Cinc Sentits: Restaurant

On vacation, you should always splurge on at least one meal if not more than one. Otherwise, really what kind of vacation is it? In Spain lunch is the big meal so splash out then, not at dinner. Now your concept of splurge may be different from mine. You may decide to eat in a cafe instead of having a picnic. Or like me, you might try the chef's tasting menu at Cinc Sentits, (Catalan for five senses) which cost 50 euro or about $63. Regardless of your concept of splurge, I would definitely recommend Cinc Sentits . First off, Cinc Sentits is in an elegant neighborhood, and the restaurant is elegant as well. The tables are small and intimate and the minimalist interior feels decidedly soothing. Service is handled by the chef's mother and sister and it is friendly and shows a high level of care and pride. The meal started off with a shot of warm maple syrup, a nod to where the Catalan chef was raised, Canada. In the bottom of the shot was sea salt, perhaps representing the o......

Continue reading

Gourmet Barcelona

Not only is Barcelona an amazing food city, it knows it. Starting at the Plaza Catalunya, on Friday or Saturday at 11:00 am you can take a Gourmet Walking Tour put on by the Barcelona Tourism office. The cost is just under $15 and it is well worth it. Over the course of two hours a local guide leads you down a bit of the Ramblas, from the Boqueria into the Barri Gotic and finally to La Ribera making numerous stops along the way. The tour is a terrific way to orient yourself and make sure you hit some of the best examples of Barcelona's gastronomic riches. The first stop is Granja Viader , the site where Cacoalat, a kind of bottled chocolate milk was invented. This is a great place to find all kinds of local dairy products, cheeses, crema catalan, yogurt, but also cakes and sweets that are local specialties. On to the market! I will post more about the Boqueria but suffice it to say it one of the most impressive covered outdooor markets in Europe. There is a great variety of ......

Continue reading

This is Barcelona

So I know what flamenco is and I know what pop is but when the box office told me the show at the Palau de la Musica Catalunya was "flamenco pop" I really didn't know what to expect. Here in a modernista (art nouveau) but positively psychedelic building that is covered in colorful stained glass, glittering mosaic tiles and sculptures of galloping horses, with every possible surface adorned, loud contemporary Spanish music throbbing and lights flashing I can tell you, this is Barcelona. Achingly modern, distinctly Spanish yet unique and most of all, wildly enthusiastic, Spanish diva Rosario, prances across the stage like a Spanish Tina Turner, belting out songs with soul and emotion. So too the chefs of Barcelona seem filled with soul. Whether it's perfectly executed traditional dishes like the tortilla at Cal Pep or taking traditional dishes and giving them a modern twist like Iberian pork belly with lentils braised with calamares ala plancha at Cinc Sentits , so......

Continue reading