I loved the restaurants/bars around here because of the locals-only vibe. Cafés spilled out into open squares that were connected by narrow streets of boutiques, restaurants, and bookstores. The food choices were varied, tasty, and cheap. Here you can find traditional Italian restaurants, Basque country cooking, possibly the only good Mexican restaurant in Barcelona, all sorts of tapas, great pizza, and old diner-style bistros. I ended up getting dinner at the Mexican restaurant, Cantina Machito, and lunch the next day at a Catalan café.

Cantina Machito was good, but not the kind of food that you can in the US (particularly in the South). Of course, Mexican food served in the southern United States isn’t quite authentic either, but it’s what I’m used to. Cantina Machito hit the high notes correctly, offering up excellent margatitas and guacamole. I even ordered a Michelada, which is essentially a Bloody Mary made with beer instead of vodka (there are other differences). Obviously, go here if you are looking to have some Mexican food, but if you can get a good Mexican meal back home, I’d steer you to something a little more local. Try their margaritas, order up an appetizer, and enjoy yourself. (Photos of the food are a little dark, but you can see the guac and another dish here.)

Amazing sandwich, love the fried egg, sunny side up. It's all about the runny yolk.

A cafe on Plaça del Sol was a great stop for lunch the next day. I’ll be up front here, the best part of this place is their prices. A dirt cheap menu and simple food is what this is about. Local favorites such as Galacian octopus, paellas, mussels, and various preparations of seafood are on the menu next to simpler fare such as sandwiches, fried potatoes, and assortments of olives. I ordered the house sandwich and was not disappointed. Served open-faced and loaded with meats, cheese, vegetables, and an egg sunny-side up, this sandwich was filling and surprisingly cheap. Here is the place to go for a value, budget meal. Nothing fancy here, just cheap and flavorful.

There is one glaring detail I have omitted from this review: the restaurant’s name. I somehow misplaced it. I’ve looked online and in tour books and cannot seem to find it. I’ve asked some people in Barcelona to stop by the place by and get the name for me. I’ll let you know if I ever find out. Heck, I may even use this as an excuse to go back… [EDIT: Found it!!! Nou Candanchu!]

Even if you aren’t looking for a meal, a walk through Gracia is a well spent afternoon. Who knows, if you make it through the squares without pausing for a drink at a cafe, you might still be stopped by one of the ice cream or pastry shops. Good luck.

Lunch at Cafe Vienna

I found an open stool around the counter and ordered my lunch, a flauta d’iberico d.o. jabugo and a beer. It was essentially a ham sandwich on steroids. Here is the kicker though, there were only three ingredients: bread, tomato, and ham. The bread was essentially a short, thin, crispy baguette. It had been rubbed with a juicy tomato to give a little flavor and moisture (no tomato slices here). The last ingredient was some ham. That’s it.

Well, that’s not it. It wasn’t just any ham. It was jamón ibérico from the town of Jabugo (known for it’s high quality hams). The jamón ibéricos of Spain are the best cured hams in the world. If you can get your hands on any jamón ibérico de bellota (from Salamanca or Jabugo), get it. It is expensive, easily reaching over $100 a pound, but worth it. Eating it is like having a private party for your taste buds. If you get the “de bellota” (acorn) variety, you will even taste a mild nuttiness to the meat as it dissolves away. If you think prosciutto is delicious, jamón ibérico puts that to shame.

All this is simply to say that my lunch was amazing. Best sandwich ever? I still don’t know, but there was nothing I would change about it. Perfect in it’s simplicity.

Pintxos at Sagardi in Barcelona

The place I visited was Sagardi, a chain based on the Basque sagardotegi (cider house) traditions. The drink of choice here is, obviously, cider. Basque cider is a little flatter than most ciders and generally poured several feet above the glass in order to aerate the the drink. Fun to watch, more fun to drink.

Cider barrels

I had my fill, counted my toothpicks, (paid my tab,) and wandered off to explore the city. The great thing about tapas bars, is that if you get a bit peckish later in the night, you can pop-in and get a quick bite to eat. I would know. You should too.

A few weeks ago, I had glorious plans that upon my return from Valencia I would wow my friends with my own version of this dish. Instead, the good people at Casa Roberto crushed my dreams when they served me a dish that I would not be able to recreate. It’s not surprising that the best paella in Spain is found in Valencia, after all, it was basically invented there.

Seafood Paella from Casa Roberto.

They did everything right. The rice layer was thin. Small bits of seafood were mixed into the rice, and mussels, shrimp and langoustine were placed on top. The rice was cooked through, but still firm to the tooth. A hint of saffron, paprika, and other spices added aroma and color. Best of all was the socarrat–that crispy, caramelized rice on the bottom.

There are many secrets and superstitions that surround the methods behind making true Valencian paella. They range from which spices, meats, and vegetables should be included/omitted, to the pan thickness, to the heat source. Many of these I had heard before, but in talking with a local, one addition caught me off guard–smoke and fire.

I already knew that having the correct paellera (the paella pan) was important. True paelleras are thin, wide dishes with a very shallow depth that doesn’t allow the paella to be thicker than an inch. To make larger portions, the dish gets wider, not taller. Creating the coveted socarrat is normally achieved by boosting the heat during the last few moments of cooking to carmelize the rice at the bottom. Once the pan is removed from the heat, the carmelization can stop immediately. Thicker pans can hold more easily hold heat making rapid temperature changes difficult–all this to say that it is easier end up with burnt the rice in a thicker pan.

The best paellas are made just south of the city of Valencia where fields of rice patties dominate the landscape. Here they have room to cook the dishes over an open fire. Not only does an open fire allow for rapid control of heat, but it also adds a mild smokieness. Valencians swear by using orange branches as their fuel source. The aromatic smoke from the fire contributes it’s flavors to the paella. This is not easily replicated in restaurants. It is only using this method can true, historic, Valencian paella be created.

Langoustine on paella.