It’s been a while since I walked out of a restaurant feeling as though I wanted to plant a fervent kiss on the food and staff. Boldly flavored tapas served by painfully handsome waiters who all look like cousins of Antonio Banderas equated to nothing short of a Spanish love spell that few can escape when dining at Costa Brava.

If there’s a culinary jewel to be found on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, this is it. The single-structure restaurant ropes you in with an attractive raised patio and a row of French doors that expose the interior’s lavish hardwood flooring and dimly lit ambience. An inviting bar comprises the front dining room. And there’s another patio in the back with large wooden tables extending from a second indoor seating area. The atmosphere flows with conviviality and dictates indulgence.

My dining companion and I ordered with wild abandon from a tapas list that includes nearly 45 different hot and cold selections. Garlic, spicy paprika, olive oil and enticing piquillo peppers surfaced regularly throughout our banquete, adding charisma and gusto to everything we ate.

A dish of fine imported olives paired well with our Queso Manchego, a young, firm cheese served with a skinny chili pepper that dares you to take a fearless nibble. The Pan Tomaca con Jamòn is a must. It’s the Spanish rendition of Italian bruschetta – garlicky chopped tomatoes piled on toast and practically gift wrapped in mouth-watering ham that you’ll never find in the Ralphs deli case. It soon becomes obvious that much of Spain’s culinary riches are directly imported here, not to mention the chef, bartenders and hospitable owner, Javier Gonzalez.

“We give diners a good glimpse of what’s going on in modern Spain,” says Gonzalez, who also flaunts an ambitious wine list featuring nearly 220 Spanish varietals – some dating back to 1964. A newly completed wine room inside the restaurant now stores the booty.

With so many quality tapas to choose from, we never got around to trying the specialty entrées such as Seafood Paella, Rabbit Stew and Braised Ox Tail, all of which have earned steady raves since the restaurant opened a few years ago.

Our passport to Spain proceeded with a plate of warm Pimentos Relleno stuffed with crabmeat and served in a vivid red sauce made from the peppers themselves. The Pinchitos Morunos are skewers of marinated pork or lamb, although the kitchen was offering them with filet mignon during our visit, and they were orgasmic. Ditto for the sautéed Choricito Frito, which ranks as the leanest and tastiest chorizo sausage that’s ever touched my lips.

We struck the perfect balance to our protein-heavy lineup with the Patatas a la Brava, soft and spicy potatoes that carried a relentlessly addicting aftertaste. Other tapas choices (translated on the menu in English under their Spanish names) include Octopus with Spicy Paprika, Dates Wrapped in Bacon, White Asparagus with aioli, Sardines in Olive Oil and Chicken sautéed in garlic and wine. From the soup and salad categories you’ll encounter White Bean Stew, Gazpacho Soup and a lettuce and tuna medley served over a bed of potatoes, called Ensalada Mixta de la Casa.

We took our dessert in liquid form. My companion chose Café Cortado, the Spanish version of espresso concocted with only a touch of milk, while I sipped from a mini snifter of Moscatel, a white Spanish dessert wine that fortunately didn’t expunge the savory flavors still dancing on my palate.

Live entertainment, including flamenco music, permeates the atmosphere on Thursdays and Sundays, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. And in early May, Gonzales will bring a bigger slice of Spain to the block with an adjoining store called Pata Negra, where consumers can purchase imported cheeses, sausages, canned food and even beauty products, which might provide a few clues to all this Spanish sexiness floating around.