Gone are the days when the notion of “tapas” meant nibbling from mini plates of cured olives and red sausages amid periodic outbursts of Flamenco music. A whole new world of gastronomic “small bites” has emerged this century to give San Diego’s Spanish-style restaurants a reckless bull-run for their money.

Cilantros in Encinitas perpetuates the change with a tapas menu that unifies the feisty flavors of the Southwest with fresh ingredients and seafood from our West Coast bounty. The essence of Spain is barely detectable, although hardly missed when you consider such choices as Chilled Mama Mama Oysters, Crispy Ahi Tacos and Dungeness Crab Cakes with sweet onion vinaigrette. Nearly 20 tapas in all comprise the list, which in reality doubles as an appetizer menu if you start eyeing the entrée selections.

Fortunately, the dining companion I towed along carries no dainty appetite. So we chose enough tapas to craft a full meal – and then ordered dinner! A visit to Overeater’s Anonymous afterwards might have been a sensible way to wrap the evening.

Dinner at Cilantros begins with a “flight” of bread crisps, humus and black olive nicoise, all hanging from a metal stem in three separate glass cups intended for tea lights. It’s a clever touch that corresponds well to the Scottsdale-meets-Miami atmosphere. A handsome cocktail lounge at one end of the dining room offers contrast to the sandy-beige walls and pastel fabrics with its wood-backed bar chairs and cozy fireplace area. The design is squeaky clean without being generic.

Our colorful tapas smorgasbord consisted of Smoked Salmon Quesadilla layered with excellent flaky fish, creamy Boursin cheese and heirloom tomatoes. A topping of cilantro crème-fraiche made it all the more wonderful. The Southwestern Chicken Spring Rolls were pleasant and zesty, although their casing was slightly thick and chewy rather than thin and fragile.

And in what I would consider a nod to American fast fare, the battered Hot Rocks Shrimp with Buffalo-style sauce left me picking long after I should have stopped. The sauce scored a perfect match to that used on Buffalo wings. Better yet, Executive Chef Brent Calley doesn’t make the common faux pas of serving it with Ranch dressing. These little nuggets get only the best accompaniment – a Maytag blue-cheese dip made in-house.

From the entrée menu, we began with an order of Chicken Tortilla Soup, which incited confusion on our taste buds. Dark red in color, my companion felt it was too tomatoey. I immediately thought “minestrone.” The shredded chicken floating throughout took a back seat in the overall scheme of things.

Yet a concise, straightforward flavor ensued with the arrival of my companion’s Chipotle Rubbed Prime Flat Iron Steak, cooked medium-rare as ordered and piled high with delicate onion rings. The meat’s buttery texture soaked up the spice rub a few millimeters deeper than expected, thus resulting in nirvana at every bite. The puddle of Danish blue cheese Cabernet sauce it sat upon was well constructed, but probably unnecessary.

My meal, Pan Seared Sea Scallops, was generously served over a comforting corn risotto garnished with red pearl onions. The dish is finished off with truffle honey – a fine addition had it not upstaged the sweetness of the corn. The musty flavor of truffle oil is something I love in just about any recipe when it’s used as a backdrop. Yet some foodies I know prefer it in the forefront and would go nutty over this.

Owners John Andre and his business partner Bradley Evarts, who founded the now-defunct Cilantros in Del Mar, have put together a serious kitchen staff that also includes renowned Pastry Chef Darryn Kiehm. Desserts, this means, are made on the premises with the same imaginative force Chef Evarts injects into his tapas and entrée menus.

The Spiced Pumpkin Praline Tart with sinfully rich crème-fraiche gelato is a superb welcome to the holiday season. The same lush pastry shell shows up in the Chocolate-Walnut Tart, served with roasted banana gelato. Both are divine.

Live jazz music on Wednesday evenings perks up the normally quiet weeknight atmosphere, and the alluring bar area offers happy hour daily from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. You’ll be hard pressed to leave here without partaking in at least one nibble.

Got a food scoop? Send it to fsabatini@san.rr.com