La Botana: Bite n’ Sip on Scenic 30-A
4281 East Hwy. 30-A, Seagrove Beach, (850) 231-0716

Hours: Mon.-Fri., 4-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Reservations: Not accepted
Children’s Menu: No
Major credit cards
Dress: Casual

By Bruce Collier
OCtober 30, 2008 Issue

Located in a short row of upscale shops, La Botana offers a sleek, doors-open stopping place, where patrons are encouraged to sit, sip, and nibble at “small plates,” in the traditional of Spain’s tapas bars. Here the flavor is Latin, and the beverage of choice is wine.

La Botana is intimate, with small tables, chairs, stools and booths creating areas for dining and conversation. There’s also a bar and a wine rack along the back wall. The decorator has made use of metal, wood, glass and leather, with a color scheme of steely blue, silver and white. The wait staff moves in and among the tables, answering questions, pouring wine and sharing duties. It’s a team effort.

The drill at La Botana—every restaurant has one—is to choose what one wants to eat, then try a glass of wine (or a bottle) from the list. Our server informed us that all the wines from the list, which has vintages from Spain, France, California, Australia and elsewhere, are matched to the food. I told him I was in the mood for a full-bodied red. He brought out three glasses, a small taste of red in each, then left me to choose. The menu also offers beers and soft drinks, but wine is definitely at center stage. I picked out a Shiraz from Australia, and got a generous glass of it. The tasting was no-charge, by the way, a smart move by the house. The most eloquent spoken description of a wine is nothing compared to a sip and one’s own judgment.

The menu offers dips, cheese, and hot and cold dishes. Soups are available Fridays through Sundays, and La Botana has a running salsa “competition” every week. Salsa master wannabes are invited to bring their best and take their chance at winning.

We got a few recommendations from our server, and took some of his suggestions. We started with guacamole, which came in a deep dish with a mound of colorful corn chips. The creamy guacamole was simple, with no fancy additives, but plenty of cilantro tang and character. It lasted through the rest of the meal, and our server offered us another helping of chips to keep it going.

The next course was torta de carne, marinated pork served on chewy bread with beans, avocado, melted cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato. It’s served in two portions, each wrapped in paper like street food. A pickled serrano pepper comes as garnish. Don’t ignore it. The torta can also be ordered with beef or chicken.

We finished the torta, continued on with the guacamole, and ordered tamales. There are two of them, one chicken and one pork. Many of the selections at La Botana are made for sharing, while some, like the grilled quail, are more of a challenge to split. If in doubt, ask the server.

The tamales had different sauces. The pork was dressed with a dark, rich and mildly spicy mole, and the chicken with a hot salsa verde. Also on the plate was a mini-portion of frijoles and two chips. My friend was slowing down, so I got more of the chicken than she did. I enjoyed the rich, crumbly meat-and-corn texture. We almost finished the guacamole but had to stop for dessert. The wine, by the way, was just right with everything.

Also on the menu are house salsa, queso dip, chile relleno, sincronizadas (tortillas of meat and cheese) ceviche of shrimp or snapper, an artisanal cheese plate, tacos, vegetable or meat enchiladas, quail, and marinated lobster. This is subject to change. There are also specials and weekly events.

La Botana currently offers two desserts—flan and tres leches (“three milks”) cake. We took the latter. Our server gave us two glasses of fruity, slightly sweet Riesling, just a tiny sip, again complimentary, to go with the cake. The cake was creamy but light, with almonds and mango. The slice was enough for two.

Fall is here, and some of the places that catered to the summer crowds have closed down or limited their hours. However, La Botana has been open for several months, according to our server, and it’s still business as usual. The kitchen and house staff are anxious to please, and it looks like they will keep the party going.

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