conifer

Apartment living makes gardening hard. And I'm spoiled by living three blocks from La Boqueria in Barcelona, so good veggies are never too far away. That being said, I wanted to at least make a token effort this year. Here is my garden after a week. I've got peas and cucumbers coming up, as well as a couple of lemon grass. I think it will be too hot for the peas to produce, but I like the plants anyway. It looks pretty pathetic right now, but if even a couple of these grow larger, I'm going to be hurting for space!

I have the menu from the night that one of the guys left at the bar, but I shall refrain from posting it so that the glory is all Steve's!

I saw the menu and I can't wait to put images to the words!

Shameless plug mode on. My bar is called Tres Flores, it's located at Correu Vell 10 in El Barrio Gotico, Barcelona, behind the post office. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 8pm. Best mojitos in town. OK, shameless plug mode off.

Well, last night I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Ryan, Johnny, Max and Thierry. They came by my bar at closing (3am) and some of us ended up staying until 7am. Man, those guys can drink. I'm feeling it today! All raved about the food, saying basically the same thing as you Steve, that it's impossible to even compare it with any other restaurant. Let me say that it's been a while since I met a group of such genuinely nice and friendly people. Steve, it's a shame you couldn't make it, but I'm sure you feel better for it!

I like both Concepcio and Santa Caterina. San Antoni is good as well, but super crowded in it's temporary shelter - I can't wait until the renovation is done on the old building. The market in El Born should be finished soon also and that promises to be a real treat - it's going to be a huge space. La Boqueria is good as long as you know where you are going and keep an eye on the prices - the stalls in the front can charge literally double what those in the back do for basic produce. Once you develop a relationship with some of the owners, you get to know what to buy where and on what days.

I actually know your driver/guide Saskia. I'm curious as to what she got wrong about Catalan history! How long did the dinner last?

Reading this post has made me realize how lucky I am to live three blocks away from La Boqueria. What is a special treat for many of the readers here is just my local market!