La Tasca Restaurant (Tapas), Arlington Heights

Spanish for local gathering place, La Tasca brings diners together with shareable feasts of hot and cold tapas, bubbling pots of saffron-tinged paella, and mouthwatering Iberian wines. The restaurant’s turreted, half-timbered façade hints at Old-World charm, and the décor inside sets a rustic mood with walls and columns peppered with hand-painted tiles and murals depicting bullfights, feasting peasants, and grain futures prices. Leafy garlands dangle from the rafters as guests sup on plates of patatas bravas and grilled lamb, and troubadours serenade throngs of diners and dancers with live Latin music the first Thursday and third Friday of each month. Guests pair plates with glasses of fine Spanish wine, or belly up to the luxurious marble-topped bar for tasty digestifs of jerez, mojitos, or sangria.