Restaurant review: La Tasca
2900 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Va.
703-812-9120

La Tasca, a Tapas spot in Clarendon, seems to have a lot going for it. The location couldn't be better, smack in the middle of booming Clarendon. The space is fun, three levels but not overly loud. And it's tapas, king of the small-plate craze.

But look beneath the surface and this place is plain awful. I keep hoping to find something that's better than average, but I keep failing. It's nothing more than Applebee's, only with Spanish crap on the walls.

The menu (too big, literally) seems impressive, sporting a wide variety of sangria, small plates and paella. But reality disappoints. The sangria (weak) is more juice than wine; orange juice seems to have more of a kick. And the food is sometimes edible, sometimes not. A recent monkfish dish came dangerously close to being spit into a napkin.

Two items on the menu worth ordering--if you must--are the chicken croquettes and the La Tasca version of bruschetta, a tangy tomato mixture on a couple slabs of bread. Not much else is worth the money, even the free olive oil (stingy) served with bread (dullsville).

It's also not cheap. Pitchers of sangria start at $18, paella runs $15-$22 per person and tapas averages $6 to $8 per plate.

Do yourself a favor and grab a burger and a beer next door at Whitlow's or head across the street to the upscale Harry's Tap Room where you'll spend about the same for far better fare.