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Noche: Tapas & More
by Christine Woodhouse

While the Virginia Highlands neighborhood in Atlanta certainly includes great restaurants, it is also well known for its nightlife. Noche is the rare venue where you can savor both. On a recent Wednesday night, my friend and I sidled up to the bar where we could enjoy premium people watching while ordering a continuous stream of small plates. At one end of the long, curving counter, two girls chatted on cell phones while self-consciously arranging themselves like displays for the front window. A string of red paper lanterns connected us overhead, while the lively, open kitchen provided more visual entertainment.

We watched the friendly, open atmosphere play out in front of us as our friendly bartender, Chris, greeted regulars by name and took orders they knew by heart. From our vantage point we also flooded Chris with a barrage of questions about preferred tapas, obscure ingredients and various drink specials.

I consider myself a connoisseur of bargains but discovered there are more than I can name at Noche. I knew about $1 Dos Equis on Sundays and all-you-can-eat tapas for $10 on Mondays. But I was unaware that Tuesday means $3 Texas margaritas and Wednesday equals $3 glasses of select wine and sangria or $10 pitchers. And I’m still not sure when, but there are also $15 pitchers of sangria rojo on select nights.

We briefly tore ourselves away from the social scene just long enough to study the menu and order a few tapas. In an effort to stave off any more winter weight gain (thank you holiday parties), I lobbied for some lighter options, such as the Noche salad, sautéed spinach and chicken taco. The salad turned out to be a delicious choice, perfectly dressed with just enough oil and vinegar, spicy roasted peppers and plenty of soft goat cheese crumbles. So much for my good intentions. The sautéed spinach was equally scrumptious with warm, plump cranberries and enough salt for this sodium-fiend to get excited about. I shoved forkfuls into my mouth, hoping my friend wouldn’t realize how good it was until I’d polished it off. The chicken taco fit well with my feeble diet attempt, as it was devoid of the usual mess of cheese. Instead, the zesty and slightly sweet chicken came piled high with peppers and guacamole. It wasn’t the easiest plate to share but that suited me fine since I had no desire to do so. (Pretending to be generous and cooperative with tapas while secretly hoarding your favorites is a fine art.)

Initially dissuaded by the description of crab dip encased in rice paper and then fried, I did not anticipate liking my friend’s choice of the spinach and crab. However, I could not resist the perfect little package of plump crab meat and chopped spinach, wrapped in rice paper and cinched with a corn husk. The plate was colorfully striped with orange-colored lobster butter and green poblano butter, and a sprinkle of tiny, clover-like sprouts for garnish. After cracking through the truly ‘lightly’ fried rice paper, I was delighted at the consistency of pure crab and spinach, miraculously missing any mayonnaise mush.

Next, the lobster taco came rolled up tight and cut in half with one end balanced over the other in a delicious display. Inside, oaxaca cheese melted around the steamed lobster meat, keeping things in place and preventing the typical taco dripping disaster. Continuing with our newfound seafood theme, we ordered garlic shrimp and mussels next. We found only two actual shrimp in the hearty, stew-like dish but they were good sized and definitely quite tasty. Submerged in a salty tomato sauce with caramelized onions and chunks of potato, the shrimp averaged out as a decent plate. Luckily, the mussels were more plentiful, in a lobster broth swimming with sliced garlic and hominy, then topped with zesty chunks of tomato and large, crusty croutons.

It seemed a shame not to try the grilled pork loin special so we added one last tapas to our pile of plates. The neatly sliced pork came with a rosy, red-colored sauce poured on top and a generous mound of plantain mashed potatoes. The lure of lusciously sweet plantains drew my fork straight to the potatoes and I was not disappointed. They were so good I was forced to fake indifference in hopes of keeping them to myself. I talked up the masterful pairing of red pepper jelly with the tender pieces of pork -- sweet yet herby, and really quite good. While the complete combination of flavors on the plate were absolutely divine, I fell hardest for those sweet plantains hidden in the whipped white potatoes.

For our Noche finale, we chose the Mexican chocolate cream cheese brownie. The dense chocolate brownie anchors a thick cream cheese layer, which is topped with a drizzle of warm cajita (a melted, milk-based candy) and a brown sugar tortilla cactus perched in the middle. Cinnamon ice cream comes on the side with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced strawberries for good measure. Unlike so many other over-adorned desserts, this one tastes as good as it looks. If only everything in life were as beautiful and tasteful as a meal at Noche.

Noche is located at 1000 Virginia Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306. For reservations call (404) 815-9155.

From top: Mussels; Pizza; Tuna; Executive Chef.