JennyUptown

I returned from Barcelona two or three weeks ago. Beautiful city, wonderful food! My friends and I were looking for quality, budget meals and we found them easily. Like some of you, though, I spent some time sick in Barcelona. What a drag! Who goes to Spain and LOSES weight?? Here are a few places we liked Before I got sick, one friend and I enjoyed a visit to La Champagneria (Carrer de la Reina Cristina; Barceloneta?). Really crazy tapas experience. Wall to wall people, however it's a convivial bunch. We found the locals were very eager to help when our Spanish lapsed (I speak decent Spanish and picked up a little Catalan). They helped us get sausage on a roll (2) and a bottle of cava rosato (it was what everyone else was drinking so we figured we'd give it a try), all for about eight Euros. Very fun. No web site, so far as I can tell. I made a note to myself to write about Café Saula. Unfortunately my memory has faded and googling the name has turned up no results. Argh. Anyone know it? A place we liked in L'Eixample (Left?) was Raco d'en Balta Bar. Here's a link to a brief review that sums it up: Click aqui I was still a little sick and fuzzy in the head when we ate there, but I seem to recall a great appetizer of fried Camembert with a non-cloying blueberry sauce and a pork entree. Portions were reasonably sized (e.g., not Cheesecake Factory, but not meager either) and we had a bottle of rioja. Two appetizers, three entrees and wine would up costing about 85 Euros divided by three people. The bar next door was very cool, IMO. I chose Crema Catalana for my free chupito, while my friends had something stronger. We also loved Irati Taverna Basca (Cardenal Casanas, 17). Such a classy pintxos bar. Diners of all ages, all personable and helpful when asked "Que es eso?" (what is that?) Another good spot: Espaseria Degustactions (Carrer de L'Espaseria; El Born). Pintxos bar. Alas, no web site. We didn't enjoy La Pizza Nostra near the Picasso Museum. I heard you can get good pizza when you exhaust tapas in Barcelona, but this place served a pizza suspiciously similar to frozen! On our last night in Barcelona before departing for Mallorca, we dined at Restaurant El Cafeti (c/ Hospital, 99 (passage's end) or Sant Rafael, 18; El Raval). We found the space and service warm and charming; the food, delicious and reasonably priced (similar to Raco d'en Balto). Unfortunately the neighborhood was a little scary, even to three city dwellers and on our way to the cheesy-fun Rita Blue, we saw someone get mugged. It wasn't eight feet in front of us.... Restaurant El Cafeti - web site Rita Blue (Placa Sant Agusti, 3; El Raval) Rita Blue - web site

I'm happy - thanks!

I really need a before and after shot of you, Soba!! Somebody in NY photograph this man...

To get me to eat the crusts on bread, my mother used to tell me that doing so "might" turn my green/brown/hazel eyes blue. I REALLY wanted blue eyes like my Dad's. I'm still waiting...

Does geography matter (e.g., near a meeting site or hotel)?

How about budget-friendly recommendations? We're staying at the Barcelo Albatross. Thanks!

Wow! As if I wasn't already excited for my upcoming trip. Thanks for the tips.

Tom's generally among the first to know, no? Other than Lima personnel, of course.

I believe I heard that a soul food (or soul food inspired) place opened there recently...?

When I still lived in NYC, it was one of my go-to's for inexpensive EV fare. It is loud, but in my slightly younger years, I thought of that as a good thing. You know, "atmosphere."

Skip La Mela if at all possible. Some people find the family style aspect unique enough to overlook the fact that 1. the food sucks and 2. the food is expensive. Blech.

Rob, when was the last time you explored DC's dining scene in depth?

I'm a fan of Tabard Inn (though some people are not), however it will be a budget buster for you, to be sure.

What a great topic - and timely too given that I'm heading to San Diego (staying in La Jolla) for Labor Day Weekend. My friends and I are taking in a little Surf Divas action. Look out!!

I can't think of many sushi restaurants in this specific area. Sushi AOI comes to mind on 11th and H/New York. If you search for "sushi" on eg or dr.com, you'll find threads on Sushi Ko, Kotobuki, Makoto, Kaz...and more. Not near the Convention Center, but DC is easy to get around (cabs, metro, bus, etc.)

fyi - La Tasca is a chain. Near the Convention Center, there are oodles of on-chain choices. On a budget, you'll do well at Zaytinya, Matchbox, Jaleo. On slightly less of a budget, try Cafe Atlantico. That's only the beginning...

Two to try: Chincoteague Dining Options Vacationing in Chincoteague

Because Cheesetique is far?I feel for you.

By comparison, the chicken fingers at Cap City won't seem so bad.

I second Zaytinya and Matchbox (as well as the rec to avoid La Tasca. Eek, the TGIFridays of faux tapas!). Zaytinya is very nice for groups. Lots of mezze make for good sharing. I wasn't impressed by Tony Cheng's. Andale typically isn't crowded, for some odd reason. It's good, but is faced with stiff competition in the area.

Thanks for trying. Next time (and there will be more than one "next time"). I got roped into lunch with my boss and we just stayed within the hotel. Atlanta Grill was fine with some odd quirks (among them, serving soda in a pilsner glass with a straw so tall one had to remove the glass from table for a sip). Their bread basket was, IMO spectacular. My favorite was the scone-like object with onions and scallions. For dinner, a friend and I tried to go to Two Urban Licks, but I stalled too long on the reservation process (work) and when we arrived around 8:30 pm on a Wednesday, there was a two hour wait for a party of two. Interesting look to that place. We instead ate at Sotto Sotto, my Atlanta friend's favorite. To some, Italian might be boring but at home in DC moderate and good Italian is hard to find. Note: I don't think the online menu is 100% up to date. Highlights included mushroom rissotto (shared as an appetizer) and tortelli di Michaelangelo (veal, chicken and pork-stuffed pasta served in a butter-sage sauce). Chocolate soup was tasty for dessert.

Is Kelly's still going? I used to eat there annually with my family, but haven't been to Nags Head for a few years.

If you had to eat in downtown Atlanta, where would you go? I'm flying in tomorrow morning and departing Thursday morning which leaves time for one lunch and one dinner. My boss will be in tow so although price isn't a concern, he's not one for "interesting" ethnic options (sounds like that won't be a problem downtown, huh?). No rental car so something near the Ritz-Carlton by cab or on foot would be great. I wish I had more time to comb through Atlanta-related threads, but it's another last minute business trip! Oh, and I have zero sense of Atlanta's geography either. Thanks in advance.

From today's Page Six:

I wasn't a big fan of Spezie overall (just one visit, admittedly). Nothing went horribly awry; I just didn't enjoy the experience. The front room, where the bar is, is quite nice - sunny and bright, albeit smoky. The dining room was depressing, like a 70s hotel breakfast room. Relatively empty when I was there. As for the food. We loved their appetizers that included bufala mozzarella. Just really high quality ingredients. Entrees were pretty dull. The usual "oh, we need to have a filet, and a lamb and a tuna." Good gelato. Al Tiramisu is pretty good (ask for a price if you plan to order a special - trust me).