I really wanted to like this place. I'm pretty sure I heard from at least four friends that Solea was one of their favorite restaurants in Waltham, so I tried to go without any expectations. But in the two times I went, I left rather disappointed in my expectation to be satisfied, if not at least as blown away as my friends were.

Solea, on Moody Street, is one of the most popular restaurants in Waltham; it is well known even outside the city. It presents itself primarily as a place for tapas: Spanish small plates that are appetizer-sized, of which you will need to order at least two or three per person to leave feeling full. This makes it a lot of fun to go out for tapas in larger parties, when you can order perhaps 20 different dishes for eight people and get to try a little of everything. If you've never had tapas but are more familiar with Asian cuisine, the analogous experience is Chinese dim sum, which are tapas with the added convenience of a Lazy Susan for sharing and usually much, much cheaper.

My first time at Solea was more of a quick snack at the bar: pimiento de piquillo (a roasted pepper stuffed with crab, shrimp and pearl onions, all in a pool of langostino sauce) and tortilla española (an omelette of potatoes and onions).

The stuffed pepper was fine, dominated mainly by the crab (not a bad thing in this case), but it was nothing spectacular; the sauce of langostino (a squat lobster-what looks like a truncated lobster but is actually a relative of the crab) was tasty for the first few bites but quickly became dull.

The tortilla española, served slightly warm, was a real disappointment as the second plate. It is usually served cold (which lets the lighter flavors of the onion and good-quality oil come out) and was even listed as such on the menu. When not cold, it's served fresh out of the pan-very hot, but never warm. In any case, there would not have been much to show off anyway, cold or hot.

The potatoes were mushy and there were hardly any onions to speak of; the dish was embarrassingly bland. Now, I know what some of you who are familiar with this dish may object to: It's supposed to be simple, homey and nothing spectacular, given that it contains only three ingredients! But I have made this dish myself plenty of times at home, in just as simple a preparation (okay, maybe with the odd bits of bacon or red peppers thrown in), and it's been much better. Besides, when you're working with fewer ingredients, it's a rare opportunity to cook such ingredients to the best of your ability with nothing to hide them behind. There is sometimes nothing better to eat than a simple dish done well. But Solea's tortilla seemed slapdash and careless.

The next visit was inspired by my desire to finally try the traditional Spanish paella: a large, heavy skillet filled with saffron rice, some vegetables, a great variety of meats and lots of seafood. Solea's paella includes chorizo, pork sausage, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, fish and chicken with peas and slivers of artichoke hearts. This dish is very much a departure from the simple, small dishes. Unfortunately, while the portion served was generous, the dish was stingy with flavor. None of the meats were grilled or sautéed with any other spices or flavors; they barely tasted like themselves, most of them having instead the effect of generic filler-especially the chicken.

The second meal actually ended pleasantly; I wasn't really feeling it, but I thought I should give Solea's desserts a chance-one last opportunity for the resteraunt to redeem itself. And it did, kind of. The churros con chocolate were a delight: four thin, medium-length tubes of delicate, crispy, deep-fried dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar and served with a tiny pitcher of warm chocolate ganache. After the wonderful churros were gone, I found myself drinking the rest of the leftover ganache straight out of the pitcher. But at eight dollars a plate and with a good, easy recipe for ganache at home, I think I'll be on the lookout for a good recipe for churros instead.

Maybe I'll get around to trying you again, Solea, but for now, I'm going to look elsewhere for my tapas cravings. Next on the tapas list to try: Ken Oringer's popular Toro in Boston's South End.

Solea can be found at 388 Moody St. in Waltham; visit its website for menus, contacts and directions at solearestaurant.com.