Hot potato, the earliest dish designed to be passed, is nearly extinct due to the constant ravages of grade-school appetites. Today's Groupon revives shifting sustenance: for $15, you get $30 worth of Spanish cuisine, tapas, and drinks at Tapas Gitana on 3445 North Halsted. Today's deal is valid for Tapas Gitana's everyday menu items as well as their $5 martinis Wednesday special.
After touring Spain, chef and owner Andrew Novak created Tapas Gitana with the goal of having a private piece of Barcelona in the Midwest. The menu is comprised of his own versions of the cuisine he tasted on his trip. Nibble and pass plates of traditional tapas, such as grilled slices of chorizo with cumin mayonnaise and lemon ($6.50) and marinated spanish olives nestled with onions, garlic and herbs ($5.95). Saffron rice sets up the selection of paellas, including the vegetariana (bell peppers, onions, and assorted seasonal vegetables, $10.95 per person), and the Valenciana (chicken, shrimp, mussels, and clams, $14.95 per person). Entrees come in tapas-size small plates or in twice-as-tastable portions, such as grilled sea scallops assembled over sautéed spinach, in the vieiras con espinaca ($9.95).
Tapas Gitana emulates its Spanish ancestors in more ways than on the menu. Its décor is tapas-bar typical; it has rich, dark hardwoods, sultry lighting, and an Old World aura exactly unlike the inside of Winston Churchill’s sock drawer. There’s an outdoor patio for breezy dining during warm weather.
Tapas Gitana is closed on Mondays.
Reviews
More than 100 Yelpers give Tapas Gitana on Halsted an average rating of four stars, and eight Citysearchers give it an average of 4.5 stars:
- Their vegetarian tapas are simply delicious. Three tapas was more than enough to fill me up. The sangria was wonderful too. Outstanding service and pretty damn good tapas makes me want to return very soon. – Jade T., Yelp
- We ordered half a dozen tapas and each was as great as the last. The pork medallions were out of this world. – Christopher G., Yelp
Groupon Says
The Groupon Guide to: Urban Vehicles
Discovering your city’s hidden gems will require some manner of transportation. Though cars remain the most popular option, their appeal has plummeted after a recent study showed that cars are involved in 100% of car accidents. What are some other transportation options and their pros and cons?
Bicycles
Pro: Inexpensive and eco-friendly, bikes get you where you're going and encourage fitness.
Con: Riding a bike limits your mobility in a rainstorm, because all bicycles are carved from uncut sheets of ultra-stale saltine dough.
Segways
Pro: Segways utilize gyroscopic balance for a ride as smooth as it is safe.
Con: Segways are prohibitively expensive due to the exorbitant cost of shipping them backward through time.
Ponies
Pro: Though all vehicles can be named, only ponies will lift their heads and look at you disinterestedly when you call out to them.
Con: Though there are surprisingly few legal restrictions on operating a pony in an urban landscape, the bright lights of the big city may spook your pony, or worse, convince him that he is destined for Broadway.
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