For the birthday dinner, the wife and I went to a small Tapas place in Newark – yes, that Newark. Corey Booker is trying to revitalize Newark with a brand new sporting arena, an invigorating university section, and surprisingly great food places in the Ironbound section – a far cry from the dark, foreboding city when I first started going to school there about 9 years ago.

Mompou, about a 5 min walk from Penn Station, is a stylish little Tapas lounge that our friend Xu turned us on to. The stylish interior decor, the hip crowd and the fancy plates of tapas make you almost think you’re in a chic Manhattan or Brooklyn eatery! The food is plentiful and not overpriced, the setting intimate, and the sangria delicious. We ordered three tapas – the highly recommended Chorizo, the adventurous Octopus, and the so-so Tortilla tapa. There was also a forgettable dessert at the end, but the rest of the food and the ambiance made up for the disappointing end. In all, a wonderful birthday dinner – thanks honey!

♥   Continue reading Restaurant Review: Mompou Tapas Bar & Lounge