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Taberna has all the ingredients of a top-notch tapas restaurant, but despite its chef’s considerable credentials (he spent more than a decade at Madrid’s esteemed Balzac), it doesn’t quite distinguish itself. The room is decorated in an authentic Spanish style, with terra cota-style walls and dark wood tables setting off a handsome, well-stocked bar, but a distractingly uptempo soundtrack undercuts much of the romance. The tapas itself is good, if occasionally off-balance: a sweet-savory strawberry gazpacho overwhelms its scallop garnish; a disk of oniony salmon tartare topped by a raw quail egg leans towards a Japanese flavor profile; an otherwise tasty beef carpaccio is oddly served on a slice of flavorless white bread. The most satisfying choices are those, like the well-curated meat and cheese plates, that call the least on the kitchen’s creativity. — Patrick Coffee