CHIC From Barcelona

SAD :(Was excited to meet up with mi amigos it was our favortie place for lunch. Showed up and it was empty. Closed down! Disappointed their ¼ chicken was the BOMB! It came w/​shot of shot of gazpacho, salad w/​orange vinaigrette dress and garlic rice with olive oil and apples. MAN what a combo! It was mouth-​watering Deeelicious!!! But now we must find another… thrilled!
Anybody with any another recommendation?

CHIC from Barcelona is closing… their last day is Jan 5^th 2011, and on this day they are having a private, reservation only party…$ 40 includes tax & gratuity, cocktails, dinner, open bar. Just saw on their facebook and thought I’d share.

As far as tapas go, this definitely isn’t my favorite joint in Dallas (that’d be Café Madrid.) But Chic is a great dinner spot.
You can grab a pitcher of sangria and enjoy a nice variety of Mediterranean-​inspired dished. The roasted chicken with cinnamon apples was my favorite, and the patatas bravas were sub-​par.

I went for the tapas. I had spent the summer in Madrid, basically eating tapas every day or every other, so I was used to a specific standard.
I went to Café Madrid in Dallas, and it didn’t do it for me (plus, a tapa was $ 7! wtf? In Spain I never paid more than 2.50 euro for the same style, better quality tapa, but anyway.)
I looked this place up on Unilocal,and decided to give it a try during happy hour (because it’s too expensive for what it is during normal hours). I got the three tapas for 9.99 deal, plus a shot of gazpacho.
The gazpacho was good, but maybe too thick and there was too much of a tomato taste. Yes, I know that it’s mostly a tomato smoothie, but you ought to be able to taste other vegetables.
Now the tapas: I got the three very typical ones: with manchego cheese, with sausage slices, and with tortilla de patatas (spanish potato omelette). All came on BIG pieces of bread that had tomato spread over it (Spain tapas typically don’t have both the tomato and the cheese, only one, so I was very grateful for this). The tomato spread was pretty good. The size was very worth the [happy hour] price (at $ 3.33/each). The cheese tapa was phenomenal. The meat one also good. Now, the tortilla one was mediocre because the omelette was clearly reheated in a microwave, which made it taste pretty bad, but I can’t really complain since I went in the early afternoon when there was noone there. Maybe if I got it cold, it would have been better.
Overall, I would recommend this place as being one of the more authentic Spanish places in Dallas.

We went to this place expecting a tapas place, first and foremost. We chose it exactly because we were in the mood for tapas. We didn’t get what we were hoping for unfortunately.
My wife has lived in Spain in the past and sometimes gets a craving for great, fresh authentic tapas in the summertime. (She often says that Dallas reminds her of the south of Spain.) The restaurant itself makes a big deal of how authentic it is, as do some of the Unilocal reviews, so we went in feeling very optimistic about it.
However, we felt like the food was quite unremarkable – quite bland and uninspired. We both «wanted» to like it, and at first we were trying to give the place the benefit of the doubt, but after 3 – 4 different tired dishes even my optimistic momentum was waning. We did like the squid and the croquets, but most of the stuff was just not very good.
Near the end of the meal, I used the restroom and on my «perp walk» back and forth across the restaurant I noticed that 90% of the people had dinners, not tapas. Perhaps 1 tapa plate as an appetizer, but not an entire meal of tapas. Maybe that is where we went wrong.
Reviewers here seem to love the chicken at CHIC, so maybe that’s fine, but don’t go for the tapas.

Excellent rotisserie chicken. Bottom line. The skin and the seasonings are really delicious. I finally made it here for lunch after only having been for dinner previously, and the ¼ chicken lunch meal is a nice value.
The shot of gazpacho was tasty, and the Veronica salad was good despite the somewhat weird strongly orange-​flavored vinaigrette dressing. The chicken was the main star, served with apples and rice. I enjoyed the intense garlic flavor of the rice, but I’d imagine it could be a little much for some.
I feel bad that CHIC is tucked so far back from Forest behind the likes of Snappy Salads, Torchy’s, and Potbelly… it may be hidden, but it’s deserving of more attention.

I always enjoy this place. It never seems busy though. I wonder if it will last.
The chicken is killer. Made with curry spices, it is a totally different taste than you’ll get from a traditional rotisserie chicken.
Also on the menu are plenty of other tapas and tasty choices.
Give it a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Long do my review since I was there for third time last week. First of all I recognize Magda & Rafa, for being super hostesses. We do not eat chicken while dining out but there is a must, my wife had Beef Maga, (Carpaccio), we order papas bravas and I croquettes, (pomes resole), with this main course a cold Cava, (Spanish champagne). For dessert crema Catalana and mel i mato, while listen Joan Manuel Serrat music in the background. Rafael had my wife to draw one of his plate for restaurant wall since she is a artist and graphic designer, (is the one with two chicks dancing tango) Three times there and always delish, super services, great atmosphere, and lots of fun.
In spanish we say «hasta la proxima majos»

There was a purpose to this visit — I’m looking for a place to hold my wedding reception and read that CHIC has a few room options. I also wanted to try out their menu so we headed there with another couple to scope it out.
If CHIC refers to clean lines/​stark furniture, then this place nails it. The restaurant had a type of «sterile» feel to it, and I don’t mean that in a good way. The chairs are hard — not comfortable in any way. I was hoping the décor was not a reflection on the food.
We ordered the chicken and I can understand why some of the previous reviews refer to it as greasy, but olive oil is poured around the meat for presentation and for dipping your bread into it. It was good — but seriously, how hard is it to «f’ up a chicken? The shrimp in garlic sauce was just «meh» — needed some heat as in spice. The pa amb tomaquet (bread rubbed with tomato) was alright, but I’ve had better. And that was basically how the rest of the tapas ranked. The sangria, however, is slammin’! If I had to give a recommendation for tapas, I would probably direct them to Café Madrid even though I think Madrid’s sangria sucks. Will keep looking for a party room…

CHIC is one of those places I would never have considered visiting. But then my office gets wind of it and they start talking about how it’s «the best chicken in town» and I think, «OK, CHIC, let’s dance.»
And dance we did.
I left Chic with a lot of maybes floating in my head.. .
–Maybe they’re trying to capture the essence of Spain with their relaxed approach to getting your food to you. Maybe that’s BS and the service is just slow.
— Maybe they have the best chicken in town. Maybe it’s a roaster chicken soaking in oil.
— Maybe gazpacho is supposed to be served room temp in Barcelona (thinking back to the time I was in Barcelona.. .nope).
— Maybe you shouldn’t bill yourself as authentic Spanish cuisine if you drag ass to get paella on the menu.
— Maybe you should have started with paella a long time ago because it’s the best thing on the menu and it took me three trips before it made it to the menu.
— Maybe I could move in and live off your Mel i mató.. .After all, cheese + honey translates to delicious in every language!
Maybe I’ll come back.. .but maybe I’ll stick with Si Tapas.

I hate to do this, ruin Chic’s average star rating, but I just did not enjoy my meal here. I met Jenn here for lunch one day and we arrived a little before they opened. It was a pretty November day so we stood outside for 5 — 10 minutes until they opened the doors.
We had the croquetas, the vegetarian paella, and then I ordered the gambas al ajillo while Jenn ordered the canelons. None of the food was even remotely hot when it was brought to the table, and the canelons were sent back to be reheated. The paella was greasy and luke warm and the shrimp (which were supposedly spicy) had no kick whatsoever.
Supposedly the chicken is what people come to Chic for… but back in November I was 100% anti-​chicken (thanks to a food poisoning incident back in June)… and as of today, March 9^th, I still have to be persuaded to even think about poultry.

I think it’s always a healthy exercise to try different cuisines, and CHIC is different than I’ve had so far; I headed there one day for a lunch adventure.
This style of food isn’t inherently vegetarian, but there are easy substitution options, which I applied to my dish. Pretty good dish, not something I would ever seek out again though.
Even though it was next-​to-​empty when we arrived, the service seemed slow but friendly.
I’m sure if you’re a non-​vegetarian and into trying something different, try some of this Spanish cooking. It’s worth a try if you’re in an adventurous mood.

I was really excited to try this place and had to drag my fiancé there by telling him about all of the rave reviews.
The place seemed more «fast-​foody» than I expected. I was thinking since it was tapas, it would have more of a Sangria’s or Café Madrid ambiance to it. As for the food, it was really just unimpressive. The famed chicken just seemed like any roasted chicken… except it was sitting in a pool of olive oil — not bad, not great. We also tried the ceviche (on par), Pa amb tomàquet with manchego cheese (not-​so-​good), and the Gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp — the best thing we ordered).
All-​in-​all, we went in with high expectations and left feeling a bit disappointed.

CHIC is famous for their rotisserie chicken and it did not disappoint! The perfectly-​cooked, curried and herb-​crusted half chicken rests in a shimmering pool of olive oil along with a side of roasted apples. OMG, it is soooo good! It looks a bit oily but you don’t feel gross and disgusting after eating it (like you might after eating Boston Market) 4.5 stars for this chic!

Wanted to find a good tapas place in the Dallas area since I’m a big fan of small plates and Spanish food. Went here for lunch with co-​workers on a Friday. The restaurant was mostly empty. Three other tables were occupied.
On the plus side, they have special lunch pricing: 3 tapas from a moderately lengthy list of items for $ 9.99. I ordered shrimp w/​garlic, gulas, and squid. The squid was very good. It tasted fresh, lightly seasoned w/​garlic and salt. The gulas (baby eels) was not what I had expected. I wish they had a picture menu because I wouldn’t have ordered it. It was mostly flavorless, served at room temp, and looked like small white worms in oil. The shrimp was pretty good, but could have used more favor. Others at the table got the veggie paella, which was deemed «ok» because it was lacking in favor. I wonder if their much-​talked-​about chicken is more flavorful.
Too bad they didn’t serve serrano ham… I would have tried to add it to all 3 dishes to try to make the food tastier.

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE RESTUARANT… TIED ONLY TO TOULOUSE!
Why I love Chic with my whole body, mind, and soul:
1. It’s just like Barcelona! Even the Gaudi sidewalk out front is exactly like the sidewalks along the beautiful Catalunyan streets!
2. The sangria is the best I’ve had in the US– EVER!
3. The croquetas– SUPERB. I’m crazy for the croquetas. They spin around my head while I sleep they are so amazing and delicious and PERFECT! Croquetas are like little lightly friend nuggets filled with soft, perfect delicious fresh cheese. They also have ones filled with egg and chicken, but the cheese is la bomba.
4. Pan amb tomaquet (bread smeared with olive oil and tomatoes) Smeared is kind of an ugly word, and this isn’t ugly. It’s delicious. It’s delicate and beautiful.
5. The décor is really magical and cheerful and I am obsessed with it.
The other tapas I’ve tried here are the patatas bravas (potatoes with a mayo/​ketchup sauce) and the paella. They’re good– but the croquettas get the big award in my book.
Please try this delicious slice of heaven. It’s kind of a strange location but once you enter the door, you enter the most amazing European city. I lived in Barcelona for one year and this restaurant really takes me back there.
Hip Hip Hooray! Three cheers for CHIC!

Taste (A-​), Food Presentation (A-​), Creativity (A-​), Portion/​Value (B-​), Service (B+), Atmosphere (A)
In full disclosure, I went to this restaurant about 6 months ago. I visited Spain in May though and can vouch that this is authentic Spainish food. If you were to travel to Spain, the level of quality food you get here is comparable to a decent Spanish restaurant in Barcelona. In Spain, they compliment the chicken with cider, maybe to get a more authentic experience. Café Madrid and De Tapas on the other hand are more Americanized. I will say that the food is not as saucey as Café Madrid, but I think the European cuisine is more on the simplicity and quality of the ingredients side then overly saucy.
With my growing dining experience, I have learned that restaurants that smother you with sauces can hide the quality of their ingredients then places that do it straight and simple.
Try this place, you may like it. It is very authentic Spanish cuisine. Not the best relative to Spain but not bad — good.

I want to give this place and the owners a big hug. I’m excited to have another spot for the work lunch rotation. I brought Angela G. along and I have to admit, we were skeptical at first. For some reason the fact that the Petland sign encroached onto the CHIC territory really bothered me. I hate Petland because they sell puppy mill puppies, and something about a mean pet store all up on the restaurant where I want to eat says «unsanitary» to me.
But that was all foolishness. We got inside and it was very bright and airy. We were welcomed by open spaces and cheery yellow walls adorned by plates that looked like they were decorated by some serious fans of this place. They serve you a plate of the cutest tiniest green olives at the beginning of the meal – I could have eaten a giant bowl of them! Yum.
We tried the famous chicken as well as a few tapas: albondigas (delicious homemade meatballs covered in a slightly sweet and tangy homemade tomato sauce), one each of chicken, cheese, egg, and bacon croquettes, and the veggie paella topped with a grilled shrimp. The croquettes, while decent, all KINDA tasted the same to me. The bacon one was über bacon-​y but I had a hard time distinguishing the other three. I should have paid more attention when he told us which was which! The owner was SUPER nice by the way, and explained everything to us in his adorable Barcelona-​n (?) accent. I really liked the meatballs although I still haven’t made up my mind what I think about the sauce, and the paella was tasty as well. I am anxious to try their full serving with meats in it.
So the verdict on the chicken? Daaamn good! The flavors all mingled so nicely with each other. What really made it I think was the hint of curry. Normally I take the chicken skin off when I order rotisserie or fried chicken (I know, shameful), but rest assured I ate every bite of the skin off this baby – it was really wonderful, and the chicken delightfully juicy. The roasted apples were a satisfying accompaniment, but not quite satisfying enough to substitute for dessert :) The crema catalana (a colder version of crème brûlée with a lemon essence) was freakin awesome and the mel i mato, a white cheese topped with a dollop of honey was alright, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the cheese.
So anyway, I liked this place so much that I brought my mom here for Mother’s day as well! She and my fiancé are also now fans of the place. On this instance we also tried the whitefish and griddled squid tapas – whitefish a little too salty (good if you like anchovies I guess) and the squid kind of tasteless. But everything else was really good again, including the roasted veggies on toasted bread and the garlic shrimp.
We had the crema catalana not knowing they were going to bring us little cups of flan at the end! The flan just may be the best I’ve ever had. The other patrons totally got to see our O-​faces the second we tasted it. Again, seriously, damn.
And my mommy and I got pretty roses on our way out! I’m so coming back here.

It’s an interesting choice of a mascot — a cute, furry yellow chick — for a Spanish tapas restaurant. It’s particularly salient as you tear through their self touted «best rotisserie chicken in Dallas» and see the chick on a sign out of the corner of your eye — it’s a bit hard to swallow the first bite, but by the second delicious bite it gets easier to ignore the chick.
Painted in a bright, but soothing yellow, the dining room is airy, modern, and casual. The tables allow for small and large parties alike. They have a nice outdoor patio area that does look out on a lustrous concrete parking lot, but on a nice evening you could convince yourself you were looking out on Las Rambles. CHIC is located in a middle of a strip mall and a bit hard to see from the street — it’s located across the street from La Madeleine.
The menu consists of both entrees and tapas. The tapas menu seemed a bit light for a Spanish place, but again, Spanish food isn’t all tapas. The signature rotisserie chicken dish is quite good. Nicely seasoned with olive oil and spices it’s also served with baked pears. We were apparently 30 minutes too late to order the 3 tapas for $ 9.99, which is an incredible deal, but we decided to order the shrimp, squid, and croquettes anyway. Shrimp and croquettes were very good. Squid was a little plain for my taste.
The service was spot on. Our waiter even brought out a sample of their delicious flan, I think as a consolation for not getting the 3 tapas for $ 9.99. Still, with three tapas, a chicken entrée, and a glass of bubbly, check came out to less than $ 40 — not a bad deal. Overall, this would be a wonderful place for a casual dinner with friends or family. They’re not usually open Sundays — FYI!

I went back to Chic for lunch the other day and found out they have 3 for 9.99 tapas until 7 pm and they have beefed up their tapas menu to have more options on it. Best. News. Ever! Yum!