loremipsum

I wanted to share photos of my latest trip eating in Barcelona. This was my third time visiting, so we wanted to make sure we ate at all new places that I haven't visited before. Overall, the food was amazing, and I'm convinced that Barcelona/Spain has perhaps the best food of all cities I've visited (except perhaps Tokyo/Japan). The food is always prepared simply, letting the ingredients shine, and at the same time wildly inventive (thank you El Bulli?). Coure Wasn't on the list when we went. Gresca lost our reservation however and were full for that night. Apologetically Rafael at Gresca suggested we try Coure. It was a pleasant surprise. > Coure on Flickr Senyor Parellada The biggest disappointment of the trip. It was packed when we got there, so we waited and drank cava in the entrance (all the while wondering how the maitre d' kept track of the order without a written list). The food was bland and blah. Maybe it was an off night since I couldn't imagine why it was so popular. > Senyor Parellada on Flickr Pla Had hard time finding a restaurant open on Sunday night (and had already been to Paco Meralgo). Ended up coming across Pla via some online searching. Solid food. Starters and sides stronger than the mains. Great interior space. > Pla on Flickr Hisop Finally was able to make it to Hisop on this trip. Probably the most inventive tasting we had on the trip. Not all of it was "delicious" -- but all of it was "interesting". The most delicious combination: Raw scallops on top of deep friend pork belly. The most interesting (almost disgusting, but we couldn't stop eating them) were the black truffle chocolate truffles. > Hisop on Flickr Bar Mut We were going to return to Can Ravell for a luxurious lunch, but they ended being full. So we walked to the nearby Bar Mut. Had to wait about half an hour, but we were glad we did. The waiter had great suggestions and we ate till we exploded. Everything was done perfectly, from the fresh seafood to the meats. Luxurious tapas, beautiful interior. One of my new favorites. > Bar Mut on Flickr Speakeasy at Dry Martini Located in the back of a popular martini bar. We had the tasting menu with cocktail pairing. First time ever seeing a cocktail pairing with a menu, and worked fabulously. The drinks became key to each dish, adding additional flavors that complement and add to the dish. Great concept. Be prepared - I barely made it through the 11 cocktails (and I thought some of these long wine parings were too much alcohol...) > Speakeasy on Flickr Gresca Featured last year in the New York Times, this relatively new place is labeled as a "Bistronomia" and I agree it's one of Barcelona's best young restaurants. The presentation was amazing, with a perfect soufleé holding a beautiful runny egg yolk to a cute, mimic of a coconut. Definitely recommended. And, at 45 euros for the tasting, it was a bargain. (I forgot my camera so unfortunately, all the photos are from my iPhone. I still wanted to share though...) > Gresca on Flickr Cheers, Andrew

We just went for our second visit. As amazing as two years ago. Pictures on Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/se...57602300222881/ Cheers!

We just got back from a great trip to Spain, with the pilgrimage to Rafa's. It definitely lived up to it's reputation -- the best meal of our trip! Our photos: http://flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/sets/72157600960502485/ Cheers, Andrew

Hi All, We just returned from a wonderful trip to El Bulli (where we ate there on July 09). I have yet to write down detailed thoughts for each of the dishes, but in the meantime have posted our photos up on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/sets/72157600876003992/ After returning and looking through this thread again, it's interesting to see the changes in presentation and shifts in ingredients. Standouts from our visit (for me) were the giant haricot bean, the gorgonzola dome, the razor clams, and the hare juise. Thanks to this board for providing so much insight for both before and after our visit! Andrew

My wife and I had a birthday dinner at the Ritz last night. We've posted pictures of our meal at Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/sets/72057594070269480/ We both chose the chef's nine-course tasting menu with wine pairing. (The wines for each course are listed on each photo's page). The great part: my wife and I got different dishes for each course, turning the 9 course tasting into an 18 course tasting with all of our sharing. I hope to write up a more detailed review soon, but I wanted to share pictures first. Cheers, Andrew

We went last night. Had the tasting menu and the wine pairing. Delicious! I hope to write a report soon, but in the meantime, I've posted pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/sets/1636160/ - Andrew

Many thanks for the responses. We're very much looking forward to our trip. It seems like there's a pretty limited set of places to eat, but they all sound delicious and amazing. We'll also definitely hit up the Hilo Farmer's Market. It'd be interesting to see how the produce is different from our local Ferry Building Farmer's Market here in San Francisco. How is the sushi in Hawaii? Do the catches of tuna ever make their way as toro nigiri? :) Cheers, Andrew

my fiance and i are visiting the big island in a couple weeks. we've gotten a bunch of great recommendations off this board -- you guys are great. in addition to various restaurants, we're looking for any food-related events or finds. we're big fans of sushi, so for example, is there a place where we can go pick out fresh uni out of the sea? or, visit a fisherman and get some fresh toro or abalone? :) any suggestions would be very much welcomed! many thanks! andrew

How does lunch (@175) compare to the dinner in terms of quality and value? Has anyone been there for lunch? cheers, andrew