Barcelona and Sitges

The last leg of our Spain trip was supposed to be 5 days in Barcelona. Having spent a full week relaxing in laid-back San Sebastian, however, we could not get into the rhythm of touristy Barcelona. We found some refuge in La Barceloneta and had a couple of good meals (descriptions to follow), but quickly escaped to the beaches of Sitges for the last few days. Sitges had the progressiveness of Barcelona and the bucolic atmosphere of San Sebastian. We would have sent for our things and stayed if we weren't trying to open a restaurant back in Los Angeles!

At a lively locals' bar in La Barceloneta, I think we impressed the bartender by our selection of hearty tapas for breakfast. Deviled eggs with a creamy, fishy filling, anchovies with potatoes, pan con tomate, and marinated white anchovies with a spicy vinegar sauce. We also had tortilla de patatas, but failed to take a photo. Oh and cafe con leche, 2 each, which meant we especially enjoyed our breakfast!

Lunch was just as seafood heavy as breakfast. Fideo with shellfish, hake stewed with a briney tomato and almond sauce (broth?). We really enjoyed both dishes, especially the hake because the broth tasted so robust and relatively complex and the fish was cooked nicely. The fideo had a perfectly crispy crust. We washed it all down with a crisp (unoaked) local Chardonnay from Alella.


We were somewhat surprised to find as good food as we found in Sitges. Prices were reasonable and the selection was abundant. At one of the more upscale restaurants we chose we finally had beans! I couldn't tell if beans were more traditionally made at home (chicken soup and salads were also things we decided were made in homes rather than in restaurants) or if we just didn't gravitate towards dishes that involved beans. The white beans we had on our skate dish were dense and flavorful, and have inspired me to make beans several times since. A lovely touch was a complimentary thimbleful of sherry at the end of our meal.