Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
Loud, colorful and usually packed to the rafters, Ba-Ba-Reeba's several rooms and outdoor patio brim with flowers and vivid artwork. Sausages hang above an open kitchen, two bars buzz with young singles and a large outdoor patio provides prime seating in the warmer months.

The Food
With a wide selection (more than 40) of mostly excellent cold and hot appetizer-sized dishes, it's perfect for groups--and reasonably priced, too. Beef skewers are a must: tender chunks of meat served with a flavorful horseradish cream. Chicken empanadas are zesty and piquant, seafood gazpacho is chilly and chunky with fresh shrimp and squid, and scallops with couscous and mango vinaigrette are sensationally subtle. Only bland chorizo disappoints. For something different, paella is worth the 35-minute wait--it's brimming with succulent lobster, scallops and shrimp.