To continue the countdown...
#5 - Nose-to-Tail Eating
For those unfamiliar with the concept, nose-to-tail eating is the idea that all parts of an animal can be used for one thing or another in a kitchen, frequently with surprisingly great results. This idea is MUCH more prevalent in Spain, and while it is gaining momentum in America, I appreciated the chance to try so much variety here. What follows is a list with a few of the dishes I tried during my stay:
- Pig trotter (pictured above) - Probably my favorite; the flavor was rich with a perfect mix of textures
- Cudillo (pork elbow) - Similar to a lamb shank in appearance, excellent flavor, and texture
- Shrimp heads - The flavor is great, and stronger than the shrimp body; odd texture and method for eating though
- Morros - Fried pieces of pork taken from in around the cheek... delicious
- Murcilla - Blood sausage that is made from pork, rice, and onions; my second favorite style of sausage here behind the typical butifarra
#4 - Espai Sucre
Jessica and I enjoyed Espai Sucre during her two-week stay here. Below is my blog from our visit (including mention of the best pork dish I had here in Spain!):
"Espai Sucre (http://www.espaisucre.com/) is a restaurant that specializes in desserts with a focus on molecular gastronomy and unique flavor combinations. Instead of serving typical savory courses and then having a dessert menu, they actually offer full menus of desserts only (as well as two options where they create one or two savory courses integrated with the sweet). For our meal, Jessica chose the five-course dessert option while I selected the six-course menu with two savory items (octopus in my second course, pork in my third). To best understand the meal, I'd suggest you look at our pictures on Instagram, but for a quick summary:
- The dishes all looked and tasted incredible. Each had unique flavor combinations (often times matching fresh herbs with fruit flavors as well as chocolates, coffees, and even tobacco) as well as varying textures, with foams, ices, jellies, creams, and even tapioca in my final course. The colors were great too... bright yellows and light greens contrasted with reds and whites and dark chocolates. Just viewing the plate was satisfying I thought!
- The pork dish I had, covered with a coffee streusel, was one of the five best flavors I've tried in my life. It was a high quality rib cut, but tasted more like a perfectly braised belly piece with a meatier consistency. The coffee crunch was excellent as well, and I've never had a better reduced pork sauce than this one.
- Even with the complex courses, sometimes pairing five and six flavors, I found (with one exception) that each ingredient served a purpose and the best bites were ones with every component included.
- Service was incredible. The restaurant only has six tables I think, and each course is explained perfectly by the two servers. For us, the main waiter was great describing the wines as well, and generally led us through the meal. Rarely do I feel that service adds or takes away much from my experience, but here it was integral to our enjoyment!"
I cannot make a good case that you must try Espai Sucre as part of the "true" Spanish experience when visiting Barcelona. However, it is the most interesting, unique restaurant I've ever eaten in, and one I'd recommend to all people, particularly those that are fans of molecular gastronomy.
#3 - El Clasico at Camp Nou
Our trip to Camp Nou for the Barca - Real Madrid match was fantastic. Neither Jessica nor I had ever been to a game, and to take in one of the world's best sports rivalries with 90,000+ other fans was the perfect way to do it. We saw five goals, including scores from Messi and Ronaldo, and watched as Barca held on for a 3-2 victory. Our seats were set right at midfield and we were able to see all of the action! I have nothing else to compare this experience to, but I am guessing it spoiled me as a futbol fan, as I'll always now use it as my benchmark. If you cannot see a match when you visit Barcelona, at least go through the tour of Camp Nou to get a feeling for what major club soccer feels like!
#2 - Mas Albereda
Jessica and I spent our first wedding anniversary together at this wonderful hotel and restaurant. Every detail was perfect and it was a trip that both of us will never forget! My blog from May is below, which highlights the incredible meal we had, as well as some details of the hotel.
"For our anniversary day, we ventured to a northern village outside of Vic to celebrate in a more relaxed, calm environment. We stayed at a farmhouse that has been converted into a modern hotel and restaurant called Mas Albereda (http://www.masalbereda.com/). Even though it was rainy, we thoroughly enjoyed the grounds, the peacefulness, and the accommodations at the hotel. Jessica was able to get a massage while I watched a Spanish game show (the details of which I neither understand nor can explain) before dinner.
We had a drink at their bar, which was a running joke for Jessica and me. Here in Spain, it is very common for everyone to say, "Let's take a beer" instead of "Let's have a beer" like many would say in America. I really like this different way of saying it, so I asked every ten minutes whether we could "take" a drink before she finally conceded. I am going to try to get this phrase to stick when I come back to Clayton for sure.
Dinner at Mas Albereda was magnificent... this could really be its own post but for the sake of time and attention span, I'll summarize as best I can. We shared a bottle of local red wine that, to a novice like me, was great. The meal started with a HUGE fresh garden salad for Jessica and cod fritters for me that were so incredibly light, I honestly thought they could float in the air. If you take a standard hush puppy and cut the density 100 times, you're probably close to what these were. The flavor was just strong enough to remind you it was cod but not overpowering. Honestly, it was one of the most impressive fried food executions I've ever had.
As strong as the meal started, the main course was another level up. Jessica had a whole veal tenderloin (seriously, it was probably 18 ounces!) coupled with a mushroom and potato hash. Cleverly, the chef included a scorching hot ceramic tile on the plate allowing the diner to further "cook" their meat if they desired. In this case, they served the tenderloin medium rare so Jessica could just touch it off to get to medium while I could enjoy as is. My meal, called on the menu as "Pig trotter and black sausage shrimp ravioli", was my first real taste of molecular gastronomy. Instead of using pasta, the shrimp were the ravioli, pounded thin and then "glued" together somehow to hold the filling. I have seen on shows before the use of protein glue to get this type of effect, so maybe that is what was used. Regardless, the shrimp were amazingly sweet on their own and then just perfect when matched with the meaty pork products inside. Visually, I was stunned (in a good way!) when the plate came and somehow the taste even exceeded the presentation. Dessert was a rich chocolate brownie with strawberries and ice cream... delicious but not as good as the first two courses for me!"
Mas Albereda is about an hour north of Barcelona, and may not be a popular tourist spot if even for a night. Jessica and I, though, will always hold the hotel and staff in a special place as they provided the best first anniversary I could have imagined, while allowing us to celebrate the Catalan way of living!
#6 - Costa Brava
#7 - Spanish Ham
#8 - Cerveceria Catalana
#9 - La Sagrada Familia
#10 - Hilton Barcelona
#11 - Bocadillos
#12 - Octopus with Paprika
#13 - MariscCo
#14 - Bar Londen
#15 - Duck Confit is Everywhere
#16 - McDonalds
#17 - American Fox Television
#18 - The Granollers Bowling Alley
#19 - Scobie's Irish Pub
#20 - Prices Include Tax in Spain
No comments:
Post a Comment