Ole Tapas Lounge & Restaurant isn't just about internationally influenced Spanish cuisine—it's also about conversation. Everything from the tapas' presentation, which clearly draws inspiration from the Iberian Peninsula, to the flavors, which look to that region and beyond, give patrons ample reason to put away their conversational cue cards. Then there's the shareable portions of grilled octopus with guindilla aioli and tempura-fried cauliflower with a tomato-cumin sauce, which guarantee a convivial atmosphere as plates pass back and forth across the table.

Yet the Ole Tapas Lounge & Restaurant menu isn't constrained to small plates, just as the dining room isn't constrained to Delaware. Chefs also prepare traditional Spanish entrées, such as saffron-tinged paellas that can feed as many as six people, in a space flecked with rustic reds, yellows, and wood tones. The combination seems to lift the high-backed banquettes and stout chairs from the earthenware floors and carry them to the streets of Madrid. Meanwhile, behind the bar, tenders mix appropriately Spanish cocktails and pitchers of sangria that leave a fruity, festive tint in the mouth.