Staying a block away from Las Ramblas, my intuition for authenticity was stearing me away from the bustling road. A suggestion from concierge was to seek out eateries in the El Born area. Our first day in Barcelona (and Spain for that matter) led us on what felt like an endless hunt for THE place to experience our first meal. Thirty minutes of walking up and around tiny alleyways emerging to airy courtyard spaces we landed at our first must-see in Barcelona, the Picasso Museum. Having seen the line forming for free tickets on Sunday, we stayed our lonely, hungry stummies until we got our tickets for later. Fast forward another 30 minutes, tickets in hand, we sought out much needed sustenance.
The wife was swayed by a soft-spoken, warm waiter outside of Solid. We took note of some specialties while gently dragged in against what we thought was better judgement. We came to Spain expecting to bust our way into those small, dirty hole-in-the-wall joints with a legion of locals and tourists in the know waiting on small plates with big flavors. Here we walked into a large, clean, modern-diner with no tables being served. Reluctantly we ordered a few plates out of courtesy. Little did we know the courtesy was being bestowed on us for taking for granted this modest new restaurant. They were open just one month when we arrived here.
Our first plate was the patatas bravas.... Solid-style. Impressive presentation of potato batons covered in a paprika-spiced oil, a light, creamy cool aioli, and garnished with chive. My tater-hating mind was blown. At that time, I loved it, but more significantly, Solid set the standard for all PB's I had thereafter (none matched.) Next we delved into the singular, but large truffled mushroom croquette. The soft crunch on the outside met with a buttery potato filling. The use of truffle oil was spot-on while the palate was radically revived with a purple, apple reduction. Next we slipped into a bowl of rock mussels marinated in dill, celery and peppercorns. The fishy taste was tempered and the mini mussels tenderized in the broth which could've been a soup on its own. At least that's what I told myself for slurping it down. Of course this Spanish food journey found itself to a plate of homemade paella. I can't tell you what went into this brown, more savory variation (apparently this is a long family secret), but what you should expect is nothing what you would expect a paella to taste like.
By the time we snapped out of our food hypnosis, the restaurant was filled with patrons enjoying what I'm celebrating here. Much thanks to Antonio for being a humble host, I strongly recommend you find yourself at Solid for a memorable meal. read more
