Friday, October 30, 2009

Dining in Barcelona

Barcelona is a gourmet's paradise. The displays of tapas and pinchos made my mouth water. Although the term "tapas" is pretty well known in the United States, I had not heard the term "pinchos." There is a difference. Tapas are appetizers which are shared among those dining together. The term originated from the verb "tapar" or to cover. It comes from the old habit of covering a glass of wine with a slice of bread or ham to keep out the insects. Pinchos are individual tasty morsels with toothpicks in them. When you eat pinchos, your bill is determined by how many toothpicks are left on the plate.

At any rate, I had far more delicious tapas and pinchos in one trip than I could possibly count. Steve and I were lucky to be accompanied by Sharon Assis, who knows the terrain in Barcelona. She and her sister, Sandy Velikonja, introduced us to Orio, a warm and welcoming tapas bar at Ferran 38 located close to the Grand Central Hotel in the Gothic Quarter. Not only did we savor shrimp and deep fried pinchos filled with choice ham, bacon and cheese, we also had no trouble drinking a smooth Paisajes VII Rioja.

On our final evening in Barcelona, Steve and I had another excellent dining experience at Taller De Tapas on the Rambla Catalunya, where we discovered Catalan tomato bread (pa amb tomaquet), a favorite snack in Catalonia. We liked it so much that we barely saved enough room for our tuna and lamb entrees. It's simple fare but it sure is tasty.





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