Castilla in Bellevue, WA

 Castilla is a sophisticated Spanish restaurant in downtown Bellevue.  It has a big menu with a range of traditional Spanish dishes and some interesting modern twists.  The menu includes pinchos, small snacks to accompany drinks;  tapas, hot or cold small dishes to go with drinks or to put together to make a light meal; empanadas; and full-size entrees.

We started with a round of white sangria with tapas of lamb chops with potatoes and a plate of artichoke fritters..  Some of us wanted a full dinner, so a vegetarian paella was ordered.  The food was great!  The paella was packed with brussels sprouts, fava beans, artichoke, broccoli and more.  For dessert, we had a round of Amontillado sherry.

The menu is very appealing, because it is so easy to get a wide sample of food through tapas, pinchos, empanadas and other small plates.  It is a great place to learn about Iberian cuisine.  They even offer a flight of sherries.  The cheese plates also looked wonderful.  It is a place I would go back any time.  It is bright and very spacious and has a hip vibe. 

                                                Where the hams hang out
  

                                                        Veggie paella

                                                        lamb with potatoe tapas

                                                        artichoke fritters