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Tapas/Small Plates

Adam Parker

Petite portions are all the rage. We're watching our waistlines and wallets after a historic period of growth (economic and otherwise). We're ever-hungry, but worried about the way we consume. Conveniently, both for us and for restaurateurs, the "small plate" has been offered up as a solution. Gorgeously prepared, delectable dishes that don't significantly expand bellies or shrink bank accounts are abundant in the Lowcountry. And the tapas trend means restaurants can maximize profits with minimal quantities. Lucky them. Lucky us.

J. Paul'z

1739 Maybank Highway, James Island

795-6995

www.jpaulz.com

$-$$

J. Paul'z is a newish James Island hangout that serves excellent tapas and sushi, not to mention well-prepared mixed drinks at a big bar.

You can stand around and socialize or sink into cushy seats at big tables. Either way, be sure to indulge in a couple of inventive plates prepared by the tattooed executive chef, Daniel Caruso. The man is good, creating memorable concoctions that, because of their relatively small size, are labeled "tapas." But don't be fooled: these dishes are lovingly formulated and prepared and not typical tapas bar fare.

There's the beef tartar with zucchini, squash noodles and a mustard tarragon, for example, or a Thai-like crispy red snapper with forbidden black rice, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus and a soy-lime reduction. See what I mean?

Try the mussels. Try the filet mignon. Try the wasabi-crusted tuna. The food will make you happy.

Raval

453 King St., downtown

853-8466

$-$$

Whether your preference is to mingle with the after-9 p.m. hip crowd or to enjoy a pre-9 p.m. light supper with a sturdy glass of Spanish wine, don't miss Raval. Think what you will of the "scene," the food is undeniably fabulous - simple, fresh, high-quality and beautifully prepared on the plate. Foodwise, this is perhaps the best of Tim Mink's and Karalee Nielsen's Rev Foods restaurants (which include Poe's Tavern, Taco Boy and Monza).

The atmospheric hangout on upper King Street is decorated with stacks of wine bottles, rustic auburn lighting, an original, racy fresco painted along an upper wall and a list of foodstuffs hand-scribbled on a giant mirror.

Just about everything's good: The roast scallions and bresaola, the gorgeous cheese plates, and the Andalusian meatballs. Yum, yum, yum. The plates are prepped within a tiny space behind the storefront window. Get a bottle of red to go with it all, and absolutely don't deny yourself the decadent pleasure of the patatas bravas — they are indeed bravas, and life is short.

Slightly Northof Broad (SNOB)

192 East Bay St., downtown

723-3434

www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com

$$ (for medium plates)

OK, it ain't your neighborhood tapas bar. And the small plates are called "medium plates" on the menu. But the food is just so good that it's impossible to leave SNOB off the short list of best petit repas.

When we went for dinner recently, we ordered each of the six "medium" options offered (plus a delectable mussels appetizer). That means we indulged in beef carpaccio, sesame-crusted tuna medallions, various pates and mousses and sausages and rillettes from a charcuterie plate, the best shrimp and grits in town, breast of quail that I would order every time and a "grilled Southern medley" whose centerpiece was a pesto-tinged chicken breast.

Simply listing these gorgeously prepared plates cannot possibly convey the array of flavors, the freshness of the ingredients, the accompanying morsels and special touches. So just go, eat. Revel in chef Frank Lee's medium-sized creations. They will surely expand your culinary horizons.