Barcelona - South End

          Barcelona's new South End location has been in the works for awhile, and they were packed last week on opening night! I was lucky enough to snag a seat at the bar fairly early and enjoyed an excellent meal with the fiance. 

          This was probably the smoothest opening I've ever seen. The service was impeccable, and our bartender had excellent recommendations and sherry pairings which the kitchen executed on flawlessly.

          We started with a selection of meat and cheeses including black foot ham (one of my favorites), manchego, and mahon. This came out with some delicious crusty bread, and we somehow managed not to eat the entire basket and saved room for more tapas.

          Our next two dishes looked so good that we dove into them before snapping pics: the tuna crudo and spinach and chickpea cazuela. The tuna was excellent paired with citrus fruits and garlic, and the spinach and chickpeas had great flavors with a bit of a Mediterranean influence. 

          We had to try the tortilla and croquettes, since those are some of our favorite Spanish dishes. The tortilla was mostly potato with a bit of egg, served with a side of herbed sour cream. The croquettes were bite sized balls of ham and cheesy deliciousness.

          The next two dishes were my favorites, and these came highly recommended by the bartender. The beef tongue was the most tender I've ever had, and served with a mix of spicy peppers. The fideos with chorizo, poached egg, and fois gras was probably the most creative dish on the menu. The rich flavors of the egg and fois gras were perfect with the crispy noodles. I was literally scraping the pan trying to eat all of this.

 

          This dessert is unique to the South End location, and probably one of my favorites in all of Boston: sugar cookie sandwiches filled with home made dulce de leche. The cookies were just a little crunchy, and the filling rich and creamy. I would go back just for this dish alone.

 

          I was impressed by the entire experience at Barcelona, both the food and service. The menu is huge and definitely has something for everyone - staples like tortilla, croquettes and patatas bravas, as well as more adventurous items like the beef tongue and fideos.