Estragon: New Spanish Tapas Joint in Boston’s South End

Last night I had the pleasure of dining at Estragon (700 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA), the new Spanish tapas bar and restaurant in Boston’s South End. While they have only been open for two days now, I was very impressed by the food and level of service.

The decor is a mix of Spanish diner and hip culture with a modern booth in the back and an eclectic combination of vintage cushy chairs for the front lounge area. There is a long bar complete with a “Sangria Machine” – a dome-like, juice-machine-esqe, booze-filled contraption that dishes out the famous Spanish beverage (pics to follow when I return!).

The food was solid classic tapas with a modern flare. The mussels, served cold with red peppers, garlic and oil, were delicious. Many asparagus items including grilled, topped with cheese. I highly recommend this. Finally, the special of the evening were peppers fried in a generous amount of butter. They were fantastic. Some of the other dishes were good, but needed a little fine-tuning but hey… it was their second day. I’m not going to give them crap.

Now, for the important part of the review: The Wine!

Overall, I was duly impressed. They were able to maintain the small, neighborhood wine bar feel an everyday affordable list, yet include some truly great wines. They do this, by having a low markup on all the bottles. The bulk of the list hangs around $50 per bottle, but rest assured, you’re getting your money’s worth. Most of the bottles in this price range are available in stores for $30-$45 (considering most restaurants mark their wines up 200 – 350% this is a great deal).

For affordable wines they offer 14 great bottles all under $35. They even have a number of bottles for $25 or less including the 2006 Luzon Verde from Jumilla ($25), the 2006 Vega Sindoa Navarra ($24) and the 2005 Torres Gran Vina Sol from Pendes ($21).

I had a bottle of the 2006 Buil & Gine, Nosis from Rueda ($29). It was nice and crisp with a good acidity. It paired perfectly with the veggie tapas and the mussles I had. It also worked well with the slightly spicy food and it could cut through the fat and oils. Great pairing with the cold tapas and a good wine for the money.

I also got to try a glass of the 2006 Las Brisas, also from Rueda ($28/bottle $7/glass). It had a little more body than the Buil & Gine but did an equally as good job with the food.

Our server was INCREDIBLY knowledgeable about the wine list and was incredibly comfortable explaining every single bottle. This is something that isn’t very common. Most of the servers can repeat what the wine-rep told them, but can’t accurately help the customer past “I tasted this once and liked it.” It is clear the owner of the establishment takes a lot of pride in the food and wine that he serves.

I will definitely go back. Estragon also allow for a complete “Harrison Ave Bar Crawl” with Gaslight, Rocca, Pho Republique and Banq only a hop skip and a jump away. This part of the South End is my new summer hangout.

For more information on Spanish wine, check out the following articles:
Nothin But a “G” Thang: The Wines of Galicia, Spain
Don’t Be a Menace in North Central While Drinking Your Tinto Rioja
Super-Fly, Spanish Fly Sangria

The Full Wine List:

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