Lizarran: a promising first impression
posted by Iris

Having lived six months in Spain when I was in college, I adore anything Spanish – but especially tapas and flamenco. So I was excited to read Fast Food Maven’s report that Lizarran was opening in Fullerton in late April.

For weeks, I tried to get to downtown Fullerton to try the pintxos (pronounced “pinchos”) and see how authentic they are. But before I knew it, it was June and I hadn’t made it to Lizarran yet. Finally, this week, I decided I was going over there, come hell or high water, on Tuesday night.

So what a crazy surprise to find out that Tuesday was actually its first day open to the public! Apparently Lizarran postponed the opening of its first U.S. location to address last-minute city requirements. Strangely fateful that I chose this night to go …
The storefront space has an open, casual feel, with big picture windows fronting Harbor Boulevard and a lovely dark wood bar and basic wooden tables and chairs. It’s definitely not a “clubby,” trendy place: it’s more like a cafe fixed up a bit, the recessed lighting emitting a strangely harsh, fluorescent glow (easily fixed by switching to warmer lightbulbs).

But all of it – even the lighting – definitely transported me back to the many casual eateries and typical small bars that are on every corner in Madrid and Barcelona, places that exude “cosmopolitan,” yet down-to-earth (and sometimes downright cheap).

Indeed, the food at Lizarran is cheap in price – though not cheap in quality. The pintxos – meats, cheeses, fish and egg creations atop crusty bread – cost only $1.75 each, and they bill you by how many of the toothpicks (the literal meaning of “pintxo” is “thorn” or “spike”) you collect in a little glass cup.

My pal Sam and I ordered up a total of 13 pintxos from the glass cases at the bar, and then we ordered a few appetizer dishes from the kitchen, too. (Yes, we were starved. And since it took me so long to finally get there, I wanted to try as much as I could!)

The pintxos were excellent, providing complex flavors through simple, quality ingredients and Mediterranean condiments. But the dishes from the kitchen were surprisingly bland and uninspired; perhaps they are still experimenting with those.

Details on the pintxos:

Starting with the small plate at left …

* Seared mini peppers. They look and taste just like the mild Japanese shishito peppers you can get at yakitori eateries and izakaya (pub)-style restaurants: perfect roasted flavor enhanced by just a pinch of salt; simple, addictive and perhaps our favorite of the night. So tasty that Sam and I got a second helping of them.

One of the Lizarran company managers from Spain explained, in lovely Spanish-accented English, that while the peppers are generally mild, you never know when you’re going to get one – or two – with a kick. A couple of the peppers in our two plates did release some subtle heat, but nothing too hot.

On to the larger plate, starting at lower left and going clockwise:

* Jamon y patata – ham and a potato disc, dusted with paprika. Simple and satisfying. Perfect for those who prefer milder tastes.

* Manchego cheese topped with quince and mint leaf. Why does fruit and cheese go so well together? And this specific combination of jelled quince (or is it fig?), a sliver of Manchego and the bit of mint added up to flavor perfection. This ranks in my Top 3 favorites of the night.

* Tortilla Espanola, a tapas staple. Here, they offered one with salmon and one with Jamon Serrano. Both were delicious, and very authentic, the egg and potato perfectly cooked into a dense cake flavored subtly with salt, garlic, onion and olive oil (I could actually taste each of those ingredients distinctly). Another in my Top 3 of the night.

In fact, the Jamon Serrano version was perhaps the best Tortilla Esp. I’ve had outside of Spain. Other local Spanish restaurants do decent, tasty versions of Tortilla, but most taste just like a thicker omelette; none have been as dense in texture and rich with Mediterranean flavor like this one – comfort food, for me.

* Marinated anchovy (or, according to the servers, “a cousin” of your standard anchovy). The strong, but not overwhelming, taste of lightly pickled fish paired perfectly with the sprinkling of green pepper on top. Delicious.

* Tapa de Ensaladilla Rusa (center of plate).  A Spanish-style potato salad, with tuna, hardboiled eggs, piquillo peppers and mayonnaise in the mix. Not exceptional, but tasty in a comfort-food way – another choice perfect for those who aren’t too keen on strong flavors.

Now, the plates ordered from the kitchen:

* Artichokes with Jamon Serrano: A beautiful dish of roasted artichokes topped with ham, but strangely bland. Even the crimson-colored ham was flavorless.

* Codfish croquetas: Sorta like fried mozzarella sticks, except with a filling of creamy potato blended with cod. Actually couldn’t taste the fish much at all. Served with aioli mayo.

* Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp):  This was the most disappointing dish of all here. I was expecting fresh prawns drowning in garlic and olive oil and maybe some red pepper, but instead we got a plate of (obviously frozen) shrimp in a garlic oil sauce that was surprisingly flavorless. I guess I’ve been spoiled by the Shrimp Ajillo at Sevilla in Long Beach, which come in a truly garlicky, white wine bath that’s so addictive I ask for more bread to consume every drop of the tangy sauce.

Finally, a word on the service: Lizarran has hired a young, friendly crew (Cal State Fullerton is nearby, after all) with much potential but who are still clearly inexperienced in wine and global cuisine. They’re being schooled by Lizarran employees here from Spain, and hopefully will also be taught to keep asking questions of the chef, managers and other experienced employees, so they can adequately serve Orange County’s foodies.

I also hope Lizarran doesn’t slip into corporate sameness (Grupo Lizarran already operates 250 eateries in Spain, France, Mexico, Canada and Germany) and not only keeps up the quality and authenticity of the pintxos, but also consistently introduces us to new tastes that you can’t find elsewhere in Orange County.