Tapas News

Wild Detectives team opens new Oak Cliff tapas restaurant Sketches of Spain

Salmorejo is a creamy cold tomato soup. Mmmm.

Photo courtesy of Not Your Average College Food

Tapas are headed for Dallas' Bishop Arts District, from some very familiar names. Called Sketches of Spain, it's a new restaurant from Javier García del Moral, Paco Vique, and the team behind The Wild Detectives bookstore.

Sketches Of Spain, also the name of a highly regarded album recorded by Miles Davis in 1960, will open at 321 N. Zang Blvd., next door to Potpourri of Silk Bakeshop, in a charming vintage house that was previously home to a horror shop called Collectors' Crypt.

Sketches will specialize in "Pinchos," a more sophisticated version of Spanish tapas, typically found in the north of Spain. Pinchos often use toothpicks; "pinchar" means "to pierce."

The menu is still being finalized, but will surely include:

Patatas bravas, baby potatoes with aioli & spicy sauce
Salmorejo, a creamy cold tomato soup with diced vegetables
Champiñones jerez, or mushrooms sautéed with garlic and dry chili in a sherry sauce
Escalivada, a ratatouille-like roasted vegetable salad with eggplant, red pepper, and onion
Gambas ajillo: prawns in a mild garlic sauce
Boiled octopus on potatoes with olive oil and paprika
Fried squid in squid ink
Piquillo relleno de bacalao, or cod stuffed with Piquillo red pepper
Croquettes in two varieties, chicken and ham

Other unique dishes they intend to bring include Flamenquines, a roulade with battered ham and cheese rolled inside a pork steak; oxtail stew; and callos con garbanzos, a stew with tripe, chorizo, and chickpeas.

According to del Moral, they would like to be open by early November.

"It will be a casual place to eat and drink," he says. "We like places that serve several purposes, and this one will be no different. Whether you want to have a full meal, a bite or just have a few drinks with a friend, this place will accommodate that."

Iñaki Betrán is their chef and managing director.

"He has an extensive career working for award winning restaurants, also running his own taberna in Spain, and international experience in places like Cuba and Australia," del Moral says.

"This is the very same team as The Wild Detectives with the addition of Iñaki," he says. "Paco and I are the owners, Iñaki will be the managing director, Victor Rimach will be his assistant in the front end and the bar program, and Andres de la Casa will be our branding director."

Del Moral has a personal connection to the cuisine.

"I'm from La Rioja where pincho bars are widely popular, and the chef and managing director that will run the place is from San Sebastian, which is considered the epicenter of the pincho culture in Spain and one of the most popular food destinations in Europe," he says. "Iñaki, our chef and managing director, has many years of experience working in Michelin-star winning places like Arzak."

"Our inspiration for this place is the traditional Spanish taberna, a unpretentious place where you can have solid food at reasonable prices but also a place where you meet with a friend to have a drink and end up sitting five hours drinking and talking, an inviting place where you can just hang out and spend quality time with friends," he says.

As for the name, he says they're big Miles Davis fans.

"This album always hits close to home for obvious reasons," he says. "The name also makes other nods, pinchos are sketches of what a full plate is, and our place in a way is a little piece of how we live bars and taverns in Spain, a little sketch of that way of life."

openings

Curry News

Malabar Kitchen in Richardson brings unique Indian flavors to Dallas

Malabar Kitchen

Indian food from Malabar Kitchen

A new Indian take-out spot featuring food from India's southwestern coast has opened in Richardson: Called Malabar Kitchen, it’s in a busy center at 501 N. Coit Rd. #2025, in a space most recently occupied by the short-lived Smokehouse Provisions, where it opened on February 8.

Malabar Kitchen is a first restaurant from Mathew Anthony and his family members, Ninu and Sunny, who craved the flavors they missed from home — what he calls "soul-warming meals."

In this case, "home" is Kerala, an Indian state on the Malabar Coast, facing the Arabian Sea, which has been dubbed "the land of spices" with its liberal use of fragrant spices cardamom, cinnamon, and Malabar pepper in cooking.

"I finally decided to bring Kerala flavors to the table myself, ensuring that people from my homeland— and those eager to experience our food — could enjoy the true taste," he says.

The region has many influences which can be seen in their expansive menu which boasts both Indian cuisine and Indo-Chinese dishes, all for under $20.

Mathew is especially proud of the paalkappa, a dish that's somewhere between grits and tapioca pudding, which has become buzzy in certain foodie circles.

"Paalkappa is made from rice and milk, slow-cooked until it reaches a smooth, porridge-like consistency; it is mild, creamy, and comforting," Mathew says. "When paired with spicy dishes like fish curry, the combination creates a perfect balance. The richness of the paalkappa soothes the heat of the curry, while the bold, tangy flavors of the fish enhance the dish. This pairing is especially popular in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, offering a satisfying blend of textures and tastes."

Another signature is the porota, a flaky, layered flatbread that's similar to other Indian breads such as paratha from northern India. Porota is made from maida, a highly refined flour that works well with pastries. The flour is kneaded with oil and water, then cooked on a hot griddle.

There are crunchy lentil fritters called parippu vada; curry stews, both vegetarian and not, with chicken, beef, and fish; fried rice; and biryani rice casserole dishes. Also numerous vegetarian options such as vegetarian curry, vegetable kurma — a stew with potatoes, green beans, and carrots — and vegetable fried rice.

Although there is no dining room, the restaurant is a pleasant space with terra-cotta tiles on the floor and framed posters of Kerala landmarks. Lining the perimeter are shelves with imported Kerala dried goods like banana chips, ribbon pakoda — fried rice crackers — and kuzhalappam, another fried rice snack rolled into a round tube. Plus sweet and savory Indian snacks, including achappam, a fried rose cookie that's similar to a funnel cake, which they get from Aishwarya Bakery in Stafford, south of Houston.