Ok, so I get it about the corn.

Have you ever had that experience where some movie comes out and everyone talks to you about it and how fabulous it is? Then you go and the movie is good, but let's face it, it's not the second coming. Then you're bummed because, if no one had ever talked about it, you would have thought the movie was great... it was just burdened by all that build up.

I had that fear when going to Toro tonight. There'd been a lot of build up: Best of Boston, Spanish for two years running, Top 25 Dishes in the City (Grilled Corn), multiple glowing kudos from friends... how could it possibly live up? In short, it does.

I love TAPAS. Love it, love it, love it. It's like a cuisine custom made for me. I want to try a hundred different things, even if it only means one bite of each. If I go to a party with good apps, it's all over for me - I eat so many, I rarely care about the main meal. So, tapas is a perfect way to eat, in my opinion. I think I have eaten at all the major tapas spots in the city - Tapeo, Dali, Cuchi Cuchi, Taberna de Haro, Tasca (which was right across the street from my first apartment in Boston - it was fated!). If there are others, please let me know about them! Dali is my absolute favorite restaurant in the city - the food is great and the atmosphere is like no where else on earth. Each of these places offers very traditional tapas, except Cuchi Cuchi. I love traditional, but I am also always up for something new. That is definitely what Toro offers.

This shouldn't come as any major surprise, right? Toro is the second? third? outpost of Ken Oringer's growing list of restaurants - all featuring cuisine from a different part of the world. Oringer's skill with food is beyond genius; so much so that we'll forgive him his giant ego (so they say, and, really, don't all the great chefs?). And Toro keeps true to his reputation of creativity and exquisite execution.

First, let's get this business about the corn out of the way. EVERYONE that has ever been to Toro talks about the corn on the cob. I couldn't believe this... it's corn. You can buy ten pounds of it at a road side stand for, what?, thirty-five cents? Foolish girl. It's_really_that_good. I swear. It is grilled to smoky, sweet perfection and then covered in garlicky sauce and cheese (queso fresco? I'm not quite sure.) and then doused with lime. Holy crap. It's unreal. Just go. Eat the corn. Don't be the cynic I was.

So, you can't survive on corn alone, I know... the tortilla was egg-y perfection with a dollop of sour cream, raw tuna dressed with soy and scallions and teensy oyster mushrooms, tart chicken thighs with sticky, honey-like farro, tender grilled bistec with balsamic-y carmelized onions. Wow! All exceptional and unusual.

Less impressive were the portions. While tapas is supposed to just be a small taste, some plates came out with barely enough for the four of us sharing the meal to each get a bite. The sangria and dessert - doughy, bland churros with a spicy chocolate dipping sauce - were both ok, but no match for the meal.

I'd give Toro at 1704 Washington St, Boston, MA an A-. Stick with the main tapas and skip dessert. The service was also outstanding and knowledgeable.