Silly Disciple

I think the latter guy looks just like Obelix! It's like he just walked off the page! It is a great bar. I love their cheese plates. ← I love their scotch . They have all sorts of delectable rarities.

for online maps I tend to use google, barcelona.lanetro.com and callejero.qdq.com for different things. When you get here go into any subway station and get their map, it's really good for navigating the city (which, by the way, has nice numbered streets and avenues. It's Barcelona, not the Amazon). While I agree with Vedat that there's always something out there which is better, I think Jamonisimo probably holds the best quality / accesibility ratio (quite expensive though).

Dude, this city is SMALL. Taktika Berri is no more than 9 blocks away. let's say 14 for Inopia, and maybe 20 for Quimet.

Indeed, it is a great location Bryan.

In Barcelona and surroundings the main ones are: Hofmann Escola de Restauracio i Hostalatge de Barcelona Sant Pol as you mention. Cett ← which one did you go to? do you recommend it? from what I saw, these schools are either half-time culinary studies or full time hotel studies, is that what I should expect? sorry for the bombardment and thanks for the help... ← I took the one-year part-time professional course at Hofmann, then on to the one-year part-time pastry at Espai Sucre (instead of taking the pastry year at Hofmann). I heartily recommend both. They also have a three-year full-time course, so maybe that's what you're looking for. They have great connections with starred restaurants to place you for summer stages. I went to a one-star near Barcelona (because it was more of a hobby for me), but I know people who went to Can Roca, Berasategui, etc. My brother is about to finish the three-year at Escola de...., although he's in the restaurant management / service track and not the cooking one. He's quite happy with the school though, and they also have good placement options. There was someone in the forum (called Becca if I remember correctly) who was a cooking student at Escola de... so both schools (and I believe CETT too, not sure about Sant Pol) have full-time three-year long culinary programs. A word of advise though: if you don't speak Spanish, try to learn some before you get here. While the schools are open and some teachers speak English, it will be far easier if you can communicate at least a bit in Spanish/Catalan.

In Barcelona and surroundings the main ones are: Hofmann Escola de Restauracio i Hostalatge de Barcelona Sant Pol as you mention. Cett

Nathan, empanadas de humita (corn empanadas) are very common in Argentina (not sure about Chile). If these are the ones you refer to, the traditional recipe calls for sweet corn kernels and some variation of bechamel sauce. Sometimes they call for onion as well.

For Sunday morning Cerveceria Catalana might be a good option. Not the most exciting place in the world, but they open early, have a good selection and if you know what to order you'll have a decent lunch before you get on the plane.

Boy you really do like eating don't you? Boqueria in the late afternoon is dead, don't bother. After Jamonisimo you can hit Quimet i Quimet or Taktika Berri for a quick something before Alkimia if you so desire. I don't think you'll manage to get to Espai Sucre in time though. That's quite a lot of food, and I'm not a shy eater myself. Next morning (Saturday, I guess) do hit the Boqueria for breakfast and a stroll, it does get crowded so be there early. Then off to Sants Train Station to catch the train to Girona (check if you can catch it in Plaza Catalunya or Passeig de Gracia instead, it will be more convenient). Breakfast on Sunday is a tough one, let me think about it a bit and I'll try to get back to you with an idea or two.

dont forget about grupo tragaluz,they have done and are doing a lot to put barcelona on gastronomy worldmap. ← I'll bite. I'm familiar with the Hotel Omm and Moo, but outside of that, what actually have they done "to put Barcelona on the gastronomy world map?" I thought it was there already. ← Yup, curious myself to find out too.

heres the link for the trains, god know if it will work when you click on it. In any case it's a Renfe train and it takes about an hour and 10 minutes to go from Barcelona to Girona. A taxi from the train station is a 10 minutes - 10 euros ride. yes, you certainly can. no, it's just too tight (at least for my taste) to make the meal enjoyable. You don't want to be glancing your watch every 5 minutes. I don't recall exactly, but it's in the 90 euro ballpark.

what Pedro said. while I like CS a lot, their style is more... let's say international. I would also consider Saüc or Colibri as other options which are similar to CS but a bit more local on their cuisine. And as I've said over PM, do consider Can Roca as an option, if you hit them on a good day (they have many of those luckily) they'll blow your mind. Regarding Cal Pep, I have to say it at some point. I still fail to understand why people keep on recommending it. The quality of product is on par with many restaurants in the city, it's so populat now you have to wait in line to get in, they charge astounding prices and if you're "lucky to get in" you get sandy clams or a 11 euro tortilla .... Not much more than a tourist trap in my book. edited to add: Ditto on what Rogelio said too.

T24. I've been to Inopia twice, didn't like it the first time, didn't like it the second time either, haven't been back since. At least T24 has been consistent every time I've been there. I think Vedat is surprised I recommend it because our meal there wasn't mind-blowing. But let me say this again: given the never-ending list of places serving tapas food which ends up being either mediocre, pretentious or both, I think T24 passes the test, which is all I expect from this place. Then again, it might be a bit pricey on account of the "coolness/place-to-be-seen" factor.

Do you really recommend this? Well, if so I can deduce my own conclusion about Inopia. ← Vedat, for what they try to achieve, that is traditional tapas food, I don't think they fail at it, although one could say the price point is a bit high.

Indeed, restaurants and patrons operate on a time continuum with many fluctuations on both sides of the equation. I operate under the assumption that a great restaurant is one which will maintain the "worth mentioning" status over several meals and over a relatively long period of time. However, given scarcity of time and funding, I am not inclined to give a second chance to a restaurant which doesn't wow me the first time, be this the case because of the kitchen or the staff or the purveyors or what-have-you having a bad day. Too many restaurants, not enough time. What other places did you visit in Barcelona this last trip?

You are luckier than we were. Mind you this was about a year ago, but the person having dinner with me shared my reaction.

This is a good question for Saltshaker, quite possibly the most thorough food anthropologist in Buenos Aires these days..

Chimichurri.

Steve, I'm not saying it's not a good idea, and indeed you are right, it's not a topping but rather a condiment. However, in Argentina it is traditionally used as a condiment for grilled meat or sausage, or even grilled chicken. I've never seen it used for pizza, nor have I seen it offered as a condiment in pizzerias in Argentina.

the latter. It is definitely not part of the classical "repertoire" of pizza toppings in Argentina.

I'm not a big fan of Sant Pau. Excellent execution, great product, but IMHO nothing to write home about. ← Wow, must be tough to please. I've never seen "excellent execution" and "great product" used to describe a restaurant that doesn't merit a positive review. ← You're misinterpreting me. For a three star, excellent execution and great product is (or should be) a given. When I go to a place like this, I expect to be "wow-ed", so to speak. I want to remember several, or at least one of the dishes I've had for several weeks if not months. This is not the case with Ruscalleda's cooking.

A great friend and a great guy. Always ready to offer good advice, always engaging when discussing food, even to the point where the theme was how chemo had affected his sense of taste, and what food combinations could he try next. We will miss you greatly Bux.

While I'm not a big fan of Comerç24 either, I can definitely recommend Carles' other restaurant, Tapaç 24, if you're looking for an Inopia-like experience. That is to say, simple/traditional tapas produced a-la-modern-techniques-cuisine with the corresponding price tag. Very well executed though. It's on Carrer Diputacio c/w Passeig de Gracia.

Caganer is a popular character, which roughly translates as "defecator" see this wikipedia article. the numbers did not close. pig trotters truffle

Indeed it's 475F and not C. I'm quoting from the FL book, but I think it's common for some cooks to have different methods from what they publish in books. If you want I can scan the recipe and send it to you via email.