Liz and Richard's 2008 Adventures

Barcelona - Rambla Addendum #1

Halfway down the Ramblas is one of Barcelona's most photographed objects.  It's a dragon that was once the sing for an umbrella ship.  The building is now a bank, but the original wall descorations still survive with all their charm and grace.  We stop and admire it each time we walk by

Barcelona - Markets #1

We are within a 5 minute walk of two of the best food markets in the world - the Boqueria (off La Rambla) and Santa Catarina (off Laietana).  If the Boqueria is The Bay, Santa Catarina is Holt Renfrew. (apologies to non-Canadian readers how may not recognize Canadian department stores!)

They're both wonderful and similar in other ways.  The marvel is that the Catalans still care enough about food quality, freshness and variety to keep both thronged with shoppers.  We'll review them as a unit, combining photos and commentary from the two.

Our food shopping strategy upon arriving in a new city is to pick favourite specialty shops.  The choice is intuitive/random but we've found it best to quickly establish a relationship with a few merchants.

Here's the entry to the Boqueria and Santa Catarina markets





Inside a cornucopia of stalls, hordes of shoppers and tourists and some of the best food we've ever experienced.








Chicken:

Chicken is our first purchase and initial definer of quality.  Here's our "chicken lady" and her product.  She also offers rabbits and other fowl - note the scissors-like device she uses to prep the birds.







Whole chickens are 2.69E/kilo or $1.80/pound....but that's uncleaned.  Dickie learned the delights of dissecting a bird at home on the first purchase.   For $2.20/pound the lady performs the autopsy, trims and preps (read the small print on the price sign below! - also note the Cock's Combs)





Now chicken should be chicken....but just as in Rome we swear this chicken is much better.  Perhaps it's the holiday placebo effect. But this is common Spanish chicken.  The really good stuff - black feathered birds - can run 11E/kilo.  We're going to have a comparison taste test this week .  Pics below - note the poster - chicken selection is like wine choices here. 







Fowl come in all forms and parts, including these ducks with a guilt inspiring stare!




Deli:

The Catalans love preserved meats - hams, cold cuts, sausages, pates, etc.  So do we.  We've settled on 3 places.  They're also where we buy our cheeses (great selection including a Burrata like fresh cheese), croquettes (they're deep fried so we love them) and pork (Spanish pork is not yet styrofoam). 

Firstly, our favourite store in Boqueria, then the ladies at Santa Catarina and finally the place where we buy croquettes at Boqueria







Following is a selection of shots explaining why we are living on ham, sausages, cold cuts, etc!
















Lots more Market photos and commentary in Market #2 posting to follow!

Barcelona - Markets #2

Spanish Ham (Jamon):

Ham in Spain makes picking a French Bordeaux look simple.  There's an incredible range of prices, variations by district, shipper, time of year, handsliced versus machine sliced, and front legs versus rear legs (front is better).  The only subtlety we haven't encountered is right leg versus left!

There's an industry providing specialized knives, cutting boards and serving ware....we've sampled a lot and flirted with the lore.  Strange.....food nuts that we are it's not a product that particularly interests us.  We thought it would.....but it could be fun!

Note the variations in price on the photos below - from approximately 50E/kilo to over 150E/kilo











Produce

Vegetables and fruit are wonderful.  Most exciting is an item we never see - immature garlic plants.  They look like large purple scallions.  We're living on them - putting them in everything.  Ice cream is next!



Another favourite are miniature Romaine Heads.  We love Caesar salads - especially the crunchy parts - and they are all crunchy bits.  We call them "personal Caesar Salads' - this will get to North America soon



We love leeks.  You know - that long member of the onion family with 2 inches of edible white part at the base?  Here the edible sections are 8 to 10 inches long.  We've enjoyed them as bases for sauces, braised, sauteed and in a number of new recipes



There's an incredible range of produce from both booths in the markets and farmers' stalls in the courtyard





















Notable are wild mushrooms - we've made wonderful pastas and risottos.  We just can't figure out how to get all the grit out.  We've tried rinsing, soaking, shaking, brushing, etc.  Any suggestions?  The flavour is great - the tooth abrasion is expensive though!.  Do not the truffles at 89 Euros/100 grams - Liz marveled that they were sitting out at pocket level









There's also a wall of the most varieties of tomatoes we've seen outside of Italy







Candy

Based on the number of Candy Stores and Chocolatiers in our neighbourhood, Catalans have a very sweet tooth.  The markets meet that demand with a chromatically splendid array of choices.











Lots more from the Markets in the next post - Markets #3

Barcelona - Market #3

Offal

Pillows of tripe, Think Tanks of brains, a Potency of testicles, livers of Hunter S. Thompson size, and Inquisitions of staring eyeballs -- the market has them all.  The gross out factor - sphincter-puckering "I'd rather not think about it" reality of being the alpha predators, top of the food chain -- is there in graphic detail!

Beef

We tend to prefer North American grain fed beef... but we love the European pork, chicken and seafood.  There is a lot of beef.  It looks great - we just don't eat.

Tapas Bars in Boqueria Market

Multiple Tapas Bars serve both vendors and patrons.  Mornings are fired up with a glass of vino tinto (or whatever).  Each place has a different personality and a unique cast of characters.  Liz loves the beans with squid at Pinotxo's, but is addicted to the deep fried artichokes at Bar Quim. 









Next posting - completely devoted to Seafood!

Barcelona - Markets #4 - Seafood!

At the heart of the markets is the most wonderful display of seafood we've ever seen.

Seafood of all types and sizes - shellfish and crustaceans (much of it still alive)...mounds of scampis, crab claws the size of boxing gloves, razor clams stacked up like cordwood, barnacles (what does one do with a barnacle?), clams in an array of sizes, oysters, and lobsters determined not to go down without a fight, and our frequent purchase - mixed shrimp tails from giant scampi size to miniature. 

Then the fish counters - whole turbots, monkfish everywhere, and a lot of fish we don't know the name of and less how to cook.

It's a wonderful display and an inspiration to dine very well.  We'll start with some establishing shots to give a sense of scale










The crustaceans are our favourites - especially the scampi and the monster crab claws.....











Fish are on offer in all shapes, sizes and colours - many with accusing eyes















Of course there is other shellfish in amazing variety -













In Spain salt cod (bacala) is an art form with subtleties to match their ham.....







A lot of squid varieties - our favourite are the sepias, and octopus





The fish mongers use a knife we've never seen before - half knife/half cleaver.  It's a murderous looking blade and when they chop it down a quarter inch from their knuckles to behead a fish, you know this is not a job you come to with a hangover.  Tempted to buy one - it would be a real souvenir!



Of course there is so much more at the markets - bakeries, spice stores, dried legumes, wine stores, olives, etc (when are we going to dispense with the foolishness of the Brewers Retail and LCBO stores?)

A few more days in Barcelona - and a few more posts!

Where has the time gone?  We leave Barcelona on Sunday - spending 3 days in Malta (a future winter sojourn candidate) and then we return to Toronto on April 3.

Will post a few more entries today and tomorrow and then a gap until we get home and settled again - so check back!

A Day in Our Life in Barcelona

Dickie got up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across his head - it hurt.

Off to the Palau de la Musica Catalana - the concert hall up the street for our apartment.  It's not high on the list of tourist attractions comparable to the Gaudi structures, but for us it was one of the most incredible buildings we've ever experienced.

Designed at the turn of the century amidst the confluence of Modernism and Art Nouveau, it is unlike anything we've ever seen before.  Inserted into a dense neighbourhood (they leveled a church), there are no long range perspectives of the exterior,  Hence all our shots are looking up.  It is an eclectic mix of masonry, sculpture, ceramic and mosaic inlays, and glass.  Note the sculptures of Beethoven, et al. 

You want to knock on doors of nearby apartments to see if you can get on their balconies for a better view!




















Inside the spectacle is more amazing.  The Hall was built to be lit by natural light - daytime concerts only.  Illumination is from a monstrous stained glass ceiling that hangs into the hall like a giant teardrop.  The space is a cornucopia of sculpture, ceramics, mosaics and stained glass walls.  Photographs are forbidden, but our camera accidentally discharged a few times while it was sitting on Dickie's lap.  Spontaneous photos follow.  Note - their photo ban worked - we bought the $15 guide book.  If you are ever in Barcelona put the Palau at the top of your must see list!















Then it was off to lunch.  We chose a celebrated traditional restaurant not far down the road to the harbour - Senyor Paralleda.  Snapped a few shots along the way of the charming Barcelona architecture - love the trompe l'oeil.







Warm cozy accommodations with a knowledgeable pleasant staff



We chose a range of recommended starters - really good stuffed potate skins (great bar food), seafood croquettes (deep fried had to be good) and a wonderful salt cod salad

Mains were Paella (Liz loves Paella) and Lamb braised with 12 heads of garlic - wonderful, pungent flavours





Overall a very pleasant meal......but later we had a late evening Tapas run.  Barcelona sit down dining is very competent but the tapas are so good that all else pales.  It's our kind of food - variety, spontaneity, inherently casual and with an implicit sense of fun.  Give us a tapas bar over a formal restaurant every time.  Note - a major tapas adventure can cost as much or more than a formal meal











We'll try one more 'name' restaurant before we go and then probably scurry back to local tapas.  As far as we can deteremine, there are no bad tapas bars.

Then back home, gelato from across the street, and bed.  A good day!

Barcelona - A Seafront Meal and Churches

Most days start out with some tangible objective - a restaurant, an attraction, food shopping at the markets, etc.  The rest of the day sort of falls into place....and is quite often the best part.

Today we set off to visit Kaiku - a popular and highly recommended restaurant on the beachfront in Barcelonetta - an area with a lovely sand beach on the Med and a boardwalk that is starting to fill up with rollerbladers.  The weather was warm, the cherry trees were budding, the beautiful people are emerging to see and be seen and the hardy swimmers are taking a dip.








The sculpture above was done by Frank Gehry.

Kaiku is next to a youth hotel - lots of young people, tattoos and facial hardware.  The restaurant sprawls onto the beach.  Seating is very tight and reservations are a must.  Staff is welcoming and the charming Spanish businessmen at the next table greet us by pouring us a glass of wine each from their bottle.  We like this place.





We start with scallops and a unique lemon sauce plus one of the best tuna tartars ever.  Much goodness here.





For the main we have a smoked rice/seafood paella for two.  A dish designed for Liz's tastes - creamy rice and briny seafood.



Walking back we decide to stop in Churches.  Liz is reading a book about cathedral builders and primed to give Dickie a private guided tour.  Religious or not, the churches are poignant.  Considering a lot of them are 1,500 years old, they are also architectural marvels.  Some photos follow of 3 of our local sights.



















Wandering - looking for streets we'd not previously traversed - we came upon a wonderful store that specializes in roasted  nuts, coffee and spices just behind Cathedral Santa Maria - called Casa Gispert (Carrer Sombrerers 23)  A step inside was an olfactory adventure.  The shop must have been here forever.  In a Wal Mart world it is wonderful it has survived.  We did our part and bought something. 










It was another tough day.

Barcelona - Parc Guell

Our good friends Josie and George from England came to visit. Of course we had to do the Gaudi sights.  Firstly Parc Guell, the playground on the hill built for his patrons, the Guells.  It is lovely - whimsical and very crowded on a weekend.

There is a wonderful Middle Earth feeling.  Told the taxis they were spoiling the shot and asked them to move - must be my poor Spanish!

The iconic lizard on the staircase is constantly thronged with people.  Got a lucky shot with just a pair of denim covered buttocks









There is a charming set of pillars - charming in that they are not all perfectly vertical.  In Gaudi fashion, they wander





The upper gardens are psychedelic rockeries with swirling structures

Highly recommend a visit to Parc Guell!

Barcelona - Sagrada Familia

It's been 24 years since Liz and Dickie last saw the iconic Sagrada Familia Temple (aka "Holy Family Temple").  A lot has changed.

A roof, new spires and a whole new facade.  The new entry is striking....very modern figures of the Passion of Christ.  Still under construction, the sculpture transcends religion to become art.....a phenomena that seems to happen with some frequency in cathedrals

We particularly loved the Roman Soldiers playing dice for Jesus' robe and the Judas Kiss

Other sculptures are similarly striking ....

Inside the Temple (it's often called a Cathedral but it's not) is a soaring forest of columns.  Light streams in creating a symphony of shadow and shade

The details on the branch points of the columns are unique

A marvelous spiral staircase - obviously inspired by the interior of a whelk's shell - curls down an alcove




The opposite entry is far older and stylistically different (and most of it was actually designed by Gaudi).  Called the Nativity Gate - it depicts the birth of Christ and the Flight to Egypt and incorporates wonderful sculpture






And again it is a Roman Soldier we notice most.  This time one killing babies at Herod's command





Other sculptures are similarly crafted

Barcelona - 4 Restaurants

Eventually all Beeby Blogs default to restaurants!

After our Parc Guell visit, the 4 of us (George and Josie; Liz and Dick) went to a charming restuarant for lunch near the Picasso Museum - Neu Celler.  The conversation flowed and we forgot to take pictures of the meal.  We did however get a snap of Liz at the door.  It has traditional tapas, very friendly service and reasonable main dishes (including a delicious seafood paella Liz reports)




The previous day Liz enlisted the help of a cyber buddy (Kirsten) to take our English guests on a tour of the Boqueria.  We had a great time there and eventually ended up with Kirsten leading us to a favourite restaurant of hers called Mam i Teca (an old Catalan expression meaning Food and Drink).  Very unassuming street appearance disguised some wonderful food (from a tiny kitchen), an incredible scotch collection and a Dutch owner who made us very welcome










We ordered one of everything and shared.  Much fun was had by all - and we've been back!

We have become quite infatuated with the Barcelona lifestyle - stroll around, have a few tapas, stroll some more, more tapas, more strolling....it works for us!  And the Catalans eat dinner so late that we're in bed before the Maitre D's are cracking open the reservations book!

Paco Meralgo

Paco Meralgo is a high end tapas bar (often compared to Cal Pep) - businessmen customers, knowledgeable staff and some refined tapas served in a modern setting - much like a good sushi bar

Started with deep fried eggplant and Catalan tomato bread

Followed up with superb razor clams, sardines with peppers and garlic shrimps

Then some croquettes and regional preserved meats

The real delight was foie gras.  The Spanish cook it a little more than the French - much to our taste.  We were so intent on eating we forgot to take a picture!

We closed with the perfect dessert. The couple sitting next to us at the bar suggested that the one thing we had missed was the tuna carpaccio.  It was the perfect ending to an excellent meal



Les Quatro Gats - the Four Cats

There's a very old restaurant in our neighbourhood - famous as a place where Picasso used to hang out.  It's traditional, charming, relaxes and not too touristy in February although we can't vouch for that in July



We started with a selection of vegetable pates and a potato/salt cod pancake





Mains were fish with garlic and a brochette of beef.





Good solid traditional food nicely prepared in a historic location - set menu only - above (2 courses including wine and water - so they lost money on us) was 19E