Mediterranean Pt 4

As you have seen by our pictures so far we love to eat healthy.  So when we got to Barcelona we knew we would have a spectacular meal of tapas.  Tapas are similar to our version of appetizers in that you order several plates for the table and everyone shares.  Tapas are a foodies dream come true.  A cornucopia of food served in small portions making the sampling of exotic dishes easier on the waistline.  As soon as we got off the ship we headed towards Las Ramblas (a.k.a. La Rambla) in downtown Barcelona.  We had heard from several of our friends that this was the place to go when in Barcelona.  It was a bit more run down than I expected, but there were some highlights, such as street performers and shops like this (The wife wouldn’t let me go in)

After browsing the streets, we got hungry, so we headed down to the newest part of Las Ramblas, known as Rambla de Mar.  It is a beautiful wooden dock open only to foot traffic that crosses over the channel for the town marina.  There is even a “draw bridge” that swings open like a gate to allow sail boats passage.  

After browsing a few menus, we ended up at Tapasbar.  (Side note: This is a chain restaurant of sorts.  I assume the menus at the other locations are similar, as with the food quality.)  The menu selection was rather large.  We started off with a few beers (of course).  This time we were served Estrella.  It was very crisp, similar in color to American lagers but with a more bitter after taste.  After downing the first one we ordered a second round along with some lunch.  We ordered some fried peppers, meat skewers, and potatoes.  

The fried peppers were not spicy but did have a slight kick to them.  They were deep fried with no breading and lightly sprinkled with sea salt.  They had a unique flavor to them, almost similar to a char grilled flavor.  They were very soft and the skin was not as papery as it looked.  

The potatoes were simple white potatoes cut into chunks and deep fried.  They were coated with two sauces.  The white sauce is a simple cheese sauce.  The red/orange sauce was a spicy chili based sauce.  It was a nice balance between the richness of the alfredo-like cheese sauce and the pepper sauce.  The pepper sauce was not *hot* like a hot sauce, but rather full bodied and earthy with a nice, back-of-the-mouth spicy aftertaste.  The flavor was all there, but I would have liked it spicier.  

As for the skewers…well…we ordered the beef skewers.  Although I have my doubts that the type of meat we received was actually beef.  It was dry and tough.  The color did not scream out beef to me, but rather…I have no idea.  It was a tannish grey.  At first I thought veal, but veal would have been tenderer and had more flavor.  It may have been pork as it did resemble an overcooked pork chop.  Whatever it was, we ate it, but it was not that enjoyable.  However, after a few of those large Estrella’s I didn’t really care.  

After enjoying my first true Spanish tapas, we strolled back up Las Ramblas and stopped into a little coffee shop for a cappuccino.  I realize that we had left Italy, but I couldn’t wait to get back.  Next stop, Cannes, France.