Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about Sanctuaria, a new Latin tapas restaurant that opened last month in The Grove. So, even though we’re trying to minimize the hemorrhaging of money from our bank account that always seems to occur around the holidays, I somehow convinced my husband that it would be worth it to check the place out last Saturday so I would have something to write about for this week’s post.

Sanctuaria is on Manchester in the space formerly occupied by Agave, the upscale, innovative Mexican restaurant that closed over the summer. I have to say right off the bat that I ate at Agave last year, and it’s displacement by Sanctuaria is definitely an improvement. As soon as we walked through the door I was impressed by the atmosphere – dark, cozy, seductive, romantic, and inviting all at the same time. The dim lighting, black crystal chandeliers and skeleton figures (Dia de los Muertos style) scattered throughout the dining area gave it a trendy goth vibe that was understated enough not to be distracting or gimmicky…

Once we were seated, we took a look at the drink menu. They have a decent selection of beer, wine, and hard alcohol, but what immediately caught our eye was the list of eight specialty drinks. All of them were very unique, and if I had an indestructible liver I would have tried them all. However, as that is not the case, I settled on the “47^th Ward” (bourbon, fresh orange and lemon juice, grenadine, Maraschino Liqueur, fresh mint) and my husband got the “Ramos Gin Fizz” (gin, fresh lemon and lime juice, simple syrup, cream, egg white, orange flower water). Both were delicious. I was a little skeptical about the egg white in the gin fizz, but it gave the drink a fun, frothy texture.

Let’s move on to the food. Since Sanctuaria is a tapas place, the menu suggested that 2-3 plates should be enough for each person. This is where I find the one major fault with this restaurant. Their recommendation seems to be based on the assumption that their typical patron has recently had his or her stomach stapled. Two plates would definitely not cut it for most people. The dishes we ordered were all delicious (which I will get to soon), but the portions were far from generous. I would say a more accurate recommendation would be 3-4 plates per person. Granted, we were pretty hungry when we got there, but we ended up ordering five tapas plates and a dessert to split between the two of us (and we were still hungry enough to hit up Ted Drewes later on that night). At around $7-$15 a plate, the prices do not mirror the petite nature of the portion sizes. I’m guessing that if most people ordered indiscriminately and ate until they were full, the cost of dinner would be close to $100 for two people. Our two drinks, 5 tapas plates, and a dessert came to a total of about $70, not including tip.

That being said, if you’re not starving or on a tight budget and have a hankering for some unique, very flavorful food, I would still highly recommend this place. The service is friendly and professional, and they were very helpful when we asked for recommendations. There are a lot of choices on the menu, and it’s vegetarian-friendly with a whole section devoted to vegetable plates.

My favorite dish was the Cabrelas Cigars – Spanish blue cheese and leek fondue rolled into phyllo “cigars.” The combination of the blue cheese with the sherry-raisin dipping sauce they drizzled over it was a great mixture of tangy and sweet. My husband inhaled the local vegetable plate of the week – a turnip hash with bacon, honey and macadamia nuts. I don’t think I’d ever eaten turnips before, but prepared this way, they were excellent. Another standout dish was the Vaca Frita with Chimichurri – shredded Angus steak with a citrus herb sauce. For dessert, we split the Mil Hojas de Platano (phyllo crisps layered with plantain mousse, chocolate ganache and caramelized plantains), which was good, but nothing to rave about.

Overall, I really liked Sanctuaria, and would definitely come back again for the right occasion. However, as I mentioned before, you won’t find many bargains here, except maybe during happy hour when they have specials on drinks and selected tapas. Judging from their website, it looks like they are hoping to transform a section of the restaurant into a nightlife hotspot called “Wild Life.” I’m not sure how this will change the restaurant ambiance and demographics, but hopefully during the dinner hours it will retain its pleasant dining atmosphere. As it is now, Sanctuaria would be a great place to go for a first date, a girls’ night out, or a dinner with friends.

Image credit – Sanctuariastl.com

Carlie is the Food and Drink Editor for Girls Guide. By day she is an educational textbook editor, and she moonlights as a foodie and barfly. You can email her at carlie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @carbirwin.