bass. The space also holds a small bar, a recording studio where workshops are staged to educate and entertain people of all ages and a stage opened in an inaugural concert in March.

The vibrant eye-fest continues upstairs in the main bar topped with a colorful glass ceiling that opens onto a smart patio perfect for summer outings. In the other direction, the restaurant proper leads to the Bootsy Room, where cozy cabana-like spaces offer intimate dining options, and yet another outdoor patio for al fresco reveling.

Food-wise, co-owner Jeff Ruby spent three months researching culinary options and decided what Cincinnati really needed was a good tapas menu.

"We didn’t want our cuisine to be standard steak, soul or funk food," said Bootsy.

Cordon Blue-trained Pedro Rangel heads the kitchen that can swell to 11 chefs and cooks on a busy night. The staff includes Japanese sushi chef, Shigeno Kajiwara, who’s been residing in Cincinnati the last three years working at the Jo An Japanese Restaurant that caters to many high end automotive executives based nearby in the city’s Toyota headquarters.

"Bootsy’s food is based on Spanish flavors, but also has hints of New World cuisine from South and Central America," said executive chef Rangel. "The food . . . ties in with the fun, [and] colorful character of his personality and with the restaurant decor."

The menu is conducive to social dining, meaning the small tapas (read appetizer) plates are meant to be shared. The most recent menu lists 19 tapas that include dishes like ...