By Charly SHELTON

For those few residents of the Crescenta Valley who have yet to eat at Casa Cordoba in Montrose, they are missing out. Casa Cordoba at 2331 Honolulu Ave. is set back in Zwick Plaza and features a beautiful outdoor dining terrace that feels like it belongs in Spain. The architecture of the open balcony above and the tiled plaza below, which includes a running fountain and creeping plants that wind up the walls, for me always harkened back to the old “Zorro” TV show with Guy Williams. Eating delicious Spanish food and drinking fine Spanish wines makes the feeling even more immersive. So when the order came down that all restaurants in the state were restricted to outdoor seating only, I knew that Casa Cordoba would be a perfect choice for a night out.

Full disclosure: I have known Casa Cordoba’s owner Jeannie Bone for many years. She’s always a delight and when we decided to begin this series of restaurant reviews on coronavirus dining conditions, we thought it would be great to come see how the original al fresco dining location in Montrose is adapting. She brought us out for dinner and, although we are friends, I can honestly say that anything within this review, positive or negative, is said from my journalistic experience as a food critic around LA.

That being said, this was a fantastic meal. I don’t have much to complain about with Casa Cordoba and that’s why I keep coming back time and again. But even with repeat visits, I always find something new to be surprised by. I was not really excited about eating fried eggplant slices drizzled in honey – the Berenjena Frita. It was not something I would have ordered for myself but my wife was adamant about it. I’m glad she was, because it was a new discovery that I will add to the rotation of favorites to order when I come in. Eggplant, which I usually find somehow stringy and spongy at the same time, was neither of those, leading me to believe that I just don’t know how to properly cook eggplant. And fried with honey on top is yet another surprise that worked very well between the sweet honey and the savory battered vegetable. Or if veggies aren’t your speed and you need to start with some meat, try the Croquetas de Jamon y Pollo – little creamy fried ham and chicken and cheese balls. Amazing.

One new dish on the menu since reopening that was suggested to us is the Pasta Espanola con Mariscos. Its base pasta is Spanish fideua, a smallish pasta imported from Spain that is sometimes used instead of rice in paella. Here it was served in a light broth of white wine with mussels, clams and shrimp. It was surprisingly light and summery for a pasta dish – the perfect pasta to eat out on a tiled terrace in the cooling summer evening paired with a white wine from Spain.

And, of course, the main event at Casa Cordoba is the paella. Each paella is made from scratch and to order, cooked and served in its own mini paella pan. The Arroz Negro is a squid ink paella with mussels, octopus, calamari and sea bass. To me, this is perfect. I loved every aspect of it from the squid ink to the incredibly fresh mussels and all. My wife, however, was less excited. We traded one thing each to take a chance on – hers was the Berenjena Frita, mine was the squid ink paella. Luckily we both ended up liking the other’s gamble, although the octopus was a bit much for her. More for me.

Overall, dining at Casa Cordoba is great on any given day but especially after having been at home for four months. The seating is limited, making for a less crowded and more intimate experience in the courtyard. The evening air was cool, tucked away in Zwick Plaza, even while the sun was still setting. Seeing fellow members of the community out and about while staying acceptably far apart and just seeing a friendly smile in public goes a long way when all that has been seen for weeks on end is a mask. Dining at Casa Cordoba feeds the heart as much as it feeds the stomach.

For those who are sick of staying home every night, head down to Casa Cordoba for an evening that will revitalize you, and tell them CV Weekly sent you. Be sure to make a reservation as seating is limited and, if plans change and you can’t make your reservation, let them know. While operating at such a limited capacity, one table being held makes a much bigger difference now.

  Charly Shelton