Birthday Dinner at Alegrias Spanish Restaurant: Arroz Negro and Tapas

Lately, I've been inspired by Spanish and Latin American culture due to some nostalgia about my trip to Barcelona about a year ago and interest in Argentine film (well, more like an Argentine actor).

For my 25th birthday dinner, I wanted to go to a Spanish restaurant -- specifically, one that serves arroz negro -- a paella blackened with squid ink. It was my favorite part of my culinary adventure in Spain. It's hard to find Spanish restaurants that serve this, especially in the size and price that Alegrias Spanish Restaurant. The place is family-owned and have been around for about 16 years. The ambiance is very homey, dimly lit, and intimate. They have a nice wine selection that focuses on Spain and Latin America, and also feature Spanish beers.

We started off the meal with a pitcher of decent sangria, which perfectly filled up glasses for 4 people. It was well-balanced, fruity but not so much to deter you from the taste of the wine.

Sangria Pitcher, $20

We then ordered 4 hot tapas plates: Callos a la Madrileña, Patatas Alioli, Calamares 
 Fritos con Alioli, and Gambas al Ajillo.

Right: Calamares Fritos con Alioli ($9.95), Back: Patatas Alioli ($6.95), Callos a la Madrileña ($8.95)

Gambas al Ajillo ($9.95)

The tapas are served first as it takes 30 minutes to prepare, so might as well curb the hunger with these amazingly flavorful small plates. The callos is filled with rich and flavorful tripe derived from slices of chorizo and hints of saffron sizzling in tomato sauce. Gambas al ajillo is chockful of jumbo shrimp that is slightly spicy in a sauce with bits of roasted garlic. The calamares fritos con alioli are perfectly crisped rings served with an orange garlic aioli sauce. This same sauce is used to slather the fried cubes of potato in the patatas alioli, which makes it all the more addictive. I presumed that this same sauce would be served alongside the arroz negro, as it is practically the "cherry on top" of the dish. 

Arroz Negro ($18.50) and Paella a la Valenciana con Chorizo Español ($22.95)

Lo and behold, there was a mound of that garlic aioli sitting in the middle of the arroz negro. You can either mix it all in or dollop it on to your serving -- I prefer to do the latter. The paella valenciana with Spanish chorizo was filled to the brim with seafood, chicken, and slices of succulent chorizo. I was amazed at the size of both paellas, as they each are good enough for 3 people. Having two of them just means more wealth to be shared. Compared to what I had in Spain, the paellas were both drier (more to my liking) and I couldn't resist the crispy burnt edges. I was very impressed with both of them and will definitely be ordering them on my next visit. 

Free flan for my birthday and Panqueque de Manzanas ($7)

I failed to take a picture of the Panqueque de Manzanas, as it was flambéed with rum. It's a crepe-like pancake that's filled with sweet slices of apples and topped with vanilla ice cream and a lot of rum. The flan was incredibly creamy and sweet in its sugary sauce. Both were a great way to end such a savory dinner. I left the restaurant feeling full but not TOO full. I still had enough room to have some birthday cake later in the night.

Location: 

2018 Lombard Street  

San Francisco

Open nightly at 5:30pm for dinner