On first entering Tapasta, hearing its "music with a beat" and seeing the dark, rectangular bar that dominates most of the physical space, one might think that this new establishment functions primarily as a bar. As the eye sweeps the place, it also becomes clear that unless one is seated at the bar or chooses to dine out of doors, if it's a pleasant evening, one will be relegated to one of the just-a-bit-too-small tables that line the walls of the building. Fortunately, after taking a place, our fears were quickly dispelled by a friendly, courteous and responsive waitress.

We were two for dinner, and decided to share three different dishes. Our opening course was a green salad, composed of two different kinds of lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, walnuts, thin slivers of red onion and whole sauteed champignon and also wild mushrooms. The other ingredients, which did not include the arugula mentioned in the menu, had been tossed together with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and topped with thin slivers of Parmesan cheese. The salad was fresh and crisp, the fact that the mushrooms were hot added a nice touch, and the sauce, although a bit diluted, did not contain too much balsamic vinegar, which was appreciated.

The restaurant's name is a play, of course, on the words "tapas" and "pasta," but compared with the well beloved mini-courses invented by the Spaniards, the salad we received was remarkably generous in size. More than that, at NIS 20 for the portion, which was quite enough for a lunch, I doubt very much that you'll find a better salad at any cafe-restaurant in the city.

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We went on to a portion of fried breaded calamari rings, which also came in a generous portion, with the calamari crisp on the exterior and just soft enough for their flavor to be enjoyable. The herbed aioli-lemon sauce that accompanied the dish, however, was not at all rewarding, not having enough lemon and not being nearly thick enough. The sauce was so unappealing that we put it aside and asked for several additional lemon halves to squeeze over the calamari, and went ahead to enjoy the dish.

From here it was on to a portion of what the menu called "fettuccine Bolognese." The pasta actually served was bavette, a long pasta somewhat narrower than fettuccine and not well known in Israel. The pasta was cooked just a bit more than the al dente requested, but the sauce, of a beef ragout that had been cooked with tomatoes, root vegetables, red wine and beef stock, was good, and a light hint of sweetness only added to its charm.

The impression we received from the simple but reasonable dishes that we had eaten was erased immediately in the face of the tiramisu we ordered as dessert. The dish contained a great deal of gelatin, and not enough mascarpone, eggs or liqueur, reminding us both more of those industrial creme Bavarias that one received at the nation's steak joints 20 or more years ago. Fortunately, that experience was forgotten as we sipped good closing Tazza d'Oro espresso.

Including the espresso, our food bill came to a remarkably reasonable NIS 116. We opted for a bottle of the Chianti of Frescobaldi with our meal, and that added NIS 100 to the bill. Don't expect anything sophisticated here in the way of food, but at those prices and with such pleasant service, it's a good bet for casual and filling lunches or dinners.

Tapasta: 54 Yirmiyahu St., Tel Aviv. Open daily noon to midnite. Tel. (03) 604-7222.

Santa Fe

The high walls of Ramat Hahayal's Santa Fe restaurant (a new branch of the restaurant in Eilat) are decorated largely with murals based on traditional Mexican Indian designs. Huge lamps repeating those patterns hang from the ceilings, and together with the Mexican music playing in the background, they might leave one with the expectation that the food will indeed represent what is known as Santa Fe cuisine. It's a style that developed in the state of New Mexico that offers Mexican fare with influences from modern North American cuisine. It does not take very long, however, before one realizes that as appealing as the atmosphere may be, this is a restaurant with only a peripheral relationship to Santa Fe cuisine.

As I perused the menu, I sipped a grapefruit-flavored frozen margarita. That gave me pause to reflect that although the origin of the tequila-based cocktail is surrounded by myths, tall tales and out-and-out lies, most agree that whoever made the cocktail first was probably from the United States and not from Mexico. The margarita I sampled was actually quite pleasant, with just enough tequila to add a nice alcoholic touch. I could not help thinking, however, that the nachos on which I was munching reminded me more of Pringle's potato chips than of the true corn chips of Mexico. More than that, I could not help thinking that the reddish, only slightly hot sauce served with the nachos was more reminiscent of ketchup than a chipotle pepper-based salsa.

The first dish I tried was a quesadilla. While the traditional quesadilla (the word means "little cheesy thing") contains Oaxaca cheese, a semi-hard white cheese, the one I received contained soft Italian mozzarella. In the best of these offerings, the dominant flavor is of cheese but in the version I tasted the cheese went largely unnoticed, and I felt as if I were eating a thin, somewhat soggy sandwich of zucchini, tomato and red peppers.

From here, though, things improved. The chicken wings, a dish hardly found in Mexico but quite common in Santa Fe cuisine, had a crisp coating, had been glazed nicely, were cooked well and served spooned over generously with a hot confit of onions. Then it was on to a portion of baby ribs, these just fatty enough and cooked until the meat came off the bones with just the barest touch of a fork. Brushed generously with a sweet marinade containing hot peppers, sugar and tequila, the dish was most pleasant, and the layered puree served alongside, made partly of sweet potatoes, partly of regular potatoes, was quite pleasant.

Dessert was a dome of white chocolate and cinnamon sitting on an apple crumble. The dish was pleasant enough, but not exciting.

Whoever wants an introduction to the cuisine of Santa Fe will not find an interesting representation here, and would do far better dining at Tel Aviv's Chimichanga restaurant.

It is also difficult to escape the impression that this is a place intended for mass-market dining, with an atmosphere that is more than a bit commercialized. Still, it could be an option, perhaps for occasional dining.

Including the espresso, my food bill came to NIS 200, to which the margarita I had added NIS 24.

Santa Fe: 27 Habarzel St., Ramat Hahayal. Open daily noon to midnite. Tel. (03) 767-4625.