VOGUE IT GIRL and author Plum Sykes said that reality could always be blocked out with a "champagne cocktail and a detailed discussion about a bracelet."

If that's true (and believe me — for some of us it is), then there's a lot of reality blocking going on at Ibiza, a new tapas spot in Buckhead. Only here the deed is done with sweet sangria and hookah smoke.

ELISSA EUBANKS/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)
Seafood paella is a thing of beauty with soft rice, fat mussels shrimp and clams. Ibiza is new from the owners of Imperial Fez.
ELISSA EUBANKS/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)
The cocktails, from the Spanish Flair (from left), Latimopolitan and Summer Breeze, help take diners on an exotic getaway to far-off places.
Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
The lemon gives the garlic shrimp tapas plate a nice kick
ELISSA EUBANKS/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)
Ibiza attracts a diversion-seeking crowd with polka-dot banquettes and big, comfy pillows in '60s prints to throw around.
ELISSA EUBANKS/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)
The fig-raisin cheese surely won't disappoint with its glazed and roasted figs.
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Positioned next door to its bigger, older-but-no-wiser sister Imperial Fez, Ibiza opened this summer and has quietly been attracting the same sort of pretty, diversion-seeking and less-than-arduous crowds that the island in the Mediterranean does.

The dining room looks like Twiggy and Gladiator hired the same interior decorator: Polka-dot banquettes inside manly booths planked with exposed beams; lots of big, comfy pillows in '60s prints for throwing around; blood red walls and shiny black hardwoods offset with giant diamonds of tile work. The menu is perhaps the city's only real tapas menu, other than Pura Vida: small plates, hot and cold, everything under $10, most dishes under $5.

The most exceptional thing about Ibiza is that nothing about it is particularly exceptional, yet nothing on the menu fails. Settled into a booth for the evening, feet up, sangria in hand (there is an interesting little wine list, but you'll need Superman eyes to read the tiny print in the low light), satisfaction is but a bite away.

Spanish tortilla (think omelet) served cold is good to start with, accompanied by little plates of almonds and assorted Spanish olives. From there, "French" fig-and-raisin cheese — a small mound of cream cheesy softness glazed with figs roasted in honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove — is one of the best and sweetest bites on the menu. It packs a bit of tang and tastes like fruitcake batter. I wish there was something to smear it on other than my finger, though.

Ibiza's chef, Rita Benjelloun, is wife to Imperial Fez's gregarious Rafih Benjelloun; the couple has successfully made a go of the Moroccan belly dancing palace since 1991, even though it is notoriously over-priced.

With Ibiza, the two have finally offered Atlanta a fun, enjoyable evening for less than the cost of plastic surgery. Belly dancing, salsa and flamenco dancing are all part of the experience on various nights throughout the weekend.

Don't expect the wait staff to be as solid as the kitchen or prices. Servers will politely tell you that cabrales is manchego on an otherwise tidy little cheese plate with baby-sized cubes of fruit paste and a slice of fig loaf. The staff will bring things from the kitchen promptly, but that is where their prowess ends. Ask them about an ingredient or the wine list and you're in no man's land.

Order lots of nibbles and don't fret it. A pint-sized portion of paella impresses with soft rice, fat mussels, shrimp and clams. Shrimp is sautéed simply in garlic, with a spritz of lemon. Beef and chicken pinchitos are succulently tasty, especially when smeared with fiery pepper paste (the veggies as a go-with are like mushy VegAll). Steamed mussels swim in a light cream sauce laced with sherry, and tiny croquetas de carne picada are crunchy rolls of savory deep-fried meatloaf.

Whether it's the terrace (a loose term, since it oversees the busy parking lot and rude valet) where hookah pipes can be had for $15, a booth or a table, there's plenty of reality blocking going on. Early in the evening, Ibiza might seem quiet. But as the evening advances, so does the crowd.

Hurray for unreality.

IBIZA

Overall rating:

Food: Tapas

Service: All smiles, but pretty clueless

Address, telephone: 2285 Peachtree Road, suite 100, 404-352-3081

Price range: $$

Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover

Hours of operation: Open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. with a late-night tapas menu from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.; open Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Reservations: Accepted

Best dishes: Tortilla Espagnola, "French" fig cheese, camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp), steamed mussels in sherry wine sauce, croquetas de carne picada, beef and chicken pinchitos

Vegetarian selections: Steamed and grilled artichoke with lemon dressing, baked rosemary potatoes, vegetarian paella, mozzarella and cherry tomato pinchitos

Children: Go on a night when there's belly dancing, and go early to avoid the hookah smoke; adventurous little ones will enjoy exploring.

Parking: Adjacent lot and valet

Wheelchair access: Yes

Smoking: Patio only

Noise level: Medium

Patio: Yes

Takeout: Yes

Web site: www.ibizarestaurantlounge.com

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KEY TO RATINGS
Outstanding: Sets the standard for fine dining in the region.
Excellent: One of the best in the Atlanta area.
Very good: Merits a drive if you're looking for this kind of dining.
Good: A worthy addition to its neighborhood, but food may be hit or miss.
Fair: The food is more miss than hit.
Restaurants that do not meet these criteria are rated Poor.

Pricing code: $$$$ means above $35; $$$ means $20-$35; $$ means $10-$20; $ means $10 or less. ® means reservations accepted.