tapas gitana.

i'd say mediterranean food & spanish tapas are my two favorite types of food. so when there was a groupon for tapas gitana in boystown, i jumped at the opportunity.

tapas gitana is quite different from café ba ba reeba. while they do have clearly marked vegetarian and gluten free items, they don't have all that much vegan stuff. even their gazpacho has mayo in it ... you can't get more spanish than that, can you? they love putting mayo in everything. blech.

anywho ... for this trip, i strayed from my normal tapas tastings. here's what i had :

aceitunas aliñadas :

marinated spanish olives with onions, garlic and herbs.

ok, so i didn't completely skip out on my faves. these olives were yum. i mean, when you love olives as much as i do, you can't really go wrong. and the marinated onions were awesome on the pan gratis. plus plus plus. 

my entree ... here's where the shocker will come in ...

paella vegetariana :

vegetarian paella made with bell peppers, onions, & assorted seasonal vegetables, baked in saffron broth.

i haven't had paella in ages and this was awe-some. super flavorful, a great mix of veggies (artichokes & asparagus? yes, please) and a very large portion for the price. it's the most authentic paella i've had outside of the motherland and i would definitely order it again ... in fact, i would go so far as to say that tapas gitana is my new go-to spot for paella. woah.

my only complaint is that it took longer than the estimated 35-45 minutes for preparation ... and we were there are 5pm on a sunday. oh well. 

so while tapas gitana might not be the best place for vegans in the city, it's still a great place to dine ... especially if you are craving some tasty & traditional spanish paella.