Paco Meralgo, best tapas in Barcelona!

Paco Meralgo has to be the best tapa place in Barcelona!  Paco Meralgo is a play on words, para comer algo, to eat something.   And that is certainly not a problem when you come here!
We always start with an order of Jamon Iberico and pa amb tomaquet (dense country bread, toasted and rubbed with a vine ripened tomato and a clove of garlic, then drizzled with a good olive oil).  The jamon just melts in your mouth.

Great, simple, contemporary decor.  Try to get there right when they open, 8:00, to get the perfect spot at the bar.

From the first time I was in Spain, I could not get enough of the Padron Peppers, Pimientos Padron (I wrote about these on my post dated August 9, 2011) . They are pretty incredible and you can eat the entire pepper.

Paco Meralgo makes some of the best chicken and jamon croquettes around.  Lite and fluffy, certainly not some of those heavy, pasty things that some places try to pass off as croquettes.  I still need to fine tune my recipe or just give up and go back to Barcelona!

The Bomba, a potato croquette with traces of crispy mincemeat and herbs served with a creamy aiolli sauce and a spicy tomato sauce.

 Just had to dig in. So so tasty!

Fresh seafood is abundant.

The Monradito Pepito, a fried veal sandwich, is another tapa that is worth ordering.
On a lighter note, the Bacalla Esqueixat (cod salad) was excellent!
If it's a hot evening, have your waiter make you a pitcher of Sangria.  Beautifully balanced and really refreshing.


PACO MERALGO
Muntaner 171 (cross street is Corsega)
Located in the north west Eixample neighborhood.
Open seven days a week.

The Parroquia in San Miguel de Allende

When I was in Barcelona visiting some of my favorite churches  and museums, I saw so many things that might have influenced the facade of the Parroquia (parish church) in San Miguel de Allende.   Originally built in 1683 by architect Marco Antonio Sobrarias, it was given a face lift by a local indigenous stone mason, Zeferino Guetirerez in 1880.  Self-trained, he would convey his ideas to his workmen by making drawings in the dirt with a stick.

It was said that Guetierrez received inspiration for his work from post cards and drawings of Gothic churches and buildings in Europe.  When touring the Gothic Church of Sants Just in Barcelona, I was taken by the decorative spires that were very reminiscent of those of the Parroquia.

In the Museu Nacional D'Art De Catalunya, this retable from Catalunya, late 1300'S, just jumped out at me.  It was like I was looking at the Parroquia all over again.

You can see these intricate spires for miles, especially when it is lite up at night.

 

Gutierrez was a genius when he used a mix of pink and tan cantera to adorn the facade of the church.  But it is at dusk when the Parroquia comes to life and is most dramatic.  I captured this magical moment from the rooftop patio (mirador) of my home in San Miguel de Allende.  See for yourself, join me in San Miguel de Allende for one of my guided tours.  Stayed tuned for more details, I am fine tuning the dates (either the first week or second week in October).
If you are interested, contact me at robindsg@aol.com.

Cafe de L'Academia in Barcelona

 I had read numerous accounts on how wonderful the food was at Cafe de L'Academia.  If you can believe it, they are only open Monday thru Friday for lunch and dinner.  Never on Saturday!  Located in the Placa de Sant Just, a Catalan Gothic church is on one side of the plaza, the restaurant is on the other with Barcelona's oldest Gothic fountain right next to our table.
The plaza has some interesting history to it.   It was the set for the Parisian marketplace in the 2006 movie, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.    And in 1924, Antoni Gaudi was arrested in this plaza as he was attempting to enter the church for speaking Catalan (forbidden by the military dictatorship of General Primo de Rivera at the time).  Later that day, a friend of his came to the jail to bail him out.

With time to kill before the restaurant opened, we checked out the Sant Just Church.

 A really different church inside and one that is not often visited by tourist.

This altar piece of Christ's Passion, 1530, was quite elaborate.

Lucky we had found the restaurant before they opened and were able to reserve a table outside.  Good thing we did, it filled up immediately and people were being turned away.  

There were two cold soups on the menu.  I thought I had ordered just the one soup, so you can imagine my surprise when I was served both.  I love this concept.  The soup on the left was a Gazpacho.  The other, a carrot vichyssoise garnished with a dollop of pesto and shavings of Parmesan cheese.   Both were excellent.

Len had seared foie gras on a bed of sauteed onions and potatoes that was topped with a perfectly poached egg and a generous piece of Jamon Iberico.

For my main entree, I had to have the dish that they are so well known for, Risotto with Foie Gras!  Talk about sinful.  The risotto also had huge grapes that had been cut in half and caramelized  (at the bottom of the dish).  This was the half portion.   There was no way I could have finished a full one.

Len had perfectly cooked rack of lamb and it was a generous serving.

It was a beautiful lunch, great setting and the prices were very reasonable.  We enjoyed it so much, we went back for dinner two nights later!  Reservations are a must.

Cafe De L'Academia

Calle Lledo 1

#93 319 8253

cafeddelaacademia@hotmail.com    

Note:  Many of the guide books say it is hard to find.  Not really.

Located in the Ribera district.

At Via Laietana and Carrer de Ferran, go west on Ferran.

I believe the second little street on the left is Lledo.

Follow that to the plaza and you will find the restaurant.

Buen Provecho.

 

Around Barceloneta

As I have written in the last week or so, Barcelona has a tremendous amount of art and not all of it is in the museums.  Roy Lichtenstein's Cap de Barcelona (Barcelona Head) was commissioned for the summer Olympics in 1992.  He was inspired by Gaudi's work and technique of using pieces of broken ceramics in his works.  Using colorful ceramic tiles, this wild portrait of a women can be seen from all directions and it located at the end of Passeig Colom.

Not far away, is Javier Mariscal's Gambrinis.   This giant fiberglass lobster was also done for the Olympics.  With its pinching claws and goofy smile, it welcomes you to the area that has many seafood restaurants. 

 I love how Gambrinus is perched up on the wood pergola.

Looking down the beach from Barceloneta to Port Olimpic is Frank Gehry's Peix d'Or (The Golden Fish).    Another Olympic commission, The Golden Fish is 35 meters x 54 meters.  Made out of stone, steel and glass,  the shiny metal plates constantly change color at different times of the day.

And how fitting (no pun intended) for this bungee cord jungle gym to be on the beach in  Barceloneta.  I doubt this was an Olympic commission.  Maybe just a training area for future Olympians!

The Wounded Shooting Star in Barcelona

Walking around the Barceloneta area, we took a stroll along the beach.   This area was traditionally home to the fishermen and dock workers in Barcelona.  It was the first planned neighborhood in the city with its tiny grid of narrow streets set around spacious squares.

The sculpture above with its twisted cubes that seem to be haphazardly stacked upon each other is the creation of German artist, Rebecca Horn.  Titled L'Estel Ferit (The Wounded Shooting Star), locally referred to as The Cubes, reaches a towering height of ten meters and was installed just in time for the Olympics.

The early 1990's was an innovative time and the sea front was seeing some interesting sculptures dress up the rather neglected neighborhood.   Barceloneta's coastline was at one time dotted with numerous xiringuitos (bars and restaurants) that had fallen into disrepair and were eventually torn down before the crowds arrived for the Olympics.   The Cubes was Horn's homage to these old shacks and to the past.

I think it sits beautifully on the beach with the blue, blue sea as its backdrop!

Street Art in Valencia

My husband and I were in Valencia, Spain for the day and we came upon some really creative street art.   The head coming out of the deep hole has Dali written all over it.  Is it really a politician's head escaping the gutter?

The two horses with the common head butting together to me shows the conflict of one who is nomadic and the other who is sedentary.  Or is it political gridlock.  Where do they go from here. 

Communal thinking, where everyone thinks the same thing and they are blind to reality.  Or is it a really bad hair day that is just too "over the wall"?

I love how the painters were painted on the building facade. And yes indeed, there was construction work going on over head!
Again, keep your eyes peeled and who knows what you will stumble upon.

Creative Art is all around us!

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see." 

                      Henry David Thoreau

Many walk through life and do not see what is right in front of them.  When I was in Barcelona, I saw more than just the gorgeous architecture, the phenomenal restaurants and the beautiful shops.  I found some of the posters, painted doors and even some of the graffiti, around Barcelona pretty darn good.

 So simple but really nicely executed. Your eye fills in the blanks.

 Being a fan of everything to do with Day of the Dead, I found this poster wonderful!

I have no clue what was behind this door.  Could it be a night club, a head shop, a hair salon...

I like how the black and white art is surrounded by the colorful graffiti.

Near the Basilica Santa Maria del Mar, there was a door painted with this seven legged woman that caught my eye.  She is promoting an artist, Aurelio Cachafeiro, that designs and creates wall art along with the collaboration of a few other artists.  I checked out his website, www.aureliocachafeiro.com, and he has done some very cool installations.  

There is talent around every corner, you just have to keep your eyes wide open!