Raleigh’s Red Room: a place to meet, sample tapas [classic article]

So, you’ve headed from Baltimore to Raleigh, perhaps to follow the Capitals hockey team — did you get hooked, the first time you saw them at Baltimore’s First Mariner Arena? — or to catch up with a family reunion or business meeting at their convention center. Sooner or later, it gets to be dinner time and you want to head out with your friends or acquaintances. Just that very act can be touchy, right? You don’t know what each person can afford, you don’t know their appetites, you don’t know their food preferences. Sometimes, you don’t know them, period!

Still, it’s nice to have a celebratory atmosphere — fun, but not furtive. Don’t want to send the wrong message! Here’s where Red Room Tapas Lounge in downtown Raleigh will fit the bill perfectly. Tapas is half-priced on Sundays and Mondays, salsa lessons take place late Thursday nights.

Tapas are small plates, from the Spanish dining tradition, meant to be shared and to order a wide variety of flavors. Red Room Tapas Lounge has a separate “healthy menu”, which are simply items from the main menu that have a high nutritional content. You don’t have to feel like you’re on a diet!

The menu offers items with Spanish cured meats, cheeses, and even fruits that are typically served in that part of the world.

In a new twist on the traditional Spanish sangria — which they do have — you’ll find outside the box flavors, like the refreshing and tasty apple-cinnamon, perfect for this time of year.

Flatbreads are kind of like a rectangular pizza. The mushroom flatbread with garlic, olive oil, figs and mozzarella is an exotic vegetarian option.