But the one good thing about working in Harrisburg is that this city has some hidden gems that make it a pretty cool place. Yes, it is a really small city but there are so many great restaurants, bookshops, and cool spots that make it worth the search. Last night was Third in the Burg, a monthly intiative highlighting some of the great stuff Harrisburg has to offer similar to First Fridays in Philadelphia which also feature local artists.
After the depressing movie, we went to Suba, Tapas Bar which is right across from the State Museum. Downstairs is Mangia Qui, an Italian restaurant while upstairs is a Spanish tapas bar. This sounded so good and after my tapas experiences in Barcelona I was game. Suba is a small space being only the second floor of an old row home in Harrisburg.
Both the drinks and tapas menu is extensive so we went all in. Aaron ordered a Cuban mojito and I ordered a glass of Cava (Spanish Champagne.)
Since the space is small, so are the tables. I really like that they staggered the tapas to make it manageable in the close quarters. Unfortunately as the night went on the building got much darker so that the last few dishes were practically impossible to photograph without a flash!
First we had deliciously crispy breaded calamari. Of course, as Aaron MUST get calamari wherever we go! The calamari was perfectly breaded and while I was satisfied with the wedge of lemon on the side Aaron asked for some of the delicious creamy sauce we had on our tacos to accompany his calamari.
Next we split the amazing Suba Tacos which were crispy fried tilapia, salsa rosa, avocado, mango cilantro salsa, and shredded cabbage on top in delectable homemade stone ground corn tortillas like nothing else. These things were over the top incredible but since they were a tad on the spicy side the white cabbage really helped subdue the spice.
We ate these FAST but I had to clean up after because it was so packed and messy!
Then we had the Tostada de Pato: Two Shaved smoked duck breast, grilled fig jam, and Cana de Cabra goat cheese on a crispy corn “pop chips (?)”. WOW WOW. Probably my favorite thing, these were a knock out! Soooooo good! When we go back I am getting a whole order to myself!
After that we had one on my favorites, pan amb tomaquet (tomato bread.) Their version was a lot different than mine and what I had in Spain but it did not discredit the deliciousness of these bad boys. Think bruschetta smeared on grilled country bread. Enough said.
Then we had the Queso frito: Breaded seasoned fried cheese with sriracha sour cream dipping sauce. Do you think Aaron liked these? Mmm mhmmm…..
After that we had an ordered of patatas bravas. This was one of my favorite things in Barcelona and the ones at Suba were a little different. More like potatoes tossed in hot sauce that drizzled like I remember. These were good but not my favorite of the meal.
Aaron then had a plate of Spanish cured meats which he loved of course.
And since he got his meat I got my dessert. Along with a cup of decaf coffee I had the incredible homemade ricotta cheese cake with a small drizzle of preserves. HOLY CRAP! This was so strangely good. It had the constancy of a corn meal and was not too sweet but so satisfyingly good and just WOW. I would come back just for this.
I honestly considered getting a second dessert (fresh strawberries and homemade ricotta drizzled with lavender honey and balsamic vinegar) but I was good. Next time. I also have soooo many other dishes I MUST try!
Review: Suba was really a knock out. It is so nice to have such an authentic cool place in Harrisburg. The night we were there they had a live band who were very good but too loud for the small space. The bar was a really cool place complete with loads of fresh fruit and mixers. (Like the sugar cane stick in Aaron’s mojito.) The chef here is Brazilian so the overall theme of the dishes was definitely more South American than straight Spanish but I think that added to its uniqueness. I cannot wait to come here again and eat happily for two hours. Like a true Spanish meal, this is a deliciously drawn out affair with staggered dishes so if you ever make it here give yourself sometime to really enjoy it.
Despite the small space you never felt rushed like a real European meal. After I finished my coffee our waitress offered me another without expectations to rush the check. I love the sharing aspect of tapas. It’s perfect for two people but it get a little trickier with larger groups as many of these plates were split into two portions. As the nature of tapas (average 6-8 or 9 dollars with tacos at $12) you can easily rack up a pretty good bill. If you want to do the whole experience of multiple plates (which I recommend) this is a special occasion meal but totally worth the cost for the quality of the delicious plates. The staff at Suba were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable but not over the top. This is definitely a great place to spend a relaxing Friday or Saturday evening after a long work week sipping great cocktails and enjoying incredible plates.
Enjoy!
Love,
The College Cuisiner
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