Cascal - Mountain View

Remember that scene from the mask of Zorro, where Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Bandaras are tangoing acors the room and there is that music playing in the background and all in the rest of the movie it sounds that mood that seems dangerous but romantic all at once?... Well, you'll find no danger (can be romance? in Cascal, but every Friday night they have a live band that defined. This would be an ideal place to bring a date, but it is not so posh and beautiful that you cannot come to jeans with a group of friends, order a pitcher from Sangria and sit under one of the many heat lamps that do the outdoor dining areas. I have some hits and misses with this restaurant regarding food, but the ambience is always great – lively, noisy, this place is a good way to not feel in Mountain View though you are really... just don't order the spain tapas cellar. It is beautiful and if you see a waiter who crosses with a plate, you will be tempted, but while there is an eye candy-looking dish the individual components of the plate are either too mad or strange sweet. You are better not to order what sounds good for you on the tapas menu or try one of the other samplers. Tapas restaurants are usually a little more expensive. Do not try to choose this place if you haven't eaten all day, they really try to focus more on quality than quantity.

I was only once in Cascal and the one plate I really remember is her fried Calamari. I tend to order fried Calamari when I see it on a menu, and Cascals was excellent....perfect fried and a good size (especially for a tapas square). The rest of the food was good... although expensive, as most tapas are places. And I think I'm hungry.

I am vegetarian and was very pleasantly surprised to find that they fulfill us herbivores. The mushrooms were delicious and the Spanish frits were very good! The spicy salsa complements the frits and adds another layer of complexity and taste. I found her Sangria a little watered, but the food is totally ready for it! I think this place is much better than Zarzuella in SF, which has received a lot of awards for the food and its delicious Sangria!

Great tapas of all kinds. Loved the chicken liver Tapa.

This is a good place to go to if you are with a group that likes to try almost everything in the menu. The dishes were very flavorful and very nicely presented. The mushroom empanadas are definitely something to try. The dungeness crab and shrimp tostaditos were also very good; the veggies that came with it was fresh and crisp. We also tried the paella rustica—it was very rich. Good but I was a little overwhelmed by the variety of meats. The restaurant was very nicely decorated, not too dimly lit. Their sangria was okay—I noticed on the menu that they have a choice of red, white or sparkling but the server didnt ask us for preference.