Despite several valiant attempts, I never did make it to Tickets, the legendary Michelin-starred tapas restaurant from the Adria brothers who created the mythically exclusive El Bulli. It closed in 2020, but I heard about its eventual replacement which inherited much of the same staff (though not the same executive chef).
I decided it would be the one restaurant on our vacation where I would make a reservation well in advance for Jamie W. and me. We arrived about 15 minutes early for our 5PM reservation and were fully prepared just to sit patiently in their vacant patio seating. However, the hostess saw us immediately and brought us through the restaurant.
The expansive staff greeted us like we were celebrities. I loved it. She took us to the adjacent Backstage Bar where we sat comfortably in a stylish space. The attentive bartender made us a couple of their 10€ craft cocktails. Jamie had the Pacharan Fizz, a Basque-derived drink with local liqueurs, orange juice, lemon, and soda rimmed with a housemade tajine.
I decided on the Wilson with chivas mizunara infused with orange peel, coconut, and banana syrup. Both were tantalizing delights unique to the region (photo: https://bit.ly/4dTEx5T). The hostess came back and seated us at two seats on a long curving counter facing the wide prep area staffed with several young sous chefs (video: https://yelp.to/SF-SPKDrxx).
Augustina was assigned to be our server, and she was a delight as she guided us on our selections. She suggested 10-12 tapas, but we decided to end with a full steak so we settled on nine. We started with the 6,7€ Chicken Toast and Pickled Mushrooms, a tasty morsel topped with toasted pine nuts (photo: https://yelp.to/PYx3f4WA22).
Next came the 7,5€ Edamame and Iberian Ham Mochi, a delectable bite-size Japanese-inspired dumpling filled with a stew made with the edamame and ham (photo: https://bit.ly/45j4TdF). Our next treat looked like a nougat candy bar, but it was actually quite savory, the 8,5€ Nori, Foie Gras and Eel Tartlet (photo: https://yelp.to/iplAYIq9SB). The texture and flavors were quite unique.
The next dish required Augustina to assemble it in front of us, the 12€ Tomato Kalamata Crusty Bread Salad (photo https://bit.ly/3yLDzbR). It was a beautiful presentation and a comparatively lighter plate as was the he 8,5€ Seoul Asparagus, a decorative dish separated in three different colors and flavors (photo: https://yelp.to/fWTBEYyrrg).
The 15€ Korean Octopus was more substantial and came with condiments like cucumber and spiced oil (photo: https://yelp.to/r8pzHGAZHb). The 8€ Truffled Cheese Brioche was a toasted morsel with a nice melted cheese filling (photo: https://yelp.to/aCohS1DUgC). The 18€ Pork Jowl Ssam with Anticuchera Sauce was our final tapas with the saucy pork nestled in lettuce leaves (photo: https://yelp.to/7cztxqCiHG).
The 65,8€ Galician Aged Ribeye turned out to be dinner on its own as it was full slab of meat sliced into bite-size pieces (photo: https://yelp.to/5QCRuhXvvz). My one criticism was that it wasn't as tender as were hoping considering the cut. It came with Lettuce, Roasted Red Peppers, and French Fries. We were feeling quite sated, but there's always room for dessert.
We went for the colorful 7,2€ Citrus Fruit Tartlet and Almonds (photo: https://bit.ly/3ViD4Ol) and the Napoleon-like 7,5€ Puff Pastry of Pears in Wine (photo: https://bit.ly/3KzQ39b). In the home stretch, we drank 8€ Treasure Island mocktails, a refreshing combination of passionfruit, cardamom, lemon, and cocoa (photo: https://bit.ly/3x93ytm). Quite a feast indeed.
FOOD - 5 stars...uniquely creative and flavorful in small bites
AMBIANCE - 5 stars...spacious, stylish, still retains the marquee from Tickets
SERVICE - 5 stars...Augustina was aces and so was the hostess, the bartender, and all those sous chefs
TOTAL - 5 stars...it may not be Tickets but we really enjoyed ourselves
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