Txori Bar – Fauxdie’s Review

Taste:  The octopus was yummy, perfectly seasoned with paprika and olive oil where I could still taste the star of the dish; the bread slice it was served on was good, too (not to mention they dished out a good-sized tentacle).  The oxtail was nice and meaty and didn’t taste like it had been microwaved, thank goodness… honestly, though, I have no idea what oxtail should taste like.  It was meaty.  *7/10*

Drinks: I had a cocktail that included olive oil as an ingredient.  It really wasn’t bad– just gave me Oil Lips after each sip.  I wouldn’t say it was great, either.  If you don’t want to be adventuresome with your cocktails, the fully-stocked bar is also home to ingredients for cosmos and other more familiar delights.  *6/10*

Texture: The octopus had a marvelous texture– it was typical octopus texture a la chewy without being a rubberband, and the bread on which it was presented was crunchy without being impossible to bite through.  The oxtail kinda reminded me of pulled pork, in a good way.  *9/10*

Prettiness:  Teeny white plates made the portions appear relatively large (and they were, for a Seattle tapas bar).  Nothing too special.  *4/10*

Atmosphere: The bar at which one may sit seems cool, especially if you enjoy facing a wall o’ liquor.   The tables are small and meant for small groups (and, of course, small plates), but you could probably seat up to 16 if you squished a bunch of tables together against the longest wall at the place.  Plain atmosphere that doesn’t scream “Espana!”.  *5/10*

Service: It was pretty empty when we got there, but we still had to flag down the waitress.  All plates came out at different times, so if you’re one of those people who feels awkward before other people get their food, you’ll have an awkward minute or four if you dine here. *4/10*

Price: Not bad for a Seattle tapas bar, and it at least admits to be a small plates place (Lark, I’m snarking at you).   Prices for smaller tapas were quite reasonable; they were a bit high for those plates meant to be shared.  Drinks/wines were expensive, and I didn’t see any happy hour specials for beverages. *6/10*

Overall: *7/10*

Summary:  This is definitely a good place for the more adventuresome to go for drinks and snacks; certainly one couldn’t make a meal out of the food here, unless there were plans of emptying the wallet and over-doing it on rich food.  Try a little bit of everything, because there’s a little something for everyone (even if Foodie didn’t like the meatballs, the less adventuresome diner with us enjoyed them).  And who can resist telling friends that they downed an olive oil cocktail?