Experience Bocado

Bocado Tapas Bar is exactly as I remember it back when Worcester’s restaurant renaissance began nearly a decade ago. The library ladder, pristine chalkboarding, fixtures resembling tentacled sea creatures, red art deco chairs, and light boxes revealing spirited silhouettes are all still intact. There’s a certain amount of comfort in the consistency of Bocado’s concept, which has rooted itself in Worcester’s unconscious with the suavity of a salsa dancer. Consequently, Latin Fever Thursdays have been a staple of the restaurant since it opened.

Without a doubt, Bocado attracts the most fashionable crowd of any established restaurant I’ve visited in the city of Worcester. Poplin, brights, slides, bell bottoms, bodysuits and cutouts walked through the door over the course of our two and a half hour meal. 

We caught the last rattle of Restaurant Week on a Friday evening visit. Bocado offers similar options year round, based on your party’s size — noted on the menu as “Experiences.” Restaurant Week for our party of four included six tapas served family-style, followed by Churros and Warm Banana Walnut Bread Pudding, all for just $100.68.

We sat at a table in the front room, with full view of the bar and the street. Bocado boasts three dining rooms, each with varying ambience. The rear space is contemporary, great for dates. The raised room in the center of the restaurant has a bullfighter motif and suits families. And the front is the most casual, perfect for dinner with friends.

Our server was exceptionally knowledgeable about Spanish wines and equally receptive to our ambiguous descriptions. She poured me a glass of the 2014 Torres Vina Esmerelda, an intriguing medium-bodied selection that emitted aromas of honey and orange blossoms. My guests enjoyed the House Blend Sangria, a wine punch crafted behind the bar featuring fruit driven Spanish reds, brandy, honey, triple sec and fresh citrus ($7.50 per glass.)

Each member of our party picked out one tapas plate and we left the last two selections to our server with the logic that she would be capable of helping us to avoid the filler options that inevitably appear on such extensive menus. She was more than happy to oblige.

Although it took 45 minutes before we were coordinated enough as a group to place our order, food began to arrive at our table almost instantaneously. The first dish to appear was the Pecho de Res Cocido, a five-hour beef brisket braised in barbecue sauce and served over yukon mashed potatoes, espelette and creme fraiche. A small helping came first, which we shared easily between the four of us applauding the tenderness of the beef. Then, a gentleman set down a dish double the size of the first on our table, explaining that he had accidentally brought us the wrong portion on his first go-around. Needless to say, we were not bothered by the error.

Next, came the Mejillones Salteados con Tomate, sauteed mussels tossed with garlic, sun-dried tomato, basil, cracked black pepper, white wine and cream. The mussels were delicate and sweet. We received a bowl too small for our pile of shells and also a large plate full of crusty bread to sop up the creamy broth. The table had grown into a delightful puzzle of oddly-sized dishes by the time the Ensalada De Madalena arrived. Here, we identified one of the menu’s filler dishes. The heaping salad had generous bites of avocado, slices of red onion, hearts of palm, manchego and tomatoes that tasted like water. I was surprised the salad hadn’t been the first dish sent out, but perhaps it was best sandwiched between other items more memorable like the mushrooms that followed. The Saltea Do De Setas del Bosque included sauteed forest mushrooms, silky polenta, goat cheese butter, sherry vinegar glaze and shallot crisps. This small plate offered the most complexity of any of the tapas we sampled on account of its pillowy base.

Our last two dishes had been our server’s selections, and just as we suspected, she had a knack for rounding out our meal. The Jerez Panceta de Cerdo a la Brasa was comprised of crisp braised pork belly, creamy corn andpotato puree, sriracha barbecue and pickled vegetables. The pork belly vanished almost immediately, so light and indulgent. Finally, we enjoyed the Remolachas Asadas - a dish our server suggested we recreate at home for its delicious simplicity. The satisfying combination included earthy roasted beets, silky avocado, crumbly feta, orange blossom honey, sherry vinegar and a sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts. It could have substituted for dessert. That said, Churros and Warm Banana Walnut Bread Pudding arrived regardless – both of which felt like a bit of an afterthought, neither exuding the freshness I craved at the end of a marathon meal.

Bocado hasn’t changed a great deal in nearly a decade of operation, but it represents a landmark in Worcester’s restaurant history that supersedes a call for growth. Plenty of servers and bartenders date back to the establishment’s beginning in an industry that famously struggles with retention. Accordingly, the staff knows Bocado’s menu inside and out; ordering without asking for guidance from Bocado’s team of professionals is a misstep on the part of any guest. Bocado’s tapas have been adapted to suit American culture, and likely won’t amuse individuals with authentic Spanish cuisine in mind, but they mark the perfect stepping stone for newly adventurous eaters and eclectic groups in search of a playful experience.

Two rounds of drinks, six small plates and dessert left us with a total of $179.42.