The invitation sounded exciting. A new tapas bar was opening at the former Ruth’s Chris Steak House location on Flamingo. An unforgettable evening of Spanish-influenced delicacies and specialty drinks from Marbella’s menu while enjoying live music and dancing was promised.
The time was scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Finding the restaurant was not a problem, although it’s quite hidden in a strip mall. I drove up at 6:20 and was greeted by about six young men who were valet parking cars. Immediately they told me that the valet lot was full. Alright, where should I park? Well, they said, maybe I could find a spot up the street. Well, a half-mile up the street, I gave up and decided to turn around and try the other way. Finally found a spot in a parking lot by Enterprise Car Rental and hiked over to Marbella, where the valet were still turning away frustrated men and women in high, high heels – many of the women arriving alone, meaning: they had to walk alone, far from their cars to get to the dining establishment.
Upon entering I was served a glass of Sangria and that eased my agitation from the parking experience. The room was packed wall-to-wall with invitees. I inched my way across the room, being extremely careful not to splash my Sangria on anyone. People were pressing up against the bar, as they do when drinks are free, while hungrily looking around for the complementary tapas to be served. I made it to the other side of the bar where the restaurant opens into another whole lounge-style area, and there are a few seats, already taken, and a DJ booth in the corner, so I assumed this is where the dancing was to take place. After exploring that area, I decided to find the tapas, too. There were cocktail and tapas girls, I’m sure, hired just for the night, who were pleasant and tried to explain what the tapas consisted of. The trouble was that each time one of these girls would pass by, she’d only have a total of around 10 tapas on her tray, and of course, they were being grabbed and devoured faster than you can say Marbella. Each “model-hired server” would then again disappear and return from the kitchen, only to be somewhat attacked again for the small bites from Spain. This was dinnertime – of course the guests were ready to be served a dinner of tapas. Eventually, the model-servers got smart and started raising the trays above their heads, so they could get their tapas treats to the ravenous guests in the other areas of the establishment, but as they ran past the dozens of hungry guests along the way, the faces of many were about to trample for some tapas – good, bad, any kind of tapas.
The samplings I tried were Chicken Croquetas (Roasted Chicken, Béchamel Croquettes), Pan Tomate (Toasted Country Sourdough, Fresh Tomato Sauce) and what was called a Spanish Pizza that tasted like the Pan Tomate with anchovies added. The Chicken Croquetas were crispy on the outside and soft with Béchamel on the inside. The Pan Tomate was alright, nothing too exciting, compared to Italian Bruschetta that’s loaded with garlic, spices, and let’s just say: flavor.
In fairness to Marbella, I think they over invited on their guest list and that made problems – from the parking to the tapas tasting. So, some of us came away with not as nice of an experience as their invitation promised. Honestly, my tastebuds didn’t experience anything that would entice me back, but then, I prefer more excitement in my food.
Marbella transforms its dining atmosphere into a trendy lounge and after-hours hotspot nightly, similar to the Discotecas that can be found on the coast of Spain. They also have a happy hour from 4:00 to 6:30pm, with menu and drink specials. Friday and Saturday Marbella welcomes the late night crowd with music and dancing starting at 10pm, and they offer a breakfast menu until 5am. SLV
Marbella Tapas, Bar & Music of Spain • 4561 W. Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas
Issue 67 featuring: Veronica Ricci, Raven Alexis & Georgia Jones |
