Argentine Drinks, Spanish Tapas & Flamenco
A Night In Coral Gables Can Take You To Exotic, Foreign Places
One of the marvels of Coral Gables is how it plays host to so many vibrant cultural experiences from around the world. Nothing better illustrates this than an evening which ends at La Taberna Giralda with an authentic slice of Spanish food and culture.
Our “Night on the Town” stories typically start with cocktails, then proceed through dinner, ending with an after-dinner event. This month, however, after starting with a drink at the Argentine steak house Baires, our dinner-and-a-show parts combined in an exuberant experience at La Taberna Giralda, an authentic tapas house with roots in Northwest Spain that puts on a vibrant flamenco show on Saturday nights.
Left: Espresso Martini at the Argentinian Baires. Right: Baby eels in garlic and a dramatic Spanish flamenco show at La Taberna Giralda.
First, we had our cocktails at Baires (La Taberna serves only wine and beer), which sits on the corner of Ponce and Aragon. This particular evening, a band – singer and guitarist – were doing a fine job deconstructing pop songs such as Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like 28 a Bird,” making them jazzier. We ordered two excellent drinks – an espresso martini, which tasted like a chocolate milkshake with Stoli vodka, and a cucumber martini, made with Hendricks gin, fresh basil, lime juice, and cucumber (both $17). We sat at a corner table in the outside veranda for a fine view of passing foot traffic.
Then came the main event. We walked to La Taberna Giralda, about five minutes away, and sat down in the red-walled café. La Taberna also has seating out front and in a sweet courtyard out back, but for the flamenco show, inside is requisite.
The menu of sharable tapas ($9 to $19) includes pan-Spanish classics – like shrimp in olive oil and garlic – and others more obscure, like a Galician plate of boiled octopus with potatoes and paprika. We went for some classics, like fried calamari (theirs is light and delicious) and patatas brava (just the right crunch). But we also left our comfort zone for a dish of gulas al ajillo (baby eels cooked in garlic and olive oil), and morcilla de arroz (blood sausages on toast with caramelized onions). Both were new and interesting tastes, always welcome.
While we washed down our tapas with glasses of Spanish red wine, the band began to play. With a percussionist, dancer, and singer/guitarist, the trio filled the restaurant with dramatic entertainment. On a raised stage, the dancer pounded out the staccato rhythm of flamenco while the singer/guitarist regaled diners with the spirited voice of a Gypsy King. In fact, they performed some Gypsy King classics, like “Bamboleo,” along with other crowd pleasers like “Viva España.” The packed house was fully engaged, clapping, cheering, and even singing, especially as the bailadora danced down the aisle by the tables. The effect was electric and contagious.
We strolled down Giralda Plaza afterwards, consuming a gelato just to fill out the triad of a night on the town though we were already sated. There are few places as authentic and downright fun as a Saturday night at La Taberna Giralda. Owner Karen Pino, who is taking over management from her father, has done a superb job carrying on a Spanish – and a Gables – tradition.
Craving more local adventures? Discover our previous “Night on the Town” series