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Barcelona 2024

Alex

By Alex
in Spain & Portugal: Dining

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Alex

Alex

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I'll be taking a one-week solo trip to Barcelona next month, so I'm looking for recommendations that could help me either trim or reinforce my already too-long short list. I'll be staying in Dreta de L'Eixample, within a 2 km walk to an astounding variety of of restaurants and markets. The subway and train also are options, but I'd prefer to walk. Moltes grácies.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Alex

Alex

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Anyone? Anyone?

 

Granted that "best of" guides are subjective (and sometimes are just marketing tools), but still I'm excited that the #3 pizzeria in the world (#1 in Europe minus Italy) and the #10 pizzeria in Europe are easy walking distance from my Airbnb. Here's the website.

 

I was planning to eat just one major meal a day, but I can already see that plan starting to go up in (aromatic) smoke.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Alex

Alex

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13 hours ago, weinoo said:

We like both Mont Bar and Bar Mut.

 

https://www.montbar.com/

 

https://barmut.com/

 

And had a pretty great meal at Disfrutar.

 

 

 

Cool. Mont Bar was already on my short list. I'll check out Bar Mut. And I was planning to make a reservation at Disfrutar but, perhaps not surprisingly, they were already fully booked. I considered its sibling Compartir, but I was turned off by multiple posts mentioning poor service, plus their system doesn't offer a reservation for one. 

 

ETA: Bar Mut is just 1 km from my Airbnb! Its name, I assume, comes from "vermut" (vermouth). And speaking of which, I'll be doing a vermouth tasting and crafting -- which includes a 250 ml bottle of my own concoction. However, across the street and under the same ownership, is Entrepanes Diaz, which actually sounds more interesting (and less tourist-oriented) to me.

 

 

Edited by Alex
to add info (log)

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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david_koleda

david_koleda

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Hello! Just signed up on the forum.

I am actually going to take a solo trip as well to Barcelona probably in early june.

I'll be curios to know your findings. I had a look at both Mont Bar and Bar Mut and they seem to be very interesting, gonna try them if I can

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weinoo

weinoo

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Also:

For classic tapas, montaditos - Quimet & Quimet

 

And Paco Meralgo never disappointed.  It's also quite near (walking distance) to one of the world's classic cocktail bars...Dry Martini Bar

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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Alex

Alex

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1 hour ago, weinoo said:

Also:

For classic tapas, montaditos - Quimet & Quimet

 

And Paco Meralgo never disappointed.  It's also quite near (walking distance) to one of the world's classic cocktail bars...Dry Martini Bar

 

Thank you! Quimet & Quimet looks very appealing. It's a bit of a far walk, about 3 km, but only 12 min by subway. Dry Martini is definitely walking distance from where I'm staying. A cocktail and a few croquetas sounds like a pleasant way to start an evening. Also walking distance is Sips, recently rated #1 of The World's 50 Best Cocktail Bars.

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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lindag

lindag

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Never been there but I fell in love with the place while watching "Capote" starting the incomparable Philip Seymour Hoffman (awarded Best Actor for that film.)

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Alex

Alex

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7 hours ago, Yaneidi said:

We really enjoyed Can Vilaró. But it's been a while.

 

Thanks. It's still there!

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Alex

Alex

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Here's my food and beverage agenda so far:

Bar Mut

Betlem

La Sosenga

Salterio

Gelaaati Di Marco

Maleducat

Sips (review) (the #1 bar in the world for 2023)

  instead, Xerta (Michelin 1 star)

Saga Coffee Stories

Parallelo Gelato

Bar Andorra

Nomad Coffee Lab

La Balmesina (a maybe; it's the aforementioned #10 pizza in Europe, minus Italy)

Sartoria Panatieri (the aforementioned #1 pizza)

Chocolata Amatiler (gift for Ms Alex)

Las Vermudas (vermouth tasting and crafting)

plus whatever I pick up at the nearby mercat (yogurt, jamón Ibérico, etc.)

There also are a couple of bakeries I didn't mention.

 

Think that's enough for a week?

 

 

Edited by Alex
because I can (log)
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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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gulfporter

gulfporter

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Have you planned a foodie shopping trip to their big market?  Load up on Spanish Pimiento Vera!   The seafood displays are amazing, even if you're not going to be cooking.  

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Alex

Alex

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22 minutes ago, gulfporter said:

Have you planned a foodie shopping trip to their big market?  Load up on Spanish Pimiento Vera!   The seafood displays are amazing, even if you're not going to be cooking.  

 

I won't be going to the big market (Boqueria) -- too crowded, too many tourists -- but I might go to Santa Caterina, just to look around. A couple of blocks from my lodging there's a small mercat where I'll be buying my yogurt, jamón, etc. I'll keep an eye out for the pepper. 

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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gulfporter

gulfporter

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fyi, La Boqueria is navigable early in the day, we go between 8 and 9 and it's just us and the locals.  We've been to Barcelona 4 times and it's a spot I never skip.  

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Alex

Alex

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4 hours ago, gulfporter said:

fyi, La Boqueria is navigable early in the day, we go between 8 and 9 and it's just us and the locals.  We've been to Barcelona 4 times and it's a spot I never skip.  

 

Thanks. One day I'm scheduled to be not too far on the other side of La Rambla at 10:30, so if I can get myself moving I'll check it out.

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Alex

Alex

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In a sort-of equivalent of one's eyes being bigger than one's stomach, I wound up getting to only nine of the above list, plus three bakeries, a gelato place, and two chocolate shops that weren't mentioned. 

 

Bar Mut was a casualty of sleep deprivation. After a 9½-hour red-eye accompanied by a cute but babbling/fussing/crying eight-month-old in the next row, a 2 p.m. lunch was sacrificed in favor of a three-hour nap. I can't remember where I went instead of Maleducat, or why. Xerta turned out to be too late for my schedule. (One week wasn't enough for me to adapt to those 8 p.m. or later dinners.) Sartoria Panatieri was a major disappointment: OK crust, undercooked sausage, liquid-y cheese (and too much of it), bland tomato sauce.

 

The food star of the week was the eight-course prix fixe tasting menu lunch (24.5 euros!) at La Sosenga, an under-the-radar (but not for long) wine bar with thoughtful, creative food that reflects and riffs on Catalan cuisine. Here are the menu (at the end) and some pictures. (I subbed a creamy cheesecake for the French toast.)

 

 

IMG_20240321_130711969.jpg

IMG_20240321_131436183.jpg

IMG_20240321_133100123.jpg

IMG_20240321_133604591.jpg

IMG_20240321_134409849.jpg

IMG_20240321_135652504.jpg

IMG_20240321_140357173.jpg

IMG_20240321_141754274.jpg

 

La Sosenga menu 1.jpg

La Sosenga menu 2.jpg

Edited by Alex
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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Alex

Alex

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49 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@Alex 24 Euros? Wow.

 

 

 

Yep, that's what I said (to myself). With two glasses of wine -- one an earthy orange, one a cava with some oak (!) -- the total was 35.25 euros.

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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