Valanni

This Saturday night Sean & I and our friends Kate & John tried out a new restaurant named Valanni. We arrived at 5pm because we were having dinner before the theater. The restaurant dubs its cuisine Medi-Latin. Though I'm not sure exactly what this means, the food was delicious. The four of us shared the Serrano Ham Croquettes, Crispy Chickpeas & Chorizo, Spicy Pulled Empanadas, and Calimari. Although the calimari was nothing unique, it was well done and not a bit chewy. The other three appetizers were both unique and delicious. For an entree, Sean & I split the meat & seafood paella. The portion for two was quite large and chock full of shrimp, clams, mussels, langostines, lobster, chicken, sausage and tomatoes. The seasoning on the rice was delicious and the pan had a large surface area so there were lots of crispy bits at the bottom.
Next time we might just split the portion for one as we barely had room for dessert afterwards. Speaking of dessert, make sure you save room for the oreo beignets. They were delicious fried donuts with a crunchy oreo layer in the middle. It was accompanied by vanilla ice cream and caramel. It was the best dessert I have had in a very long time. I dream about it. Mmmm... The churros were also delicious. They were very fresh and had a great light consistency. The chocolate mousse was a bit thick but had a good milk chocolate and fruit flavor. But don't waste your time with anything other than the beignets. I will order two next time. :)