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El Valenciano Serves Up Confused Cuisine
By Jason Kuan
Call me ignorant, but the last time I had Spanish food, it was pretty different
from that of Mexico. Then I thought, maybe it was because I've only been
to the Andalucia region of Spain and el Valenciano supposedly served up food
from the region of Valencia. But I am almost completely positive that taquitos,
enchiladas, and burritos are NOT Spanish fare anywhere in Spain. Maybe I waived
my right to complain because I didn't get up, even after realizing this
information, but we were already seated and I didn't want to make a big
scene. Not like the three other people in the restaurant would have noticed.
To their credit, they did have offerings that were Spanish in origin. I'm
an optimist, and I wanted to believe that my expectations would be blown away,
so I ordered away.
The restaurant was quite expansive, but the bar seemed to be where the regulars
where hanging out and chatting. Despite a huge painted map of Spain on one face
and a wall of wine bottles facing it, it still lacked character and personality.
It could easily have been an Italian restaurant, or a Mexican restaurant, or
a French restaurant. But being the optimist I was, I overlooked the lack of
decor and tried to enjoy the bread that was served before our meal. At
least the company was great, and soon the dull surroundings faded away.
Though they were few and far between, there were several items of Spanish origin
in the Tapas section. We opted for the patatas bravas and the gambas al ajillo.
Patatas bravas is usually a delicious dish of diced baked potatoes covered in
a spicy, tangy sauce with the consistency of mayonnaise. This offering left
a bit more than a little to be desired. The potatoes could easily have been
of variety found in the frozen food section next to the other Ore-Ida potato
products. The sauce, while edible, was lacking the requisite zing found in most
dishes of the same name.
Still being the optimist, I hoped that the gambas al ajillo would more than
make up for the shortcomings of the former tapa. I mean, come on, how can you
mess up garlic sauteed shrimp? The dish was colorful, with 6 shrimp laying
out on dish with the garlic sauce in the middle. OK, it seemed promising. My
friend Lucky took her first bite. I waited, hoping that she would not suffer
any adverse reaction. But there was no reaction, which was demonstrative of
the dish. While they didn't "mess it up," it fell far short
of what it should have been. It tasted more like shrimp. And garlic sauce.
But still hoping for the best, we stuck it out and waited for the Paella Valenciana,
a saucy rice dish made with a variety of seafood, meats, and vegetables. It
was a huge entree chock full of mussels, shrimp, scallops, pieces of
chicken, and sausage. What usually distinguishes a good paella from a decent
paella is the type of rice used and the amount of saffron used. While they used
the right Spanish rice, it seemed as though they used more salt to make up for
the lack of saffron. It, like the rest of the meal, was a shadow of what it
should have been.
el Valenciano Bar and Restaurant
1153 Valencia St.
826-9561
Jason Kuan is a first-year pharmacy student.
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