For your local Tapas Fix

Aroma Tapas Restaurant
3907 W Algonquin Rd - Algonquin, IL 60102
Cuisine Type: Spanish/Tapas
Price: $-$$

We decided to meet up with friends on a Saturday night to try a new restaurant, so we were excited to see that there was a Tapas place nearby. When we got there, we were apprehensive to go in since there wasn't anyone else dining there. The cook was sitting in front of the bar getting comfortable on one of the leather chairs and they looked longingly to the street in front of them for customers.

When we walked in, I was kind of suprised that the smell in the air smelled of pizza. It struck me as odd that the open kitchen would be giving off this kind of smell, but who knows, maybe they just cooked something with a tomato sauce before we got there.

Visually, the restaurant was on the smaller side. An open kitchen looked out over the 15-20 table restaurant and the bar was stocked commonly known hard liquor.

Since we were the only ones there at first, the waitress immediately brought us menus and took our drink orders. We were disappointed to hear that every beer we asked the waitress to bring was no longer in stock. This happened for about 3-4 of the types of beer they said they served on the menu. In addition to this, they also had only house wine; House Red and House White. This is the only spanish tapas restaurant i've seen that didn't have an extensive wine list. But... then again, it was only a small, local tapas place.

After our drink orders were in, each one of us at the table ordered 2 dishes a piece. The first dish that came out were the Albondigas Al Vino Tinto - Meatballs served in a Red Wine sauce. These were delicious. They reminded me of a smaller version of swedish meatballs that my mother used to make. Next out was one of the specials; a chicken roll with chicken mousse on the inside. Despite the waitresses recommendation for this dish, I thought it was pretty average. I think I was expecting it to be hot, but when it was brought out cold, my taste buds were a little confused. Third was the Casa al Habra de Horno - The Baked Goat Cheese in tomato sauce. This was my absolute favorite. They served it piping hot with hardened toast crisps. I couldn't get enough of this one and neither could everyone else. Fourth out was the Gabas con Fideos - Garlic shrimp with angel hair pasta. This one was another great dish. The sauce was especially flavorful and went very quickly amongst us all at the table.

The next set started with the Plato de Embutidos - Spanish serrano ham and chorizo. This was a great selection of cold meats and proscuitto. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Up next was the Mejillones en Salsa Verde - Sautéed mussels with garlic, shallots, parsley, white wine and cream sauce. I thought these were also done very well. The sauce was very creamy and brought a great flavor to the mussels that worked to enhance the natural flavors. Getting near the end, our next plate of Champinones al Ajillo - Sautéed mushrooms with garlic, cayenne and white wine arrived. While these were very good, I will warn those who are interested in the extreme saltiness of this dish. I'm not sure if it was the cayenne pepper that added to the overly-salted taste or if it was the half to full chunks of sauteed garlic that were tossed in with the mushrooms. Either way, they were very good, but pretty heavy on the salty/garlicy side. Definately get yourself a breath mint afterwards!

We waited quite a long time before our last dish came out. We were beginning to wonder if they forgot about it. But, we noticed that the only waitress was busy waiting on the other 3 tables that had recently arrived and we were put on the back burner for awhile. Regardless, our last dish finally came out after around 15 minutes from the last dish and it was Higos con Tocino - Figs Sautéed with shallots and bacon, served with a Brandy cream sauce. Wow, were these great! I had never had a fig before and this combination, especially with the crisp bacon, had a wonderful sweet/salty combination that was a sure fire winner.

After finishing our dinner and drinks, we waited again for quite awhile before the waitress came back to ask us if we needed anything else. After politely declining dessert, about 5 minutes later, she came back with a tray of desserts. We again, declined dessert and didn't see her for another 10 minutes in which we had to ask her for our check.

The price was pretty reasonable for 4 people and 2 rounds of drinks, so that was definately a plus.

Overall, I would say that this would be a great restaurant to check out if you're looking for a local Tapas restaurant that was affordable without the frills. If you are looking for an extensive wine/beer list, this is not the place. The food, however, was very delicious and definately left us feeling happy and full. Aside from the food being very good, the service was not the best for a Saturday night with only 4 full tables in the restaurant.

Overall Rating:
Food - B
Atmosphere - C
Service - D

- Review by Theresa