Just a little taste of what we ate in Barcelona (not the sheeps' heads—I put that photo in for shock value).

Cal Pep

Cal Pep is touristy, sure, but it's the terrific seafood that made it one of the most memorable meals of our trip. If you want to snag a seat at the bar (which you do) without a wait, get there before opening. We arrived ten minutes early, and people were already lining up. As soon as your butt hits the stool, you'll be asked if you want the menu of the house (again, you do). Order a drink, and try your mightiest to keep pace with the food, which begins arriving within minutes and just keeps coming. And coming. It's up to you to say "no mas!" Brian and I put away cockles (rich and bacony), fried artichokes, fried sardines and calamari, tuna tartare, a tortilla (thick and almost pudding-like in texture), monkfish with potatoes (garlicky and delicious), and a full bottle of wine—all in forty minutes. Then we went straight home and collapsed for the night.

Cal Pep
Placa de les Olles 8
08003 Barcelona
93 310 7961
http://www.calpep.com


El Xampanyet

This bright and charming little cava bar fills up almost as soon as it opens, especially on weekends, so again, arrive early. The best spots in the house are at the bar (standing room only). Cava is served in old-fashioned champagne glasses, the kind you see in old movies, and tapas are laid out across the bar. They're not self-serve, though—tell the bartender what you want, or point. I absolutely loved the anchovies, which also happen to be the house tapa. They are salty, but not excessively so, a touch vinegary, and soft in texture. I intend to pay a visit to Despanya soon to see if they carry anything comparable.  

El Xampanyet
Montcada 22
08003 Barcelona
93 319 70 03 

Euskal Etxea

 

We stumbled into this cultural center/restaurant/tapas bar on our very first night, after not being able to squeeze into El Xampanyet across the street. The restaurant in the rear was empty—the packed bar in front was clearly the place to be. Arranged on the bar was a impressive selection of tapas, mostly "montadillos," which feature combinations of ingredients artfully arranged on a bread slice. You shout out your drink order to a bartender, who hands you a plate along with your cava or cerveza. The tapas are self-serve—grab whatever you want, and hold on to the toothpick the tapa came with. When you're ready to leave, hand a bartender the plate with accumulated toothpicks, tell him or her what you had to drink, and they'll tally the bill.

Euskal Etxea
Placeta Montcada 1-3
08003 Barcelona
93 310 22 00
http://www.euskaletxeak.org

Paco Meralgo

Of all the restaurants we visited, Paco Meralgo, which I read about months ago on the blog Chez Pim, seemed the most local and off the tourist circuit.  The inside is bright, clean, and modern. We sat at the bar, where we had a front-row view of the fabulously fresh razor clams, cockles, langoustines and oysters laid out on ice behind the counter. We ordered a few of those razor clams and cockles, which were simply prepared, tender, and utterly pristine in flavor. We also loved the garlicky sardines, a trio of wild mushrooms, bacalao with tomato, and the anchovies (almost as good as El Xampanyet's). We ate with gusto, doing our best to ignore the older couple next to us whose conversation kept returning to "la Chinita" and "Americanos." (I dunno, maybe it was a coincidence.)
 
Alta Taberna Paco Meralgo
Muntaner 171
08036 Barcelona
93 430 9021
http://www.pacomeralgo.com


Technorati Tags: barcelona, spain, cal pep, el xampanyet, euskal etxea, paco meralgo

Copyright ©  2007 Sarah Kiino, www.avenuefood.com. My RSS feed is for personal, noncommercial use only. If you are perusing this post on a site that is neither www.avenuefood.com, nor your news aggregator, the Web site you are reading has likely stolen my material, and I'd like to know about it. Please send me an e-mail at avenuefoodAThotmailDOTcom. Thanks for your assistance in this matter.