Cool cocktails meet savory seafood at Bulla Gastrobar
“Is it Friday yet?” Having recently returned to a more traditional work set-up, these tired but perennially relatable Dilbertian clichés have more relevance than ever. And, so it was that this water cooler classic popped squarely into my brain when I hapsyrup, pened into Bulla Gastrobar in Winter Park on a Monday to find that the happy hour was, as Dean Martin might have said, swingin’ pretty good.
It’s Friday in here ,I thought, and caught the spirit, bypassing the bar clamor, but plunging in headlong.
I’d popped in to check out Bulla’s De Temporada or “seasonal” menu, available now through summer’s end at dinnertime. As luck would have it, there was a cocktail on it.
Life is a Bramble ($6.50) is a sweet tart of a refresher with blackberries, Amontillado sherry and lemongrass leaded with a choice of Bombay Dry Gin or Pelotón de la Muerte Mezcal. Had I read the menu carefully, I’d have requested the latter (Amy Drew likes her beverages smoky) but the Mondays — and my new progressive lenses — had clearly made me lazy. I skimmed. The server never asked, and they defaulted to gin. (I asked later to be sure.)
Regardless, it’s an absolute summer cooler. Did I want another? Yes. And I’d have tried the mezcal version to compare but decided to be good. Despite
the bar revelry, it was still only Monday. I had a few dishes to sample, but found time and room for a few perennials, as well.
The grilled octopus ($17) was ample and nicely charred, a decided contrast to the sweet corn puree on which it lay, a literally leggy temptress. Husky fragments offered a bit of texture in the mash. Did I like it? While contemplating and assimilating, I missed out on the last thick bite of that tasty scorched cephalopod. I guess I must have liked it well enough.
The mussels ($15) were a deal methinks, a big steamy bowl of soft-bellied bivalves bathing in a spicy bath of tomato, white wine and garlic.
The crispy calamari ($15) certainly delivered on crisp, but the rings’ petite size left most too far gone from the fryer. Only the small tangle of tentacles retained any moisture or chew. The dish could also have benefited from better draining. Same for the shrimp fritters from the seasonal menu ($12), which shone like small oily suns in their dish. I’d give both a pass.
The grilled steak ($14) was tender and a bit bloody (as ordered), nicely chewed with the crunch of the salsa criolla. In my foodiest food-writer moment to date, I murmured lovingly over the truffled potato and mushroom foam, which I used as salad dressing, steak condiment and upmarket scoop for the chips artfully stabbed amid the froth.
Truly, I deserve a shaming for this bougie nonsense. I like powdered onion soup dip, for God’s sake.
The Braised Brisket Caldoso ($20) was dense with shredded meat and firm, flavor-imbued Valencia-style rice. This is a heavier dish. Our server said they generally recommend two small plates per person — this stew could easily carry four. I took most of it home. And as stews often are, it was tastier two days later.
The Ensaladilla Rusa ($10) was a star. Broadly pink and velvety was the paprika-rubbed seared ahi. Its piquant exterior bounced off the soft coolness of the chunky Russian potato salad, which wore a decadent crown of crumbled egg. It was studded with color and bite. Strongest of all the players here, perhaps, were the peppers and crispy capers, providing that all-important salt, vinegar and snap.
Reporters are, mercifully, active much of the time, but in the end, a low-walled cubicle is now the cage in which my souvenir Disney Orange Bird sings. I’m happy to report that Bulla Gastrobar can still turn any cube jockey’s Monday into Friday, even without a cocktail.