...The moment you enter the tropical atrium at the Spain Inn 2, you are greeted by the stunning painting of a fiery tango dancer - and the tone is set for a delightful and unique dining experience.

Owner Jose "Pepe" Rodriguez, a native of Glaicia, Spain, has authored a extraordinary menu if authentic Spanish and Portuguese cuisine, a distinctive representation of the Iberian Peninusula region. Large portions and a special emphasis on seafood and beef take center sage, including such mouthwatering dishes as Mariscada, Paella Valenciana, Longostas Rellenas and Jumbo Lobster Tails. Spain Inn 2 offers perhaps some of the largest steaks in the area...

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...In no time, Spain Inn II went from a dream to a reality. It opened its doors in early 2003, and its popularity was instant.

That popularity is rooted in the authentic cuisine, neighborly service, appealing decor and flourishes that would be a sruprise in even Spanish restaurants in urban settings.

...It began as an experiment a year ago. It was so well received that the brothers regularly offer a Flamenco event depending on the availability of the troupe. These are not just any dancers, but an established professional group...

...Authentic cuisine, homemade sangria, house flan and flamenco events - Spain Inn II can entice even the most jaded Manhattanite to journey to West Portal to dine.

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Spain Inn 2, nestled among the rolling hills of western New Jersey, offers Spanish and Portuguese fare in simple, yet comfortable, surroundings. Tiffany-style lamps illuminate the dining room , and sponge-painted walls lend the airy space a warm, country villa look.

...On occasion, the restaurant features flamenco dancers to entertain guests with the traditional soulful dance of Spain's Andalusia region, a riveting accompaniment to the paella, mariscadas and other dishes set forth from the kitchen.

The menu is substantial, and the list of daily specials only adds to the lengthy decision process you'll encounter before finally placing your order with one of the servers - an attentive bunch who see to it that patrons want for nothing.

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What is exciting about the local restaurant landscape is that there is so much diversity. One no longer has to go to a big city - think New York or Philadelphia - to experience the cuisine of another culture. It is here in Hunterdon County, where the chef's are at the top of their game. Spain Inn II is a prime example of culture and cuisine presented with flair.

Owner Jose “Pepe” Rodriguez left his native home of Galicia, Spain many years ago, but he has never forgotten his roots. He and various family members have brought the Spanish table with all its subtleties of taste and flavors to America, establishing Spain Inn I in Piscataway, NJ Malagas in Trenton, NJ and in tiny Rhode Island, my home state, two restaurants in Cranston and Narragansett. This is obviously a family who is serious about Spanish food.

Pepe is also serious about Spanish culture. Once a month he brings a troupe of Spanish dancers, singers and flamenco guitarists from the Alborada Group to perform on a dance floor especially constructed for this purpose. The dancing is pure, honest to its tradition. Pepe's desire is for his patrons to see and appreciate true flamenco dancing as an act form, and apparently, has been successful at doing that. His evenings featuring flamenco dancing and dining are always well attended.

The interior of Spain Inn II is attuned to the Spanish philosophy of relaxation while eating. A more formal dining room lies to the right of the waiting lobby, and is perfect for intimate dining, special parties and banquets with upholstered seating and a huge fireplace, an original artifact of a building whose history is an integral part of the area's social scene.

A well-stocked wine cellar filled with the finest wines Spain has to offer serves as a bridge between the formal dining room and the second, more casual family oriented dining room. An iron railing separates the bar area from the dining area, with greenery providing a visual barrier between the two areas. It is here in this informal dining area where the flamenco dancers perform, while dining service is provided to the tables, which encircle the dance floor. Almost, the diners are part of the performance.

The menu is a bit of Spain brought to this side of Jugtown Mountain. For example, Esparragos a la Vinagreta (asparagus in a vinegarette sauce) is white asparagus, which was the only kind of asparagus I have ever encountered in my trips to Spain. Tom ordered the Gazpacho Andaluz Sopa that was faithful to the Spanish rendition. My encounters with gazpacho soup in Spain is that it is very much pureed, unlike the American versions which are almost like a liquid salsa. Tom's soup was classically prepared, with a brilliant hue to the tomato-based broth.

For my appetizer, I ordered Sopa De Ajo, a garlic soup that brings out the nutty flavors of roasted garlic. Large bread croutons in the soup absorb the flavors and are absolutely delicious on their own. Don't be afraid of trying something so garlicky - it is well worth it. Signature dishes are the paellas, one with chicken and Spanish sausage added to the shellfish, and one without those additions. Jose Jr., our server and Pepe's son, enthusiastically endorsed a special available on Friday, a seafood platter for two, that easily could have fed four adults and then some. Neighboring diners ordered the platter, which overflowed with lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, scallops, over heaping mounds of saffron flavored rice. Henry VIII would have relished this dish.

Instead, I opted for a tilapia dish, which was everything Jose Jr. promised it to be, two delicate filets, neatly grilled with fresh vegetables, saffron flavored rice - excellent. For meat lovers, there are ample choices, all at moderate prices considering the significant portions served. Tom selected Chuletillas De Corder, a half rack of baby lamb deliciously roasted to a point where the meat fell nicely from the rack.

One definitely should leave room for the homemade Spanish Flan for dessert. If you cannot travel to Spain, you can do the next best thing, and that would be to make a reservation for dinner at Spain Inn II.

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What you don't expect to find tucked among the rolling fields and farms of north-central New Jersey is a low-slung stone building devoted to the cuisines of Spain and Portugal.

Not too far from Phillipsburg but a world away in culture and dining textures, The Spain Inn restaurant turned out to be as worthwhile, different and satisfying an evening's stop as it was an unlikely addition to the rural landscape two summers ago.

Not being versed in Spanish-Portuguese cuisines much beyond the ubiquitous gazpacho and paella, I fretted at first over being unprepared to present an accurate summation of Spain Inn's authenticity to readers. But once steeped in the flavors of the inn's kitchen, redolent of the Mediterranean area and the sea itself, it struck home that authenticity lay in the honesty of the food: made that minute, beautifully fresh, knowingly sauced and delivered immediately. Spanish gold.

The Spain Inn isn't small. Pass through an atrium entrance toward an upscale bar flanked on two sides by good-sized dining rooms, one commanded by a large stone fireplace. We sat in the western dining room with its rose-peach walls, tapestry curtains, deep-set windows and a series of faux-Tiffany hanging lamps that were slightly jarring. No matter. The serious correctness of the management and servers — called camerero — remind you that this is about food, not decor.

We began with thick slabs of chewy warm bread, then a richly splendid garlic soup — thick, deep in color and flavor, dressed in large croutons and like nothing I've ever tasted — and from the night's brief rundown of announced appetizer specials, an extraordinarily good eggplant, rolled as in Italian rollatini but wrapped around a blend of crab and scallops and crowned with a provolone-type cheese and an unexpected, unfamiliar and delicious tomato-based sauce.

Listings of fried squid, many shrimp, mussel, clam and sausage appetizers made choosing from among them difficult. For that matter, it was also a chore to winnow two choices from the lists of shellfish, fish and meats offered.

There are three lobster variations, five ways to do shrimp including the house specialty, shrimp in a white wine sauce; sole, snapper and monkfish, steak, lamb, veal and chicken. We settled on a breaded catfish, flaky and freshly fried, served with rice, asparagus and freshly-made Saratoga-style potato chips. Each element was exemplary.

When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do … so I plunged into a steel vat of marscada salsa verde — a seafood stew that is a steal at $19.95 but would be a good value for twice that price. The shellfish casserole carries a translucent sauce of parsley, wine and garlic and is heavily laden with fresh lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels and scallops. It is so good and so plentiful that two of us made a meal of it the following night.

Some dishes, like clams casino, may be Americanized but that would be to quibble. If you must have a Spanish omelet, try it here for lunch.

With the exception of a very fine homemade flan, desserts are not made on the premises. They number an interesting assortment of sorbets, the usual tiramisu, carrot, chocolate mousse and cheese cakes, and a tartufo gelato.

Service from the maitre d', from the manager, from your camerero, is European-accented — attentive and courteous throughout.

A decent-sized complement of wines lists Spanish and Portuguese reds as well as an assortment of California selections. Pitchers of white or red sangria are also offered. Watch the Spanish coffee. Not a Brazilian or Greek type of strong darkness at all, but an Irish-style coffee laced with a heavy-handed amount of brandy. Lethal.

Call for directions, and also to see if you can book Spain Inn on a night when a flamenco show is scheduled.

Dinner for two, including tax, tip and non-alcoholic beverages, totaled $86.

( Sylvia Lawler is a freelance restaurant reviewer for Go Guide. Lawler, who tells it like it is, attempts to remain anonymous during restaurant visits. All meals are paid for by The Morning Call. )