At first glance, the menu is simply a foodie’s dream – almost 30 different small plates to choose from, all with their country of origin placed in parenthesis next to their name.

Finally, a tapas restaurant has opened in Milwaukee, and unlike other restaurants in our emerging city who claim to be of the tapas variety, this one is actually doing something right.

La Merenda, 125 E. National Ave., is situated on a quiet street in the heart of Walker’s Point. If the owners, husband-and-wife duos Nick and Melissa Cataldo and Peter and Sandra Sandroni, hadn’t put a sign out in front of their building only a few months ago, this place would, unfortunately, be overlooked.

In February 2007, the Cataldos and Sandronis finally realized their dream of many years by opening an international cuisine tapas bar and restaurant that caters to many different palates.

The building was once a drab and dreary open-floored woodworking shop with cinder blocks for walls and cement for floors. Now, it is a colorful and inviting dining room with a shabby but definitely chic bar.

Wooden tables are scattered around the large dining room. My dining partner and I take our seats at one of these tables and are instantly greeted by our server.

She lets us know that tonight, Monday night to be exact, is half-price on all bottles of wine. We quickly take a look at the not-so-diverse wine selection, and order a bottle of an Argentinean-style Malbec ($13.50).

At first glance, the menu is simply a foodie’s dream - almost 30 different small plates to choose from, all with their country of origin placed in parentheses next to their name. This was almost too exciting.

I love spicy food and so does my dining partner. We immediately gravitated toward the items on the menu that would give us some heat in our mouths: cajun-spiced baby back ribs ($7). The presentation was wonderful: a beautiful julienne of scallions lay on top of our ribs. We were expecting more, however. Not in quantity—4 ribs were enough—but in flavor.

Cajun spices generally consist of a blend of salt, pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper and other spices, depending on the variety. These ribs, however, were too mild and did not make a good first impression.

Next, two amazingly fried and crescent-shaped empanadas ($5) arrived tableside. They were fresh out of the skillet, exactly the way they should be. Staying true to the Columbian roots, the filling of tenderloin and yucca were matched perfectly together.

The cigar-shaped egg rolls, Lumpia Shanghai ($4.50), were rolled with pork and came accompanied with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Not surprising, the dipping sauce was more sweet than spicy. Though the egg rolls lacked heat, they were still phenomenal.

After we already finished three plates, a basket of bread arrived on our table. Confused, we opened up the towel lying on top to find that the bread was cold. There was also an unappetizing compote butter made of honey and orange zest.

The bread basket, in this case, was inappropriate. It not only did not belong in the middle of dinner, but also did not belong in a tapas restaurant.

The word tapa means, approximately, “little snacks.” In a tapas restaurant, you are not supposed to order a lot, hence why a bread basket was not appropriate in this case.

Something more appropriate for the restaurant is the owners’ commitment to using as much local produce as they can.

“We try to go to the West Allis Farmer’s Market twice a week,” says Melissa, co-owner of La Merenda. “We also have our own garden…it helps keep our costs more on the inexpensive side.”

Next arrived the dish I had been waiting for: the Argentinean-style beef ($9). A tenderized piece of tenderloin grilled to a perfect medium was laid on a bed of mashed plantains and walnuts.

This was excellent and a wonderful way to represent the country. The added sweetness of the plantains with brown sugar and honey and the savory and slight smokiness of the meat made this dish a true treat.

The fried polenta with mushroom ragu ($8) is a dish that cannot be overlooked when dining at La Merenda. The perfect fluffiness of the polenta and the creamy mushroom sauté (with possibly Marsala wine) was the ideal way to end our meal.

It may seem as though we ordered a lot of items for just two people, but that is the point behind a tapas restaurant, a good one anyway.

“The idea is to have many flavors be a part of one location,” says Melissa, “you can try it out and see if you like it. The portions are small and the price reflects that, so it won’t break the bank.”

I agree. Excluding drinks, our entire bill came to a total of $32.10, not bad for a college kid on a budget.

Staying away from what Melissa calls, “the typical starch, meat and vegetable entrée” is what the owners of La Merenda seem most proud of.

They should also be proud of doing a job well done on creating many authentic tastes, establishing a welcoming environment and staying true to the tapas tradition that Milwaukee has been craving.

B+

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