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I tend to come down in the camp of the supporters. There's always at least one small plate I don't like, but it's never a big deal because I have so many options from which to choose. The tapas-tasting protocol, I suppose, depends on how close I am with my tablemates.
That's a long-winded introduction to the news that Carol Parlett, proprietor of Key Lime Café in St. Michaels, has made every Friday at her restaurant tapas night.
“In today's world, it's a nice way to eat well,” she said. “It's a fun way to sample flavors and do it economically.”
The 22 different tapas choices fall between $4.50 and $9 per plate, with options including tempura asparagus spears with curried mayo dipping sauce, uschetta with black olive tapenade, grilled andouille with spicy mustard, scallops with pineapple salsa, gazpacho shooters, grilled lollipop lamb chop with garlic confit and mint, and marinated flat iron steak with chimichurri sauce.
For dessert, diners can opt for the assorted tartlets, a selection of three, two-bite sweets: the restaurant's signature key lime pie, cheese cake with fresh berries, and chocolate ganache.
Key Lime's kitchen staff is captained by Executive Chef A.J. Wells and Pastry Chef Tricia King. Bartender Ted Lowry is “an artist in his own right,” according to Parlett. His homemade caipirinha—Brazil's national drink, made with cachaça (a sugarcane product)—along with both red and white homemade sangrias, are testaments to his artistry.
What are your thoughts on tapas? Maybe I'm off base in seeing a partisan divide, but it seems a contentious offering whenever my friends are deciding where to go for a group dinner. Its supporters and detractors are equally loud, and there's hardly ever anyone in the middle (sort of like everything else in this country, I suppose). As a point of comparison, my suggestions of Ethiopian are rejected out of hand by all.
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~Andrew
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