La Boca is the restaurant that made me want to go to Spain. Now, La Boca is the restaurant that reminds me of Spain. It is that authentic! I keep asking myself why don’t we go here more frequently. I have no idea why not(pandemic aside). If I lived closer, I would be there on a weekly basis. Right now, we only go on special occasions. Lucky for me a good friend came to Santa Fe, which is always a special occasion. Good food and good friends just seem to go together.
La Boca is a perfect restaurant to share food. I love tapas. That way we can order a few items and check them out. If you need to, you can always order more food. To me, tapas is the sophisticated version of family style eating.
We started with the delicious Trio de Califlor(14). For all you cauliflower lovers, this is the dish you have to have. This must have dish is incredible and worth the entire trip to La Boca. Believe me, it was hard to share. Next time maybe I won’t. No, the sharing part makes getting the cauliflower more fun. The Trio was grilled with harissa BBQ, it was also baked in Manchego cream, and last but not least fried with caper aioli. Oh my!!!
The capers gave this cauliflower a wonderful little zing. You are very lucky to see this because I almost forgot to take a photo. It was incredible!!! I am going to have to have this again on my next visit.
This dish was another show stopper. Wow! The Bruschetta(15) was a combination of toasted baguette cooked with mushrooms and cream topped with a fried egg and of course Reggionito cheese. OMG! What an incredible combination. Everything was so tasty. I really enjoyed it.
The Alcachfos(15) were perfectly grilled Roman artichokes with this incredible Queso de Cabra, orange zest and mint. The queso (cheese)was tangy and perfectly complimented the artichokes. This will be another go to dish for next time. My mouth is watering just writing about them.
Roasted Red Pepper and Queso de Cabra Cheese Pinitxos(12 for 2) These amazing Basque style tapas were the big surprise of the night . We had never had them before. They were just an explosion of flavor in your mouth. What wasn’t to like. The toasted bread with incredible cheese with delicious roasted red pepper. It was a delight to both the eye and mouth(la boca). This dish was a big crowd pleaser at our table. The pickled red onion definitely finished off this dish.
We also tried the Patatas Bravas(9) which is always a must for me. The Patatas Bravas were fingerling potatoes cooked in a spicy sherry vinegar and of course garlic. It was served with a roasted garlic aioli.
Our last dish was the gambas al ajillo(16). It was sauteed shrimp with garlic, white wine, butter and chile de arbol. The description sounded wonderful. However, this dish was missing something. I’m not sure what. Maybe next time…
On to desert: I had the Spanish pecan wedding cookies, polvorones(6).
They were delicious and reminded me of pecan crescent cookies. For me, it was just enough sweet to finish off my meal.
Our table also had the blood orange tart(10) topped with orange blossom yogurt and a tasty sauce. The Gateau Basque(10) which was a vanilla bean cream tart with house brandied cherries and creme fraiche, looked like something out of a magazine. Yum!!!
We ate outside right on Marcy Street. There was a small area that was blocked off so diners could enjoy the beautiful evening.
All of the wait staff were very attentive and helpful. Even the food runners added to the meal. It was a very enjoyable dining experience. Bravo!
La Boca is open from 5pm to 9pm Wednesday-Sunday. I would advise that you get a reservation either through La Boca or Open Table. There is also a 5 dollar per table charge to cover the costs of sanitation and heating of the patios. In-door dinning as well as take-out are available.
La Boca is located on 72 W. Marcy Street in Santa Fe. Their phone number is 505.982.3433
Santa Fe City Different Foodie 