Tinto

Best of Philly 2007: Appetizer

Heads turn when the brocheta de cordero crosses the dining room: a trio of bacon-wrapped lamb and eggplant skewers plunged into tall, slender shot glasses, with a sweet-savory nip of onion-infused cream and sherry lamb jus at the base. And it’s love at first bite when the seared meats and veg and two sauces commingle on the tongue. This is the best of the small-plate pintxos at Tinto, Jose Garces’s intimate new Basque-influenced restaurant in the middle of condo-booming Center City. You can unskewer the meat and have at it with a knife and fork, spooning the delectable sauce over all, or use the skewer as a utensil, dipping the meat back into the shot glass after every bite. Or you could just swig the sauce like a tequila shot — it’s that good.

114 South 20th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
215-665-9150
tintorestaurant.com