So after a short little jaunt, we arrive in Barcelona, Spain. We checked into our hotel and headed out into the city to La Rambla (the main street) to find something to eat for lunch. We came across a little fast food place and were so hungry that we stopped there. Still very European though.
Meal #1: it was a sandwich joint but everything was on French Bread. Best option for bread ever! Beau got a salami and brie on French Bread and I got a chicken sandwich on French Bread. I’m telling you, that French Bread really takes a sandwich to a whole ‘nother level. We loved it!
Snack: it wasn’t really a snack, but when in Spain… We were waiting for the dinner “hour” to come (8:00) and were so tired of walking that we stopped at a restaurant to have a pitcher (yes a pitcher) of Sangria. Love the Spaniards.
Meal #2: Best meal we had in Spain. I found this restaurant in my Lonely Planet book. The Monkfish was a recommendation. And so we went. It was down one of the little side streets and was like a maze to find, but so glad we did. I think we were the second or third couple to be seated. (Late eaters.) We ordered a bottle of wine and some bread. We munched on that for a while and then got to ordering our meals.
Appetizer: Fried calamari with a wedge of lemon. By far the BEST fried calamari I’ve had to date. The best, without a doubt. It was like the calamari was tempura fried. The batter was so light and the calamari was so big. That little spray of lemon juice was just enough to give a twist on the flavor. No need for marinara or whatever else is normally served with calamari in the States. This was fresh and crisp and good.
Beau’s Entrée: Osso Buco
Neither one of us had ever had this. It’s a dish with lamb shanks braised with vegetables in a white wine and stock sauce. It fell off the bone! I was shocked, but Beau loved it! It really was delicious!
Kathryn’s Entrée: Monkfish stewed in garlic
This was the meal that brought us into this restaurant. It was very good. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had Monkfish and in fact, I don’t really ever see it offered on any menu. What’s the deal with that? I was given four pieces of Monkfish laid nicely in a light broth with garlic and some sort of nut that I can’t seem to remember right now. But it was sure good. I made a point to soak up the rest of that sauce with as much bread as I could find. Beau did the same. J
Meal #3: This will cover all breakfasts. We ate in the hotel, which wouldn’t otherwise be exciting, but I feel like I must because Beau loved it so much! Sandwiches. Do you see a theme here? This man loves him a good sandwich. With three different choices for bread and four kinds of cured meat and three kinds of cheese, how could you go wrong? He loved it! Me? Fruit, Danish and coffee. Not nearly as exciting.
Meal #4: This was our attempt at Tapas. We ordered something from the menu, solely based on the picture as we couldn’t read what any of it was. They don’t teach you “croquettes” in Spanish class. Out tapas were served on a large platter in six different dishes. We tried potatoes covered in mayonnaise, chicken croquettes (pureed chicken with cheese), fried calamari, stewed spicy sausages, potato quiche and cucumber and tomato salad with fresh mozzarella. Oh yes, and we had Sangria. J Nothing on our tapas plate overwhelmed us. We didn’t even finish it actually. A bit of a disappointment. We should have left the tourist area for this.
Meal #5: Paella. That’s right. I was dying to try to real Spanish Paella. Actually, I had never eaten prior to this night, but hey, if you’re going to try it for the first time, why not have it in the country it came from?! Beau and I booked tickets for dinner and a Flamenco Show. How much fun was this?!?! More Sangria (of course), a salad, bread, Seafood Paella and Vanilla custard for dessert. I loved the whole thing. The food was amazing by any stretch, but the whole atmosphere, the show, the food, Paella, Sangria-it just made it wonderful. And I left there really liking Paella and determined to make it myself one day. Any takers?
On to the famous Italian food….
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