Rezagarse

I remember back in the old pre-millennial days, we used to do kickass after hours parties at Carpe Diem... That was almost 10 years ago. It was a long ass drive from midtown to Dickhater back then but the parties were full of booze, drugs, music and easy women which made it worth getting arrested for. Nothing lasts forever and the place shut down along with the after hours... The space lay dormant for years until now.
Does Decatur need another tapas joint? Hasn't this type of cuisine ran it course in this town? Yes and no, while the whole small plate/tapas revolution fad has come and went, there are still a few places that does decent tapas around town... Gypsy Kitchen is not one of them. So, this space quietly reopened with a new tapas joint... So quiet that not many have noticed and going on Scoutmob from the beginning to get the word out doesn't help their cause, either. But if it turns out to be good or show some promise in that direction, it may not be a total loss after all. Let's take a first look at some chick food...

Pulpo a la Gallega. I love puss, especially with 8 legs. This octopus did not disappoint, it was actually very tasty, tender and seasoned with Spanish paprika and black sea salt. The boiled taters with olive oil was a bit overdressed. Restos usually rip you a new vag when it comes to pulpo dishes but the price to portion ratio here was spot on.

Pimentos del Piquillo Rellenos. Piquillo peppers stuffed with manchego cheese and chorizo were tasty once again, we're on a roll here. The chorizo was just spicy enough for the masses, I would liked it to be more spicy but still acceptable since it tasted pretty good. I rather they put the lightly dressed arugula salad on the side than under the peppers because it's just ugly plating. I hate using a garnish like a napkin soaking up all the grease or liquid. No need to over think this, it's supposed to be simple. So keep it simple and clean.

Melón con Jamón. Once again the spinach sitting on the bottom vs. on the side. C'mon, this isn't a salad, am I suppose to mix it up? I don't know. But the jamon and melon combo worked well together. The bread needed to be toasted more for that slight char and crisp. You got soft on the top so you need that crunch on the bottom. Soft on soft is no bueno... That's what she said. After you eat the porky melon breads, the spinach looks wilted and weak and not very appetizing. On the side, yo. 

Mejillones Rezagarse. Not so pretty and there was way too much fucking shit going on up in this piece... You got this thick sauce of shallots, serrano ham, tomatoes, saffron, cream, parsley, basil and manchego cheese drenched over the mussels. I was wondering where the tortilla chips were for this cheese dip... The bread was pretty much useless in this concoction. No sopping up the goodness was involved. This dish needs to be re-thunk, me thinks.

Carpaccio de Ternera. First off, the salad wasn't sitting under the meat flaps. Second, the meat flaps were not frozen to the plate... Both bonuses. I find this ubiquitous dish come out frozen way too often. We all know that the raw meat log is chilled in order to slice it thinly and it's usually pre-plated and kept chilled until service. But the paper thin slice of meat tears apart once it starts to defrost at your table and the moisture just breaks down the meat even more and it's impossible to lift it off in one piece. Here, you will not find that issue... The slices are meaty yet delicate enough that you're not gnawing on it like a steak. The well dressed arugula and waxy taters did just fine sitting on top and the truffle vinaigrette and black sea salt didn't hurt either. It's a nice little dish, I would just clean it up a bit on the presentation.

Ceviche, Gambas y Pescado. Who doesn't like a ceviche at a tapas joint. That was the first thing I saw on the menu... But now, I wished I didn't see this at all. The ceviche was way too watery and not enough acidity. While there was a good bit of scallops, white fish and chopped shrimp, it was extremely lackluster. Even with all that stuff on top, it didn't add an ounce of flavor to it. There was no proper seasoning. The Rezagarse chips were stuck together and floppy, not a crispy one to be found. This dish was the big loser of the night and hopefully they will address the flaws sooner rather than later.

There were hits and misses as expected for a new joint but the foundation is there and with some work and constructive feedback they could make this joint work. The bar inventory was pretty sparse but the beer selection was decent. The bartender(s) seemed a little confused behind the bar, I didn't get a good feeling for them to make me a cocktail. The staff needs a little more training, the atmosphere seemed a little stale, and the menu execution needs refining but they seemed like good eggs here. So, hopefully they will do what they need to do to liven this place up or else they will slip through the cracks like so many other forgotten joints that have come and gone. This is the new Decatur where people expect quality because sub par service and grub will be killed off pretty quickly.

105 Sycamore Pl
Ste 1
Decatur, GA 30030 

404-377-6387

http://www.rezagarse.com/