MADE IN SPAIN

Normally, when preparing for a new restaurant opening, I return to my dusty treasure trove of tasting notes from reviews past. I speed read through old Microsoft Word documents and try to decipher old chicken-scratch musings that I scribbled on printer paper and fraying reporter’s notebooks. The goal? Reacquaint myself with a chef’s oeuvre and revisit brilliant interpretations of dishes I might encounter once again.

But I decided to defy my usual routine prior to visiting Coa, the new Spanish/ Latin-themed restaurant inside The Drake Oak Brook. My excuse? I’d just returned from a trip to Spain, where I “researched” as many tapas, pintxos, pans of paellas and Spanish vermouths as my liver could handle. I’d assumed this would be the most responsible way to prepare for Chef Ezequiel Dominguez’s expansive new menu at Coa.

Only Dominguez, crafty kitchen vet that he is, totally outflanked me. I could have gorged my way across the entire Iberian Peninsula and would have been unlikely to find tapas anything like the ones he’s serving at Coa. That’s because Dominguez, who made a name for himself at the now departed Café Iberico, isn’t trying to churn out a Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba clone. He’s more interested in trying to embed and imbue Latin America flavors into a classic line up of Spanish tapas.

Take, for instance, one of Spain’s most beloved potato platters: patatas bravas, which are to tapas bars what French fries are to American hamburger joints. In most cases, cube-shaped potatoes are crisped in olive oil and paired with two different sauces: a sweet paprika-accented tomato sauce and a creamy aioli.

At Coa, Dominguez folds his potatoes into a brothier brava sauce flickered with dried chipotles. Your first forkful might surprise you: Dominguez’s spuds give off faint hints of cherries and chiles rather than sweet smoke of Spanish paprika.

I think many of Dominguez’s riffs work, even though I’m sure tapas traditionalists will cry heresy. One of my favorite tapas, gambas al ajillo, is meant to be simple: Jumbo prawns lightly sauteed with garlic, chili, sherry and olive oil. Dominguez, however, prefers to bathe his shrimp in a warm lime vinaigrette, retaining the pungent “vampires-killer” garlic punch to the original while adding the kind of lime-kissed beautify normally found in Latin American ceviche.

Credit must be given to Jim and Tely Nagle, owners of the Drake Oak Brook Hotel, for sparing no expense in completely reimagining the hotel’s lower level. Coa, named after the paddleshaped tool used to harvest agave, is as personalized vision of a hotel restaurant as you’re likely to find in the suburbs.

Throughout the hotel, which is now part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, the Nagles showcase a number of subtle homages to Tely’s love for her native Mexico, including a number of artisanal hand-blown glass flowers. But within Coa it’s a dual love affair, between Spain and Mexico.

Two massive monitors slowly cycle through photos of stunning natural landscapes, most of which were photographed in Spain. Mexican tilework from Guadalajara trims the open kitchen. And in a nice touch, cobalt-blue dishware are accompanied by blue napkins folded into the shape of blooming roses.

The space’s custom millwork is stunning. According to General Manger Gary Goralski, master carpenter Franco San Felice wanted to honor Spain and Mexico’s shared appreciation for fine woodwork. His beautiful ceiling work is a sight to behold: slats of slanted wood are backlit with golden light, as if they were blinds thrown open to allow the Spanish (or Mexican) sunlight to stream into the room.

But none of this would work if Chef Dominguez failed to find the right balance between the Old World and New World in his menu. Of all our dishes, none tapped into our recent memories of Spain more than Dominguez’s grilled octopus, which is boiled for two hours and then perfectly crisped over the grill, before being dressed in bits of sweetly caramelized garlic. For the ultimate three-dish trio pair the octopus with Dominguez’ take on a tortilla Espanola, a kind of vertical potato pancake. Then order one of Dominguez’s paellas, which ranged between $24 and $37 during our visit. We opted for the paella mixta made with saffron rice and a combination of chicken, chorizo, red snapper and various shellfish. End your evening, as any self-respecting Spaniard would, with the crème Catalan.

After our meal, I was sufficiently impressed to type up some tasting notes to add to my collection, knowing that they’d have a dual use, for my next Spanish or Latin American culinary adventure.

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Coa is located in the Drake Oak Brook, 2301 York Road in Oak Brook, Illinois. Call 630-264-1550, coaoakbrook.com.