When Kleber Guzman and his cousin Carlos Guzman scouted locations for their second restaurant, El Pulpo Restaurant & Tapas Bar, they quickly zeroed in on Middletown.
“We were looking at different places,” says Kleber Guzman, “but Middletown has very good restaurants. We thought it was a good idea to add some Spanish food to the area.”
The Guzmans, who also own El Pulpo in Southington, opened the Middletown location in May 2015 in the former It’s Only Natural restaurant space in the Main Street Market complex.
The owners installed dark wood flooring, painted the walls in Mediterranean tones of burgundy, burnt orange and straw yellow, and removed a wall in the dining room to expose the brickwork. Chandeliers, artwork, a display of wine bottles and white tablecloths give the dining room, which seats about 80 guests, a gracious and polished look. The spacious lounge can accommodate 14 at the bar, where there is often a soccer game on one of the two flat-screen televisions, and 18 at the two- and four-top tall tables. The bar, which opens to seasonal outdoor seating, is especially busy on weekends, Kleber says, when guests pair wine, beer or specialty cocktails with tapas.
The Guzman cousins are Ecuadorean by birth, but Carlos, who is the executive chef, chooses to specialize in Spanish cuisine. His dishes are steeped in tradition but reflect a modern touch, especially in the way he presents each dish with an eye to color and texture.
Kleber named the restaurant for his favorite edible from the sea. Pulpo means octopus, and the deep-sea creature stars in carpasia de pulpo, an octopus salad with organic spring mix and lemon paprika aioli. Another popular appetizer, ensalada de calabaza, mixes roasted butternut squash with arugula, walnuts and Spanish cheese in a cider vinaigrette. Hot tapas include caracoles en cazuela, a casserole of escargot with white beans, spinach, seafood broth and quail eggs; and piquillos relenos de cordero, Spanish piquillo peppers stuffed with lamb andred roasted pepper sauce.
The most popular entrees center on scallops, lamb and the traditional Spanish seafood stew, Kleber says. Vieiras a la plancha con langosta marries grilled diver sea scallops and lobster over fried fontina cheese risotto, white asparagus and champagne sauce. Braised lamb shank — muslo de cordero — is served in a red wine sauce over mashed potatoes.
“Paella is very traditional and popular,” Kleber says, and El Pulpo offers two choices of the saffron-flavored rice dish. A seafood paella includes scallops, squid, shrimp, clams, mussels, fresh fish, and half a lobster. The traditional paella Valenciana combines land and sea: chicken, pork and Spanish sauce with shrimp, mussels and clams.
The restaurant offers a three-course prix fixe menu for $20 on Monday and Tuesday nights. El Pulpo will host a South American wine dinner on March 8. The evening opens with a reception at 6:30 followed by a five-course dinner, paired with wines from Argentina and Chile, at 7 p.m. The cost is $45 per person, excluding tax and tip.
“I wanted to show customers the flavors of South American wines,” Kleber says. “Some customers don’t know these wines well.”
El Pulpo Restaurant & Tapas Bar, 368 Main St., Middletown, is open daily for lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner menu starts after 3 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday until 9 p.m., Thursday until 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. The bar often stays open later. 860-788-7525 and elpulpotapasbar.com/
