El Cid

I really wanted to like this place...soup, salad, entree and a flamenco show what could be wrong? Taste. Cramped seating arrangements. Regardless of reservations, you may not get a seat. All this for $25 per person? I'll pass on this one the next time. The show consisted of an older gentleman singing who was great, another man playing the guitar so eloquently and 3 older women that can dance the hell out of traditional mexican flamenco. Would've been awesome if the seating wasn't so distorted you really couldn't watch the feet of the women dancing because 10 other heads down the row are blocking your view, so there goes that one solid thing that could work for this place. The bean soup tasted good on first sip because of hunger but by the 3rd scoop of the broth, saltiness drowned out every other flavor that may have been savored. The salad was actually good. Basic with some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top that went well with the balsamic dressing, however, my salad had the perfect amount of the balsamic goodness while my partner in crime's had virtually none. I had ordered the sangria blanca only because I had 2 glasses at the Jazz Cat for the first time weeks before that were amazing only to be disappointed by the lack of taste except for the biting alcohol. The paella was a good amount with little to no zest but I guess I shouldn't complain too much because the troupers next to us got the same with less color and less zest. Ahhhhh, the magic of mass produced food. I enjoy food too much and am willing to pay little to a lot for a memorable dining experience because it doesn't matter if the place is a hole in the wall or some 4 star restaurant, good food should always be of the upmost importance. If I'm spending money, I'd at least like for it to taste better than what I can cook at home.

So pass on this number, go see a local show with 1 amazing flamenco dancer and hit up a taco truck outside instead!