I won't address Joe H's comments since I haven't ever ordered the pallea. However we took my son to Taberna del Alabardero for his birthday dinner. Took a 2002 Ramey Carnaros Chard and a 2002 Radio-Coteau Hellenthal PN with us so I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the wine list, but is is extensive (and expensive) with a lot of Spanish wine featured. We shared a glass of the R-C with David Bueno (the somm.) of course. We started with appetizers, asparagas with Italian cheeses for my wife, escargot for my son, and grilled octopus with sauted potatoes and carmalized onions for me. All were delishious, perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. We opened the wines upon arrival, but the R-C still didn't get more than 45 minutes open before we started drinking it. They put the Ramey on ice for us when they opened it. The Hellenthal went wonderfully with the entrees, veal cheeks for the wife, a huge (22 oz, perfectly cooked) ribeye for the boy and wild boar osso buco for me. When we sat down, David Bueno kept looking at our son but didn't say anything (even though he wasn't our server, he did stop by often to make sure we had everything ok and to pour the wine.) My wife and I figured that he was trying to figure out if he was old enough to share the wine (he isn't but of course he does) Then he brought three sets of glasses, a chard and a burg glass each, and opened the wines. When we ordered dessert, they brought out an extra for our son on a plate with Happy Birthday written in chocolate on it. We hadn't said anything about it being his birthday, but David said he had overheard that we were celebrating the birthday so the dessert on the house. Service was everything one could ask for. Not obtrusive but always there at exactly the right time to refill water glasses, the bread basket, pour the wine, etc. The server was informative, helpful, frieny and very efficient.