Third-generation chef Jose Chesa's Northwest District restaurant Ataula is lauded for a reason: the Spanish tapas menu is augmented by his modern execution. Yes, there are welcome standards — hard-to-find jamon Iberico de bellota is sliced from aged hunks of acorn-fed pig, and cod croquetas come with a smoky piquillo sauce — but experimental dishes seal the deal. A mystifying order called xupa xup is essentially a chorizo lollipop imbued with goat cheese and membrillo, and should not be missed. The culmination of your meal, if you don't fill up on tapas (a perfectly noble choice, by the way), are servings of seafood-filled paella or rossejat for-two. And, because it wouldn't be a true Spanish dining room otherwise, white and red sangrias flow freely.
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