AmyH

Asimov wrote about Spiga in the Diners Journal on 1/27. Mostly positive. http://events.nytimes.com/2006/01/27/dining/27jour.html

Luis- You left us with the promise of more about your meals . .

Luis- Please give us a full report!!

I have confirmed reservations for lunch at both Can Roca and Can Fabes for our trip this summer. The Can Roca website, while beautiful, does not identify prices or set menus. Can anyone give me an idea of what we may likely encounter in terms of prices for a tasting menu of 4-5 course. Ditto for Can Fabes. Thanks in advance.

Busboy- Glad they fit you in, sorry the experience foodwise was not up to par. Our reservation was for 5:15 on Sunday evening (30 days exactly and still a ridiculous time). I was truly expecting to walk in to a half empty restaurant and was pleasingly surprised to see that the downstairs room (we were literally under the stairs) was very full with a good vibe going in the bar area (must have been thanks to the Dead). For the regulars I wonder if the mix of patrons was typical or somewhat unique for the holiday weekend. It was a mix of generations and there was also a few groups in jeans that definetely had that "I've seen Mario on TV and had to eat at his retaurant" look.

Re-visited Babbo on Sunday evening with my twelve year old son, who is very much a foodie in the making. After reading the posts here, I had pretty much decided on the pasta tasting menu but should have shared that predisposition with my son. We were seated and he immediately zeroed in on the gnocchi with braised oxtails and pigs foot appetizer. Discussion ensued, wine was brought and the waiter came over to see how negotiations were progressing. I told him that I was losing to the gnocchi with oxtail, which amused him. Without missing a beat, he offered to substitute the gnocchi for one of the pasta course if that would "seal the deal" for the meal and suggested that we could remove the pyramids. Done and done. This, to me, is true service since I did not even consider asking for a substitution. We went on to have a truly wonderful evening. The Taglietelle really was a highlight, the combination of the parsnips, pancetta and butter (and more butter) was great in terms of both texture and flavor. The oxtail was very rich and flavorful althought the gnocchi were not so exciting . . a little chewy actually. We also enjoyed the pasta with cremini mushrooms and the bolognese, but at that point, we were really, really full. The saffron panna cotta and mango sorbet were an excellent end to dinner. One final note, I was somewhat bemused by the music played during the evening and the fact that no one else seemed to notice that in a very refined dining room, we were all dining to a mix that included the Greatful Dead and early Who -- not the muzak versions.

Saborosa- Thank you so much for your detailed report. It is extremely helpful to get a first hand account v. the trendy blurb that was in Food & Wine. I do have one question out of curiosity. Is the "mini-lounge" that is across the hall from the hotel bedroom a private lounge that you use your own coded hotel room key to enter or do you share this mini TV lounge with other guests that are on the same floor?

Thanks for all the responses. Casa Camper quoted us 190E for a double room for July. This includes breakfast and an afternoon snack. Perhaps some of the rice balls that are served in the adjacent restaurant, which I believe is appropriately named foodball ? I like the analogy to lower east side v. Soho. That helps. I have stayed in the Marais in Paris for years, way before it was the hip and trendy area that is has become, and it sounds as this is another close analogy. The price of Casa Camper is pretty much the same as both the Hotel Omm and the Claris. One nice feature of the Omm, since it will be July, is that they have a pool on the roof. I believe the room sizes and decor are going to be similar. Unless I hear some raves about the Camper or some bad news about the Omm, we will likely stay put. The rest of the trip is shaping up nicely as we found a masia to rent near Banyoles and will also spend a few days at the Torre del Reimi. Now, to narrow down the restaurant choices. El Bulli is out (unless there is a last minute cancellation) but Can Fabes is in. Everything else is lists of possibilities!

I am a sucker for a new hotel and shoe maker Camper just opened a 25 room ultramodern boutique hotel in what has been described as Barcelona's "up-and-coming El Raval neighborhood." How would those on the ground describe this neighborhood? Even better, any reports on the hotel itself?

Moshi Moshi was on the East end of Pearl, next to Starr's Clothing and generally toward Frsca and Gondolier (and same side of street).

So six of us trekked down to the newly refurbished M&D's Cafe to sample the BBQ. I was with three individuals that are official BBQ judges who, in addition to their regular day jobs, have sampled a heck of a lot of BBQ. Most of us had the BBQ combo platter -- an enormous platter of assorted BBQ for $18 -- included were brisket, sliced pork, two huge pork ribs, chicken and a mess of hot links. Also comes with two sides of your choice. One lone dissenter ordered the fried catfish and brisket combo and he turned out to be the big winner. We sampled all three sauces. The overwhelming consensus is that we were underwhelmed. The winners were the ribs, they had a nice smoky flavor and were huge, the coleslaw -- sweet but not too sweet and crsipy, the coller greens,the medium BBQ sauce, good but not great sauce -- very tomatoey based, almost like liquid smoke and spices were added to a classic italian "gravy." The brisket was dried out and had clearly been pre-sliced and had very little smoke flavor. The prok was more tender, but again pre-sliced and without the requisite smoke flavor. Chicken was fine and I am not a huge hot link fan, so hard to judge. The big winner was the catfish, which, according to the server we asked on the way out is the second most popular item on the menu (ribs are #1). The catfish was corn meal battered and fried, light and perfectly cooked (no smoke). Perhaps M&D's is more of a southern joint than a BBQ joint . . we are considering a second trip for the Sunday brunch but have way too many other BBQ places to visit before returning for Q. Anyone else want to weigh in or start a BBQ thread. My compatriots swear by the Hickory House i Parker and Aspen as the best ribs in all of Colorado. We are planning trips to Chapter One and some other places in the near term.

Hotel Actual is new and right across from the Omn. I believe it may have received a little notice in the April edition of the Business Traveller but I could not find it on line.

Can you give a quick summary of your itinerary. We are thinking of going to Trieste next summer and than on to Croatia. Now I'm hungry!

What does that mean?? Why won't you simply post your review right here where it belongs/

Another successful dinner at Frasca . . I swear, we have no financial or other connection to the place. It continues to be jam packed ,although I was able to call on Wednesday and get a reservation for Thursday evening at 8:15, and the service is showing a little stress because of it. We had an 8:15 reservation but were not seated until closer to 8:45 because the folks at our table were lingering over dessert (still the weakest part of the meal). The host was profusely apologetic and comped us glasses of wine while we waited and we wound up at a "better" table by the window because those patrons vacated earlier. It was much louder than our first visit because of the overflow crowd at the bar . I think the bar area has become quite the scene for what young urban hispters we have in Boulder. As a result and because our server was quite rushed, I missed his description of the Italian Tokay wine that was also comped to us at the start of the meal. We nibbled on a plate of the salumi until our appetizers came . . house salad, me and my foie gras with a glass of ?, again, I could not hear the waiter and took his reco on a not quite sauterne that was delicious. One diner had the lamb relish, a kind of warmed picadillo served in a very large bowl (they have a thing about serving small things in huge bowls), and Andy had an heirloom tomato salad that was outstanding, the tomatoes had been blanched and skinned (I groan thinking about the prep time involved), so the salad was slightly warmed. Main courses, two had slow roasted lamb, tender and shredded, I had the gnocchi, this time it sat on a bed of beet greens, and our fourth had the handmade tagliatelle with a lemon, corn, cream brodo -- very fresh and flavorful. The dish was scented with lemon and the corn taste came through, the cream was not heavy at all. Dessert for me was a banana panna cotta served in a glass with banana bread. When it first arrived, it looked like a plate of milk and cookies and I was not sure what was in the glass until I stuck my spoon in and realized that it was, indeed, the banana flavored panna cotta. A nice cheese plate for 11 with a very odd red pepper jelly that we did not care for but the waiter insisted that some folks devour. To sum up why I like this place and will keep going back. The food is creative and innovative (next time I will move off the foie gras and try a different app. this time they had a plate of green eggs and ham that someone should have orderd) and yet at the same time grounded in tradition and well executed.