The Temperature for Tapas

On a hot and humid summer night, the last thing anyone typically wants to have for dinner is a big, heavy meal. Steak and potatoes, chili and beans, spaghetti and meatballs—while appetizing in their own right, the thought of any of the above on a steamy summer evening is stifling, causing me to sweat just a bit more than I already am. Yet there are many types of cuisine for which the sultry summer air whets the appetite perfectly, and perhaps none more so than tapas.

Which is why, when my friend Caroline and I made plans to meet for dinner last night, I suggested we go to Casaville, a French- and Moroccan-influenced restaurant on 2nd Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets, just a quick walk from the 6 train stop on 33rd and Park. Featuring fresh tapas, homemade sangria, and wide open patio doors that let in the summer evening air, Casaville’s lantern-filled dining area has a rich yet airy European feel. With a long oaken bar (where you can order half-price tapas and two-for-one glasses of wine and sangria until 7 p.m.), Casaville is the perfect place for a light yet flavorful summer meal.

We met at the bar, where we ordered Casaville’s freshly-made sangria, a fruity red concoction filled with a generous helping of apples, oranges, pineapple, and several other unidentified fruit slices. When we were ready to take a look at the menu, we—or, rather, our attentive bartender—transferred our drinks to a nearby table, where our waitress met us with a fresh basket of bread and gave us a minute to mull over the menu. Though French and Moroccan cuisines could potentially be difficult to pair together, one look at the menu ensured us that Casaville had fused the two well.

Casaville offers a selection of entrées like filet of salmon and seafood paella, but the menu really centers around small plates of hot and cold tapas—and rightly so. From a list of dishes like the spicy shrimp cigar filled with rice noodles and cabbage, wild mushroom gratin with spinach and goat cheese, and seared tuna in ginger soy vinaigrette, we narrowed our choices down to four: the briwatts, crispy pastry-like triangles stuffed with chicken, almonds, and cinnamon; small pieces of grilled baguette topped with olive oil, tomato, garlic, and chorizo; warm brie cheese with fried grapes and honey; and avocado hummus with cucumber and warm pita bread.

Our selections arrived two at a time, along with our second complimentary glasses of sangria, giving us time to enjoy each without being overwhelmed by an abundance of options and lack of table space. For each dish, the flavor combinations were paired to perfection, creating unique and mouth-watering tastes. The smooth and creamy avocado enhanced the typical hummus flavor, while the briwatts struck the perfect balance between savory and sweet. Four dishes turned out to be just the right number to share, and our selections, though light, left us satisfyingly full.

And not once did we break a sweat.