My girlfriend started an Alphabet Dinner Club where a group of friends would dine out once a month at a restaurant that starts with that letter. We’re currently near the end of the alphabet and were thinking of some Letter V options. We took a poll via Facebook on where we wanted to eat and decided on Vaca, a Spanish tapas restaurant, near South Coast Plaza. To say the least it was a VERY good choice. We ordered 15 different dishes for 8 to share and it was amazing. Get ready for some major food porn!

Shrimp – Argh… I can’t believe I’m going to start off this review without the proper description, but in essence it was pump juicy shrimp swimming in liquid gold (butter) – it tasted was wonderful.

1 La Bola ($9) – Crispy potato balls with ground beef, aioli, spicy tomato sauce – This dish kind of reminded me of Porto’s famous potato balls, crispy on the outside and soft and savory on the inside

2 Croquetas De Pollo ($10) – Creamy chicken fritters – To be honest I don’t remember much about this dish, but it wasn’t bad

1 Bruselas ($10) – Brussels sprouts, chorizo, sherry gastrique – Roasted brussel sprouts are always good in my book.

1 Maiz ($9) – Charred corn, lime, pimentón, idiazabal – Also good, but nothing out of the ordinary

1 Ensalada De Berro ($11) – Watercress salad, butternut squash, vermouth vinaigrette, manchego, almonds – I ordered this time and it was such a nice refreshing contrast to the other more rich and bold flavors. I loved the acidity of the beets and crunch of the nuts. It was one of our healthier dishes that definitely can stand on its own.

1 Pulpo a La Gallega ($15) – Warm Spanish octopus, fingerling potatoes, pimenton and Spanish olive oil – Fresh Octopus, what can I say 🙂

1 Bikini Sandwich ($13) – Paleta iberica, manchego, truffles, Panini – For a sandwich was I was incredibly impressed considering all the tapas we ordered. It’s kind of strange to match nutty with meat, but it had an incredible taste that was both warm and comforting.

1 Alitas de pollo ($10) – Fried chicken wings, blue cheese, salsa roja, pickled carrots – Solid fried chicken but

2 Erizos Con Huevo ($32): Fresh sea urchin scramble eggs, miso butter toast – This was definitely the star of the show. Everyone at the table LOVED this dish. Next time I would order this all for myself. O:)

1 Bizcoho Tres Leche ($10): Beautiful and tasty, the perfect way to end a meal

2 Calamares Rellenos ($28) – Charcuterie stuffed calamari, squid ink aioli – One of my friends loved this dish, but it was not my favorite

1 Mama Santana Flan ($7) – Wow! This is very decadent. One bite was definitely enough for me

1 Coliflor ($9) – Roasted cauliflower, tahini, raisins, lemon – Cauliflower is usually a very boring vegetable, but the preparation was done well and I loved the char of the plant

1 Beef Rib Steak – ($130.64) – Priced at $55 a lb. Our server informed us that we could hand select our steak and directed us to their display fridge. After carefully looking through all the steaks and taking into account weight and marbling, we selected a beautiful 2 lb 6 oz as our luxury treat. The dry aged ribeye was served medium rare with a crusty exterior and just melted in your mouth. Wow!

(Not Pictured) 1 Hueso Al Horno ($16) – Roasted bone marrow, beef cheek toast, citrus – This was absolutely delicious. We all loved the creamy texture of the bone marrow that we spread over the small crostini, but alas I must have been too delusional because I can’t find the photo of it. *Cries* But it’s definitely worth getting!

 

Which food item looked the most foodporn worthy?

 

XOXO,

Rockstar