Cox: Bravas Bar de Tapas

When Columbus returned to Spain, he brought with him potatoes and spicy chilies, and these two nightshade family members were combined there to make the staple tapas, Patatas Bravas ($7 ***), which means spicy potatoes – hence also the name of the restaurant. The potato chunks are roasted and served in a tongue-tingling tomato sauce aided by a garlicky aioli.

Mussels Escabeche

A glass of 2010 Albarino from Rias Baixas is $8 and pairs beautifully with Mussel Escabeche ($9 ***), a small bowl of vinegary, marinated, poached mussels with a chili relish. As your evening hits full fun mode, don’t miss the Romano Beans with Sobrassada Sausage ($9 ***). This raw pork sausage from the Balearic Islands off the Spanish Coast (or from Catalonia on the mainland) has a wonderfully complex flavor. Pair it with the 2007 Izadi Reserva from Rioja for $9 a glass. The romano bean pods are braised in a tomato sauce and there’s a bit of manchego cheese to nail down the pleasure.

One of the most visually interesting tapas is Maitake Mushroom ($10 ***), a feathery fungus sautéed and dotted with fluffed-up fresh goat cheese. A trio of luscious Duck Meatballs ($8 ***) are served like mini burgers on slider buns, embellished with gastronomic fireworks provided by a tomato sofrito and olive puree. Octopus ($16 **) was the most expensive but least pleasing item on a recent night. The flesh was rubbery and accompanying potatoes, smoky paprika and olives spoke more of the earth than the sea.

On the other hand, Lavender Quail ($12 ***) with sherried grapes and honey made an exquisite end to the experience.

To sum up: Bravas goes all out to give customers a successfully authentic Spanish tapas bar experience.

Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review column for the Sonoma Living section. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.

BRAVAS BAR DE TAPAS
Where: 420 Center St., Healdsburg
When: Open from 11:30 a.m. every day until 9:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and to 9 p.m. Sundays
Reservations: Call 433-7700
Price range: Individual snacks from $4 to $16, so the bill can vary from moderate to very expensive, depending on how much snacking you do
Website: www.starkrestaurants.com/bravas.html

Wine list: **
Ambiance: ***
Service: ***
Food: ***
Overall: ***

**** Extraordinary
*** Very good
** Good
* Not very good
0 Terrible