Paella Con Todo at Bull-eh-dia’s

In April, Mariena Bonini and her husband, Joseph, plan to move their Lake View tapas restaurant Bull-eh-dia’s two blocks west, to a new-construction space with almost 200 seats indoors and out, up from their current 70. The two-floor space will comprise a main dining room upstairs, with steps up to the bar area, and a lounge with occasional live music and flamenco performances downstairs. And while change is in the air, they figured it was time to straighten out the name from the phonetic rendering they’d been using to Bulerias (3656 N. Ashland Ave., 773-404-2855), named for a form of flamenco. That’s change enough, however—the style of decor and the menu will stay the same, including their paella. “Some people don’t cook it with the real saffron,” Mariena Bonini says. “But we do. It gives it the last touch. It’s a bit fancy but gives the authentic flavor.” The menu also includes the pasta-based Catalonian cousin to paella called fideuà and tapa-rrific bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese. At almost three times the size just two blocks west, Bulerias should be the biggest restaurant in Chicago by the time it reaches Western Avenue.
 

Photograph: Courtesy of Mariena Bonini