completely forgetten the names of these menu items, but I hope that using the key words from these items will be good enough to identify them on the real menu. After all these days, the only thing I really remember is the different tastes of pork from this place, which I don’t mind at all, except that it makes me sad that I can’t get food like this in Fresno. The bacon-wrapped dates had a good balance of salt and crunch from the bacon with the sweet and mushy of the dates. The dark sauce that it was soaked in had a hint of what I thought tasted like curry as well. It was a little pricey, but the dish was well worth it. I think it’s just another example of how meats on sticks are one of the greatest culinary accomplishments mankind has made. Ever.
Saying a dish was made from a piglet may have some cringe factor, but if you eat veal, it should be no problem eating babies. I’m sure Jonathan Swift would have no problem with this dish! I expected the meat to be a little more succulent and tender because veal is so tender and soft, but the meat was almost like a regular porkchop, somewhat tough, but not as much as a grown piggy I guess. The great part of this dish is that the beans that come with it have little bits of fried skin I think. It’s pure genius.
We also ordered some potatoes because I didn’t think 4 tapas dishes would be filling, but we were surprisingly full by the end of the meal. The potatoes weren’t really special. But I guess if you’re trying to get full, this would be a good way to do it.
Eating here has really piqued my interest in Spanish food. Besides the word “tapas,” I haven’t really heard or tasted much of Spanish food. Interestingly enough, Spain has more Michelin stars than France. I should really give Spanish food a chance. Since I’m nextdoor to a Spanish restaurant in Fresno, I think I’m in a really good position to try some of Fresno’s Spanish cuisine.
Laiola 2031 Chestnut Street San Francisco, California 415.346.5641
