First Look: Tatel Is A Spanish Delight

The latest jewel in the Beverly Hills triangle crown is Tatel, a new Spanish restaurant helmed by Michelin chef Luigi Fineo. It’s glamorous and comfy all at the same time, and feels like a local hangout that’s been there for years.

Housed in the former Nic’s Beverly Hills space, a cozy bar, used brick walls and red Naugahyde booths frame the latest concept of Mabel Capital, whose partners include Pau Gasol, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal.

After numerous trips to Spain over the past year, Fineo has taken a detour from his Puglian past and created a personalized menu of traditional Mediterranean dishes.

Seafood paella (Wonho Frank Lee)

A variety of warm and cold starters serve as a perfect tapas menu. Classics include an artful Russian salad, a beautiful and delicious sphere of soft boiled potato and carabineros shrimp, a bluefin tuna carpaccio served with house Tatel olive oil that resembles the stained glass windows of the Catedral de León. The Spanish tortilla is a tender potato souffle topped with truffles and carabineros prawns from Spain and is combined with an avocado escabeche. And it wouldn’t be official if there wasn’t a melt-in-your-mouth 100% Iberico ham de Bellota sliced paper thin on the menu, which Fineo serves with toast and a light tomato coulis.

The main course menu is a combination of meat and fish, pasta and paellas. The Tatel Veal Milanese cutlet on the bone is a massive beast fit for a basketball player’s appetite after a playoff game, topped with truffles and a soft poached egg to smear over its breaded girth.

The outdoor patio overlooking Canon Drive is a modern contrast to the interior and plans are underway to add another courtyard in the back of the restaurant. A small stage at the end of the bar features live music and Spanish guitar every day of the week in 20-minute sets.  They have  a variety of live entertainment, with a different theme each night including live bands playing jazz, modern and cultural Spanish sounds as well as  deejays playing classic and top hits.

And don’t be surprised if you encounter a strolling saxophonist approaching your table.

Spanish sounds at Tatel (Michele Stueven)