Tapas, Barcelona Style
October 28th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Posted in Travel
My idea of perfect food: white anchovies
Our introduction to tapas took place at Jose Andres’ Jaleo restaurant here in the District of Columbia and I suppose we couldn’t have asked for better. Andres has gone on to become one of the world’s great chefs and Jaleo, with its authentic Spanish tapas, is still going strong.
But Barcelona may be the epicenter of tapas and we wanted desperately to try the best. We made a couple of tours around the great municipal market–the Boqueria–where there are several tapas stalls serving all kinds of tantalizing small plates. But we could never find any open seats–you sit on a stool at the the counter, very much like in a sushi bar–and I apparently did not have the required patience to wait. I’ve never liked waiting for seats at a restaurant.
So we settled for one of the bistros that line the outskirts of the market, still under the big roof, but far enough removed as to afford a view of all the humanity passing between the food stalls. For lunch, I started with a plate of white anchovies and olives. I can’t resist anchovies, or seafood in general.
This is what gazpacho looks like in Spain
My wife, meanwhile, chose the gazpacho. It was excellent.
Paella looks good, but not much flavor
This was the one and only time we tried paella in Spain. I figured we had to. And although it looked great and arrived with the requisite crust (after quite a long wait), there wasn’t much flavor–at least not the explosion of authentic flavor we were expecting. We’ve done better at home.
On the recommendation of friends, we located a great Basque-style tapas bar–El Irati–that turned out to be just a short walk from our hotel. Here the various tapas are all spread on slices of baguette-style bread and arrayed on plates on top of the bar. The waiter/bartender hands you a plate and you choose your own tapas, each one skewered with a long toothpick. The toothpicks get counted when you ask for the check. Beer and wine flows freely and the tab is surprisingly little.
We tired pretty quickly of all that bread, however, and our search for great tapas led us to a place called Cal Pep, just outside the Gothic quarter near the port.
You wait your turn for a stool at Cal Pep
Even at lunch, there was a wait for the stools at the tapas bar at Cal Pep. I was determined to get a seat this time. The joint is narrow, and waiting means plastering yourself against the wall facing the bar and praying that someone will finish eating soon. We were lucky. I don’t think we waited more than 15 minutes.
The small kitchen moves a ton of food
The kitchen, located directly behind the bar as you might find in any short-order place, was extremely busy, as you might imagine. The man who appeared to be the head cook was Peruvian, we were told. Our waiter, one of several, scurried back and forth behind the bar, taking orders, pouring beer and wine, placing plates of hot food in front of wide-eyed clientele and waiving customers into seats as they emptied.
Grilled tuna and mushrooms
The gentleman seated next to me ordered an enticing plate of grilled tuna and mushrooms. He generously allowed me to take a photo.
Grilled cuttlefish, tomato bread
I, meanwhile, couldn’t resist the grilled cuttlefish, served with the obligatory tomato bread. My wife and I shared a plate of delicious, garlicky chickpeas and spinach. As you can see, I had nearly devoured the cuttlefish before I remembered to snap the picture.
Calamari fried to perfection
I couldn’t keep my eyes off the gorgeous food emerging from the kitchen’s fryer, such as these perfectly fried calamari.
According to our guide book, tapas even at Cal Pep can be reasonable–as long as you avoid the seafood. But who can avoid seafood, especially in Barcelona? Our lunch tab came to 60 Euros, or more than $80.
Breakfast at the hotel buffet
But some of the best tapas were at our hotel for breakfast. Those were the ones we made ourselves from the buffet. We were offered an option of daily breakfast from the buffet if we paid in advance. We took it and were glad we did. It was a feast. And as you can see from this plate, the selections were perfect for a low-carb guy like me.
Inside a Barcelona delicatessen
By way of bidding adieu to Barcelona, I give you the inside of a shop that sells a wide selection of delicacies from the Catalan region–wines, cheeses, hams, canned goods.
Strolling the Ramblas
Finally, we stroll the Ramblas, the grand boulevard and entertainment center that skirts the Gothic quarter and leads, inevitably, to Barcelona’s ancient port and the sea.
Adios, Barcelona!
Looks delicious!
Valencia is the place to eat paella – down by the beach in some amazing restaurants which are packed out at lunch time.
We didn’t bother with paella in Galicia – just lots of boiled octopus drizzled with olive oil and of course the ubiquitous Caldo Gallego, which I am trying to replicate for supper tonight 😉
BTW did you try a cup of the thick chocolate?
Celia
Celia, thanks for the tip on paella. I did not try the chocolate, I was too busy drinking the wine!