I read through the reviews and was surprised by how uneven they were. I've only been there once, so I don't know if the food is inconsistent, but my experience was fantastic. My family is Basque, from Northern Spain and we have a tremendous culinary tradition. Tinto is the most authentic Spanish restaurant I've been to on the West Coast. The croquetas were absolutely out of this world. I was transported back to the parte vieja of Donosti. Txistorra, patatas bravas and really well-selected jamon serrano?all were delicious and perfectly seasoned. I wasn't crazy about the txipiriones, they were too thick-skinned and the sauce was too sweet. It needed more garlic and tomato. Also, they were stuffed so tight that none of the sauce made it into the squid while it cooked. I wanted to try more dishes, but one can only eat so much at one sitting. The wine selection is worth a visit if nothing else. The bartender is very knowledgeable and made some stunning recommendations. I was especially amused to see that they carried Txakoli, a young Basque white wine I almost never see outside of Northern Spain.\r
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I really hope they stay in business as I've FINALLY found a source for real Spanish food and not the nasty slop they try to pass off in other places in SoCal.
Pros: Genuine & delicious food, friendly staff, great wine selection
Cons: A little too dark, boring txipirones
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