David and I went out to dinner with friends last night. Scott and his wife Tonya live in Tucson and were here visiting and we got together. Tonya has a childhood friend who also happens to live in this area so Sarah joined us for the evening as well. We chose to eat at a tapas restaurant in downtown Greenville. It was our first time there and an enjoyable experience. For anyone who does not know what a tapas bar is here is a little history that I found interesting. According to legend, the tapa tradition began when a Spanish king recovered from an illness by drinking wine and nibbling small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered taverns to serve their guests food along with wine and the tapas became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to drink. Original tapas were the slices of bread which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. But soon, enterprising bartenders were putting small snacks on the bread, and the lowly tapa (from tapa derived the verb tapar, "to cover") became as important as the sherry. Most tapas bars serve Spanish foods but the one we went to didn't. The portions are smaller, more like appetizers, and oh so delicious. I loved everything we had last night which included, lamb chops, mussels, formage and procuitto, lobster cigars, chocolate empanada and a carbonated red wine...yummy! The lobster cigars were soooo good that we had to order a second plate. The others in our party ordered tuna, suishi and calamari... things I don't care for. Typically a group will go to a tapas bar and everyone orders a plate or two and then all are put on the table for everyone to try. It was a very enjoyable evening and we left full after sampling wonderful foods that are not typical restaurant fanfare. After dinner we walked around on Main Street and went to Fell's Park before calling it an evening. Downtown is alive and a thriving place.
Here we are after dinner
Scott and Tonya
