Hola. Ira Returns from Spain
Oct 27th, 2012, 07:52 AM
#43
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A short walk from the B&B took us to the Drassanes metro stop where we easily purchased tickets from the machine. Took the train to Placa de Gracia and walked, and walked, and walked to the L4 for one stop to Girona. Very incompetent pickpocket try to remove my note pad from my back pocket. We quickly came to an agreement: I wouldn’t beat him with my umbrella and he would behave himself. (Note: A fold-up umbrella makes a handy weapon. I learned that from a lady on a bus in Florence. If you wrap a tire iron in the umbrella, it makes a formidable weapon. I learned that from a spy novel.)
After carefully studying the map at the Girona station, I managed to lead us out the wrong exit and had to go an extra 3 blocks to the restaurant. Minor problem. (Note to self – remember to bring compass when leaving hotel.)
Gelonch (http://www.gelonch.es) is done in a minimalist style (all white with bits of color here and there), which we later found to be not unusual, but was relaxing and pleasant. Service was amiable, without being over friendly, and professional. (I give extra points when the wine is poured with one hand behind the back.)
One of us wanted the 10-item tasting menu and the other the 16. We couldn’t do this because the timing would be all wrong, the maitre d’ explained. He suggested, instead that we both have the 10-item menu and share three of the a la carte items that the chef would choose for us from what would be on the 16-item menu. This worked out very well.
You can see the menus at the website. I shall not provide an item by item critic, but limit myself (with some difficulty) to a few items that we particularly enjoyed:
Shitake broth with spider crab ravioli and iberian ham D.O. Extremadura
Black turnip with veal marrow, egg yolk and black truffle
Beetroot gnocchi, veal sweetbreads, codfish tripe, padrón pepper cream and carrot - passion fruit drops
All three were very imaginative combinations of flavors and textures that we both felt we would be happy to have more of.
The wine chosen for us was a Jean Leon Penedes – Good body, full flavor with nice minerals.
With coffee and tip – and some little goodies - 200E.
Figuring that my sense of direction would be even less reliable returning than coming here, and not wishing to take that long walk through P/de Gracia again, we took a cab back.
Sunday, 9/23
Another pretty day. After breakfast, we strolled about the marina before taking the metro to Gaude’s Casa Batllo (pronounced Bye yo) (http://www.casabatllo.es/). An intriguing fantasy of being on, in and under the sea.
Afterward, we walked back to the hotel via P/de Gracia and La Rambla, stopping for a bit of refreshment at several small establishments along the way.
“Estrella” and “San Miguel” are very good beers. Octopus, Morcilla sausage, foie gras, iberico ham and various cheeses make very tasty tapas and pintxos. (They are not identical.)
After a needed nap, Roberta was coming down with something from being sneezed on at an airport, we walked up to Avenida de la Catedral for the Correfoc (Gates of Hell) fireworks parade. After the monsters come roaring out of the pit, there is a parade in which demons and sundry other fiends spray the onlookers with hellfire. (There is a good picture at http://suitelife.com/2012/09/19/barc...ival-la-merce/).
We followed the smoke and noise of the parade down Via Laietana for a bit, avoiding the hellfire as best we could, and headed for
Gilda (http://www.gildabybelgious.com/en_home.html)
More to come
After carefully studying the map at the Girona station, I managed to lead us out the wrong exit and had to go an extra 3 blocks to the restaurant. Minor problem. (Note to self – remember to bring compass when leaving hotel.)
Gelonch (http://www.gelonch.es) is done in a minimalist style (all white with bits of color here and there), which we later found to be not unusual, but was relaxing and pleasant. Service was amiable, without being over friendly, and professional. (I give extra points when the wine is poured with one hand behind the back.)
One of us wanted the 10-item tasting menu and the other the 16. We couldn’t do this because the timing would be all wrong, the maitre d’ explained. He suggested, instead that we both have the 10-item menu and share three of the a la carte items that the chef would choose for us from what would be on the 16-item menu. This worked out very well.
You can see the menus at the website. I shall not provide an item by item critic, but limit myself (with some difficulty) to a few items that we particularly enjoyed:
Shitake broth with spider crab ravioli and iberian ham D.O. Extremadura
Black turnip with veal marrow, egg yolk and black truffle
Beetroot gnocchi, veal sweetbreads, codfish tripe, padrón pepper cream and carrot - passion fruit drops
All three were very imaginative combinations of flavors and textures that we both felt we would be happy to have more of.
The wine chosen for us was a Jean Leon Penedes – Good body, full flavor with nice minerals.
With coffee and tip – and some little goodies - 200E.
Figuring that my sense of direction would be even less reliable returning than coming here, and not wishing to take that long walk through P/de Gracia again, we took a cab back.
Sunday, 9/23
Another pretty day. After breakfast, we strolled about the marina before taking the metro to Gaude’s Casa Batllo (pronounced Bye yo) (http://www.casabatllo.es/). An intriguing fantasy of being on, in and under the sea.
Afterward, we walked back to the hotel via P/de Gracia and La Rambla, stopping for a bit of refreshment at several small establishments along the way.
“Estrella” and “San Miguel” are very good beers. Octopus, Morcilla sausage, foie gras, iberico ham and various cheeses make very tasty tapas and pintxos. (They are not identical.)
After a needed nap, Roberta was coming down with something from being sneezed on at an airport, we walked up to Avenida de la Catedral for the Correfoc (Gates of Hell) fireworks parade. After the monsters come roaring out of the pit, there is a parade in which demons and sundry other fiends spray the onlookers with hellfire. (There is a good picture at http://suitelife.com/2012/09/19/barc...ival-la-merce/).
We followed the smoke and noise of the parade down Via Laietana for a bit, avoiding the hellfire as best we could, and headed for
Gilda (http://www.gildabybelgious.com/en_home.html)
More to come
Oct 27th, 2012, 08:30 AM
#44
Ira - it happened again. I had more success this time:
http://www.gelonch.es/
very nice restaurant. i wish I could get DH to go to places like that, if only once in a trip, but tant pis, or whatever the spanish equivalent of that useful phrase is- I'll just have to enjoy it through your descriptions.
BTW, we found the Barcelona metro one of the worst for long "correspondences" between lines - i felt I'd walked under the whole city some days. in the end we gave up using it unless we could avoid changing lines.
http://www.gelonch.es/
very nice restaurant. i wish I could get DH to go to places like that, if only once in a trip, but tant pis, or whatever the spanish equivalent of that useful phrase is- I'll just have to enjoy it through your descriptions.
BTW, we found the Barcelona metro one of the worst for long "correspondences" between lines - i felt I'd walked under the whole city some days. in the end we gave up using it unless we could avoid changing lines.
Oct 27th, 2012, 12:40 PM
#45
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Hey! I'm in Barcelona at this very minute. Took the finiculare to Montjuic this afternoon (gloriously clear day) and watched the Sardana dancers at the Cathedral this evening. Finished the day with tapas and then gelato from Amarino (mascarpone with candied figs). We leave on Tuesday, flying from BCN through FRA nonstop to SFO. Totally love this vibrant city.
Oct 30th, 2012, 05:23 AM
#49
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Hey Betsy,
> Finished the day with tapas and then gelato from Amarino ....<
Isn't BCN wonderful?
.......................................
Hey M,
When you click the link, check the URL at the top of the page. If it has a final " ) ", erase it.
..................................
Hey tg,
On occasion, once a decade or so, we have been known to go somewhere else.
> Finished the day with tapas and then gelato from Amarino ....<
Isn't BCN wonderful?
.......................................
Hey M,
When you click the link, check the URL at the top of the page. If it has a final " ) ", erase it.
..................................
Hey tg,
On occasion, once a decade or so, we have been known to go somewhere else.
Oct 30th, 2012, 11:55 AM
#52
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Gilda is a pleasant, local restaurant with an interesting menu, a friendly staff, very nice service and good food. The grilled salmon with a “contorno” of horseradish ice cream was enticing. The hake was also quite tasty. We had a bottle of Clos Montblanc Xipella White which was dry, with good minerals, and lent a sensation of being at the seaside. 85E with tip.
However, what makes “Gilda by Belgious” outstanding is that they make the best Perfect Manhattan in Barcelona. (I taught them.)
Side note: For some reason, because of the name “Gilda by Belgious”, I envisioned the proprietor as a short, paunchy, stocky fifty-something Lebanese. As it turned out, he is a tall athletic young man from Belgium. “Belgious”, the name of his company, is a combination of Belgium and delicious.
Fortunately, his sense of direction is better than mine, otherwise instead of heading for home, we would have gone in the opposite direction.
Monday, 9/24
Low light of our visit. We had the misfortune of being trapped on the metro by a group of demonstrators, many of whom were drunk that morning, blowing horns and whistles, pounding drums and doing what they could to disrupt service.
They succeeded.
It wasn’t until one young woman succumbed to an asthma attack that they let us off the train. Despite people calling on cell phones, no help arrived.
Not long after, the whole metro system came to a halt.
We took a cab to Casa Milà (La Predrera) (http://www.lapedrera.com/en/home ), another Gaudi site. Prior to visiting, we took some time to calm down from the jolt to our senses at the La Predrera Café, a very pleasant room, done in the same style as the rest of the building. Jazz on the pa system, a couple of glasses of wine and a quiche restored our mood. (However, Roberta’s hearing didn’t return to normal for several days.)
The tour of Casa Milà begins with a ride to the roof, which is a real fairy land, and continues with a walk down toward the one apartment which is open to the public. Unfortunately, my Lady Wife’s vertigo kicked in and she could not continue beyond the elevator. Returning to the ground floor, we sought the aid of a staff member who could help us despite our almost complete lack of Spanish.
The staff was very helpful. In less than a half hour we were on our way up in the private elevator, quite plush, to the apartment to continue our tour. Quite an interesting piece of architecture.
Following La Predrera, we completed our pilgrimage to Gaudi Land with a short cab ride to La Sagrada Familla.
I’m sorry to say that we did not care for this work, either as architecture or as a house of worship. To us it was too much a monument to how much money can be wasted at the altar of God. Later on, I shall voice a similar opinion of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum – too much money wasted at the altar of Art.
Returning to the Marina View, we had a bit of wine and took a nap before going out for our Barcelona Tapas crawl.
However, what makes “Gilda by Belgious” outstanding is that they make the best Perfect Manhattan in Barcelona. (I taught them.)
Side note: For some reason, because of the name “Gilda by Belgious”, I envisioned the proprietor as a short, paunchy, stocky fifty-something Lebanese. As it turned out, he is a tall athletic young man from Belgium. “Belgious”, the name of his company, is a combination of Belgium and delicious.
Fortunately, his sense of direction is better than mine, otherwise instead of heading for home, we would have gone in the opposite direction.
Monday, 9/24
Low light of our visit. We had the misfortune of being trapped on the metro by a group of demonstrators, many of whom were drunk that morning, blowing horns and whistles, pounding drums and doing what they could to disrupt service.
They succeeded.
It wasn’t until one young woman succumbed to an asthma attack that they let us off the train. Despite people calling on cell phones, no help arrived.
Not long after, the whole metro system came to a halt.
We took a cab to Casa Milà (La Predrera) (http://www.lapedrera.com/en/home ), another Gaudi site. Prior to visiting, we took some time to calm down from the jolt to our senses at the La Predrera Café, a very pleasant room, done in the same style as the rest of the building. Jazz on the pa system, a couple of glasses of wine and a quiche restored our mood. (However, Roberta’s hearing didn’t return to normal for several days.)
The tour of Casa Milà begins with a ride to the roof, which is a real fairy land, and continues with a walk down toward the one apartment which is open to the public. Unfortunately, my Lady Wife’s vertigo kicked in and she could not continue beyond the elevator. Returning to the ground floor, we sought the aid of a staff member who could help us despite our almost complete lack of Spanish.
The staff was very helpful. In less than a half hour we were on our way up in the private elevator, quite plush, to the apartment to continue our tour. Quite an interesting piece of architecture.
Following La Predrera, we completed our pilgrimage to Gaudi Land with a short cab ride to La Sagrada Familla.
I’m sorry to say that we did not care for this work, either as architecture or as a house of worship. To us it was too much a monument to how much money can be wasted at the altar of God. Later on, I shall voice a similar opinion of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum – too much money wasted at the altar of Art.
Returning to the Marina View, we had a bit of wine and took a nap before going out for our Barcelona Tapas crawl.
Oct 30th, 2012, 12:13 PM
#53
Following La Predrera, we completed our pilgrimage to Gaudi Land with a short cab ride to La Sagrada Familla.
I’m sorry to say that we did not care for this work, either as architecture or as a house of worship>>
Ira - i can but agree with you about this. we were very underwhelmed. Friends of ours however spent 4 hours there and say that they could have spent longer. there is absolutely no accounting for different people's opinions, is there?
I’m sorry to say that we did not care for this work, either as architecture or as a house of worship>>
Ira - i can but agree with you about this. we were very underwhelmed. Friends of ours however spent 4 hours there and say that they could have spent longer. there is absolutely no accounting for different people's opinions, is there?
Oct 31st, 2012, 12:40 PM
#54
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We spent a very long time at Sagrada Familia also and loved seeing the colors from the sun shining through the windows upon the tree trunk-like columns. We took an elevator and then walked up the rest of the way through one of the towers. The close-up views of the animal & fruit carvings and their colors were amazing. Wish we could go to a service there when they have mass choirs! Wow!
Nov 1st, 2012, 05:59 AM
#56
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I had planned a visit to various well-known places, but the incident on the subway did dampen our enthusiasm somewhat (or we are getting old?), so we shortened our program and stayed in the neighborhood.
First stop: Los Pergaminos, C/ Ample 17 (http://www.lospergaminos.net )
Sardine with olives in a spicy sauce, smoked salmon stuffed with cream cheese (very traditional Spanish dish?), 1 glass house wine - 13E. Limited selection
O'Pescador, C/ de la Mercè 7. A clean, well-lighted place with blues and R&B on the pa. Cuttle fish (VVG) and prawns (VG), with wine for 2 - 29E
La Plata, C/ de la Mercè, 28. A small, popular place, but not very crowded that night. You can have sardines with white wine or with red wine, or you can have either red or white wine with your sardines.
I think that if you are a regular, you can get a "racione" of sausage and a "bota" of wine.
A 2/0z glass of house wine was 1E. The sardines are VVG, the wine is not unpleasant, the atmosphere is "acogedor". (My machine translator says that is Spanish for "gemutlich".)
Recommended - 10E
Tasca El Corral, C/ de la Mercè, 17. Old style place, 50's Spanish music, 8 gentlemen of a certain age sitting at 2 tables, smoking, drinking and playing cards. The owner speaks no English, his son translates.
Hand carved Iberico ham, several types of Chorizo sausage, about 6 cheeses, tomato with olive oil, olives, bread - good beer. A shot of "pink panther milk" before we left. Very pleasant. 35E.
Back to the B&B for our last night in Barcelona.
Tuesday, 09/25
Our suitcase came during breakfast.
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
To be continued
First stop: Los Pergaminos, C/ Ample 17 (http://www.lospergaminos.net )
Sardine with olives in a spicy sauce, smoked salmon stuffed with cream cheese (very traditional Spanish dish?), 1 glass house wine - 13E. Limited selection
O'Pescador, C/ de la Mercè 7. A clean, well-lighted place with blues and R&B on the pa. Cuttle fish (VVG) and prawns (VG), with wine for 2 - 29E
La Plata, C/ de la Mercè, 28. A small, popular place, but not very crowded that night. You can have sardines with white wine or with red wine, or you can have either red or white wine with your sardines.
I think that if you are a regular, you can get a "racione" of sausage and a "bota" of wine.
A 2/0z glass of house wine was 1E. The sardines are VVG, the wine is not unpleasant, the atmosphere is "acogedor". (My machine translator says that is Spanish for "gemutlich".)
Recommended - 10E
Tasca El Corral, C/ de la Mercè, 17. Old style place, 50's Spanish music, 8 gentlemen of a certain age sitting at 2 tables, smoking, drinking and playing cards. The owner speaks no English, his son translates.
Hand carved Iberico ham, several types of Chorizo sausage, about 6 cheeses, tomato with olive oil, olives, bread - good beer. A shot of "pink panther milk" before we left. Very pleasant. 35E.
Back to the B&B for our last night in Barcelona.
Tuesday, 09/25
Our suitcase came during breakfast.
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
To be continued
Nov 1st, 2012, 06:17 AM
#57
Enjoying your enjoyment of one of my favorite cities and thanks for posting.
As to that well-known variety in tastes you mentioned, I have to say your "Beetroot gnocchi, veal sweetbreads, codfish tripe, padrón pepper cream and carrot - passion fruit drops" is the perfect example.
As to that well-known variety in tastes you mentioned, I have to say your "Beetroot gnocchi, veal sweetbreads, codfish tripe, padrón pepper cream and carrot - passion fruit drops" is the perfect example.
Nov 1st, 2012, 09:33 AM
#58
love the sardine place - a choice of white or red wine, imagine that!
sardines used to be big in Cornwall, now you are very lucky to find them. next time we have them, i must remember this way of serving them!
please continue away...
sardines used to be big in Cornwall, now you are very lucky to find them. next time we have them, i must remember this way of serving them!
please continue away...
Nov 2nd, 2012, 01:24 AM
#59
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Nice report, Ira.
Ann: We are currently in Andalucia, having moved on from Sevilla, which is one of the best eating cities in Spain and probably the one with the most tremendous value..full, multi-course meals at top tapas places for 35 euro for two of us, with wine.
We are in an apartment in Gaucin, and coincidentally, caught the program, Great British Food Revival, on TV last night, about Pilchards, now known as "Cornish Sardines. Highly recommend!
Giorgio Locatelli offered a few recipes that looked enticing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nrh4d
Ann: We are currently in Andalucia, having moved on from Sevilla, which is one of the best eating cities in Spain and probably the one with the most tremendous value..full, multi-course meals at top tapas places for 35 euro for two of us, with wine.
We are in an apartment in Gaucin, and coincidentally, caught the program, Great British Food Revival, on TV last night, about Pilchards, now known as "Cornish Sardines. Highly recommend!
Giorgio Locatelli offered a few recipes that looked enticing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nrh4d
