Lizarran Tapas Restaurant ($47)

Lizarran's is a Spanish Tapas (google it) restaurant with an interesting but flawed concept. It's like an appetizer buffet but each item comes with a toothpick which you place in a little cup after you are done eating. When your meal is finished the server will count how many toothpicks you have in the cup and then give you a bill. It's kind of cool but if you order off the menu your service takes a lot longer because they're too busy doing other stuff.

After you are seated the server explains to you how the place works. There's an appetizer bar with a selection of cold treats (and toothpicks) where you can sample things for yourself and the hot tidbits are brought to you by the server as they come out of the oven. They'll let you know when something new is being passed around by ringing a bell. I felt like I was on a cattle drive and they were ringing one of those chuck wagon dinner triangles.

I thought the selection was very limited but I later found out that they gave me a menu with a few missing pages. I ordered the Paella which is a mixture of rice, muscles, ribs (MISSING), shrimp, chicken, calamari (MISSING), and peas and peppers. I looked all over for the ribs and calamari because those are my two favorite things. Didn't find them.

We didn't really understand the whole toothpick thing so we ended up ordering separate appetizers which turned out to be bad because the server forgot to put our order in. I had to sit and listen to the same Spanish version of Hotel California about half a dozen times before I got any food in me. I don't know why they didn't change the song. Maybe they're huge Eagles fans.

They had a fancy name for this cheese platter but I just called it a cheese platter. Pretty good especially mixed with the next order:

A selection of cured meats

Here's the mini mountain of prosciutto, cheese, and a walnut for crunch on a bruschetta that I made.

My Paella Mixta (with the missing rib meat and calamari)

Tarta Santiago con chupito de Vino dulce (Cake with a shot of wine)

The great thing about this place was that they realized that they didn't serve us all too well and made up for it with extra attention and a couple free desserts. I actually do really respect that and will probably go back because of it. The Tarta Santiago was ok but the the next dessert was much better:

Tarta de Chocolate

This one rocked. It had little chocolate chips on top and was just really damn good. If I'm ever rich and have a wife that married me just for the money I'd eat this for breakfast every day.

The Bill <3

I don't know if I like it when the server puts the little heart by their name because to me it's pretty much like saying, "Yeah, don't forget to tip you cheap bastard". The girl was cute and smiled so I let that one slide.

Taste ------------- (7) Appetizers rocked but paella was sub par
Presentation -----(9) Nice place. Had 2 TVs with the game on.
Price ------------- (5) A bit expensive. $1.75 a toothpick
Availability ----- (4) In Fullerton and maybe somewhere else?
Quantity --------- (7) Lots of food but you paid for it
Service ---------- (8) They made up for forgetting our order
Satisfaction ----- (9) I'll come back but only to drink and snack

The place is not a great restaurant if you want a quite sit down meal with a variety of entree choices or if you hate Eagles cover songs. It is however an awesome place to drink, watch the game, drink, eat appetizers, and drink. I'd definitely go back for the latter.