Along the waterfront in Barcelona, yet away from the rampant tourist traffic? Yeah, this gem is tucked away in the marina, and takes a little walking to get to... but what a find! Despite temperatures in the 90's, the open-air restaurant gave the feeling of eating in a luxurious tent... large enough for several hundred! The ceiling fans kept the air moving nicely, and the furniture made it "feel" right.
...and the food... oh, my. We wanted to sample as much as possible, so I went with a mixed grill , the "Xix Mixto" (three different meats, each succulent and wonderfully spiced) along with some wonderful sides, and my wife chose the 'Combinado Vegetal," which was out of this world. I've been a fan of dolmas for as long as I can remember, but what they did with theirs was over-the-top good! Everything we had brought flavors that "popped." (...all except for the french fries, perhaps, that came with my wife's plate. For some reason, fries are ubiquitous in Barcelona!)
The mojitos here were every bit as good as Victor's (on 52nd St. in NYC), which I still consider the best I've ever had... so that's saying something! My wife's "Limonada Natural" took quite an interesting twist on a classic, by blending in a slurry of fresh mint. So much so, that it more closely resembled a green smoothie than anything else, but it was truly refreshing!
We ran out of room (and time, as we were hustling to go to a movie) but next time, we're going to slam the baklava. It looked irresistible! So yeah... we'll be back! read more