Bolero Tapas Bar and Spanish Grill

When Curtis Bramlett opened Bolero Tapas Bar and Spanish Grill in 2008, he says part of the fun was helping Oklahoma City discover the concept.

“It took a lot of explaining, but it was fun to go through the motions. I think people understood that it was small bites and bar food and it was fun; it was laid back.”

These small Spanish dishes, originally developed out of bars in southern Spain, are traditionally served with wine. Bramlett remembers trying tapas for the first time at the Cupping Room in SoHo, New York. Although he took a great interest in the new style of food, he wasn’t very impressed by the flavor.

“They weren’t extremely well executed, which would have been pretty authentic to a real Spanish tapas place,” says Bramlett. He’s referring to the fact that authentic Spanish tapas are often made from poor-quality ingredients. “One of the nicest compliments we ever had was from a lady from Madrid. She goes, ‘These are fantastic, but your ingredients are too good.’”

Bramlett grew up in the north central Oklahoma town of Medford where he spent a lot of time cooking with his family. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, he took his interest in food to New York, where he attended the French Culinary Institute, now called the International Culinary Institute.

There he gained valuable knowledge and training from both the Institute and the chefs for whom he worked. Bramlett later moved to Miami where he immersed himself in the Latin and Spanish culinary influences of the area.

Later, he brought his influences back to Oklahoma and developed his own version of Spanish tapas: Bolero. Since 2008, Bolero has become popular for a variety of reasons: the lush, modern décor, the amazing drinks specials, and of course, the tapas.

One of those tapas, however, always seems to garner a little more attention than the others: the goat cheese balls.

“If I took it off the menu, I’d get killed,” smiles Bramlett.

He’d tried the fried cheese at other tapas bars around the region. They didn’t measure up. So, he decided that goat cheese with a little “help” might do the trick.

And it did.

“That’s the funny part about it; you’re known for your goat cheese balls around town. And, of course, you can imagine the jokes I get.”