Union Square’s Casa B wows with its modern twist on the Spanish Tasca
Casa B is an new restaurant in Union Square in Somerville that will win your heart. It’s a modern take on the Spanish Tasca, bringing together the influences of Colombia and Puerto Rico and creating a dining experience you won’t soon forget.
The atmosphere is warm and inviting. Angelina, one of the owners, greets you as if you are family. Antique doors decorate the wall on the stairway down to a little dining area. A large faux window is filled with tropical greenery. In the front is a little bar area overlooking the prep area. It feels almost like you’re in a friend’s kitchen.
The menu is vast. Tablas (served on a plank with little bowls of assorted snacks), pinchos (small portions of meat or seafood served on bread), and of course, tapas. They also serve cenas, which they describ as “an evening meal to be enjoyed amongst friends and in the warmth of our home.” This captures the feel of the place.
We started with a spiced sangria and an avocado margarita. Then came the oysters. Wow. The food at this place is stunningly presented. I’ve never seen oysters like this. They were grilled and stuffed with sweet plantain corn relish and red pepper aioli sauce, then plated beautifully with some kind of edible flowers on top. Other highlights of included Bacalao Salad over Toast. I’m not normally a huge fan of Bacalao, but this was seasoned perfectly. It was light, yet full of flavor. The Meatballs in Guava sauce doesn’t sound exciting, but try it in Spanish: Albondigas En Salsa De Guayaba. They tasted more like that. And there were a lot of them. We had to stop ourselves. The were out of the Yucca-Stuff Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon with a Cilantro Ginger Dipping Sauce, but I understand they are to die for. I will definitely go back for them.
Desert, was simply beautiful. Chocolate molten cake with homemade vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut over a pomegranate puree. It tasted as good as it looked.
What I love about this place, is that it is the whole package. Simple, modern decor with warm touches. It’s an atmosphere that is uttery charming. Amazing dishes that bring together sweet tropical flavors with savory complements. A very sophisticated spin on comfort food. And lastly, a level of artistic presentation that you might expect in a fancy french restaurant downtown, but not in a little tapas place in Union Square. You can feel the care and attention that goes into each dish. You can also taste it.
I love eating out in Boston, and I think we have an incredible selection of restaurants around town. This one surprised me though. This one is different. Special. Very much worth the trip.
We told the folks at Casa B about our campaign to bring Top Chef to Boston. They were very excited. Turns out they are all big fans of the show. If the show and cast do end up coming to Boston, I’m guessing they leave being big fans of Casa B too!
#TopChef #YouGottaTryBoston
