Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

I was walking in between buildings in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. There were restaurants and shops everywhere. All of a sudden I saw a sign for an Italian restaurant called Made in Sicily.

It was a cute little place with a few tables to sit at.

    

Now I was not hungry for pizza, which they sold by the slice.

    

What caught my attention on the menu they had posted outside were the Arancino (arancini or rice balls). I had not seen these anywhere else at this point in my trip.

I figured I could not pass up the opportunity to try these. I always make sure to try arancini whenever I see them on the menu – no matter what country or city I am in.

They offered three different varieties but I only tried two. I had been munching all day long so I was not that hungry. So I went for the Four-Cheese and the Bolognese.

I tried the Four-Cheese first. This was loaded with cheese and not enough rice. When I cut it open the hot cheese oozed out. If there was a little more rice it might have held things in place better. The cheese was nice and salty. I would have liked a little pasta sauce on this to balance out the cheese.

The Bolognese arancini was a blend of meat and cheese in the center with a little sauce. This had a great savory flavor and there was enough rice that helped calm down the slight salty accents.

The downside to these arancini happened to be that they were not freshly fried. Much like some of the tapas I have gotten at the market, these were all premade. They simply warmed them up in a microwave. So they were not very crispy, but the flavor was still good.

This was a fun stop. I could not wait to tell everyone that I got Sicilian arancini in Barcelona, Spain.

You can check out their Facebook page at madeinsicily.bcn

Enjoy!

T

There are dozens of food stands to choose from at Mercat de La Boqueria. I passed by a pretty busy stand that had a long line. That seemed like a place I should check out. It was simply called Catalonian-Food.

    

There were a few things I wanted to try. The first was the sausage on a stick. These were mini chorizo sausages and grilled onions. The sausage was very flavorful and had just a hint of spice. The onions were very sweet and paired well with the sausage.

The Patates Farcides were something unique that I had not seen anywhere else. These were stuffed potatoes with cheese and chorizo sausage. There was a super creamy texture to the potato that had great salty accents thanks to the cheese and sausage. The sausage was not spicy.

The last thing I tried were the Croquetes Artesanes. These were really popular and were selling fast. This was a simple potato croquet. Like all the others I had tried, the filling was extremely creamy. Since it was just potato it was not as salty as previous ones.

The only downside was that the breading was not crispy. They did not deep fry them there at the stand, they just warmed them in a microwave. Had they been fried or even baked in an oven then they would have been perfect.

It was really fun eating these tapas. It was the true market experience of eating on the go.

If you are walking around the market and want a quick snack, I would recommend stopping by the booth that is Catalonian-Food. They will give you a little extra energy to fuel your shopping trip.

www.boqueria.barcelona/home

Enjoy!

T

Through my travels around Barcelona I came across this bakery that was not too far from my hotel, Baluard. I actually visited them on two different occasions. The family that owns this bakery is a fourth generation baker. It is in their blood, dating all the way back to 1892. All this history still amazes me.

They had a big window that looked into the bakery. I could see them making the different loaves.

It smelt wonderful as soon as I walked in, I love the smell of fresh bread. It is comforting and makes me hungry. They had many options in their glass cases. There were so many different types of bread, fresh pastries, and an assortment of sandwiches on their fresh baguettes.

   

I got a white baguette with jamon (Spanish ham). The sandwich itself was good. The bread was extremely crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. There was a great crunch when I took a bite.

The meat was not as flavorful as I was expecting. I expected it to be slightly more salty. There was no cheese on this sandwich. If there was it would have added more flavor.

They had fresh eclairs in their case when I visited. The cream filling was calling to me. I made sure to get one. They called them Éclair Crema.

The fresh éclair pastry was light and airy, this allowed for the cream to get into every nook and cranny of the pastry. The cream was also flight and extremely fluffy. It was definitely homemade whipped cream. It was totally delicious and satisfied my sweet tooth.

The next morning I did make my second visit to Baluard. I wanted to get a pastry that would go well with coffee. I ordered the Brioix Canyella I Fruits Vermells.  This pastry was not in their case the day before. So it appears that they offer different items each day.

It looked like a cream cheese filling but after taking a bite it was more like a vanilla custard. The fresh berries were great and added some sweetness. There was also a sweet glaze on top of the pastry. It was almost like honey. it was sweet and made my fingers a little sticky. This was the perfect way to start my morning.

Both visits to Baluard were wonderful. They take great care in everything that they make and that is reflective in the taste of their bread and pastries. I would definitely go back to see what other creations they come up with.

http://baluardbarceloneta.com/en/principal

Enjoy!

T

One of the major sights that everyone must see in Barcelona is La Sagrada Familia. This is a Minor Basilica that is the master work of famous architect Antoni Gaudi. This iconic structure is actually still under construction (it was started in 1882).

I took the audio tour, which I highly recommend. The audio actually help give me a larger appreciation for every aspect of the basilica because I understood the meaning behind everything Gaudi planned.

The outside of the basilica has two parts. The entrance façade (at least it is the entrance of the tour) depicts the Nativity of Jesus.

   

The backside of the basilica depicts the Passion of Jesus, including his crucifixion. It is a very emotional look at the scriptures told through beautiful stone structures.

   

The inside of the basilica is lite up by all of the stained glass windows. The rainbow of colors filled this magnificent structure with warm and cool light. I took lots of pictures to share but they truly do not do justice to seeing this breathtaking color in person.

   

After taking the tour I found myself to be a little hungry. To my ultimate delight I found Xurreria Sagrada Familia right across the street from the basilica.

This little shop was making homemade, fresh, hot churros. I was so excited as soon as I saw them. They have been serving up these sweet treats since 1950.

They had churros filled with everything from cream, Nutella, white chocolate, and even different fruit jams.

I grabbed one of the churros stuffed with cream. It had just come out of the fryer. They also covered the outside in sugar (you do not have to get it this way, it is optional). The cream was more like a vanilla pudding.

The churro was nice and hot so it made the cream warm too. The freshness was overwhelming, but in a good way. The dough was soft with only a slight crunch on the outside from the dough being fried and covered in sugar. The dough was also light, not dense at all which was nice. It did not take me long to finish the churro.

It was really cool to watch them actually make the churros. The batter went into this large dispenser that pushed it out directly into the piping hot oil. The guy working the machine then cut the dough right before it went into the oil. He worked so fast masking each batch of churros. Very cool to watch.

   

I highly recommend stopping by Xurreria either before or after a visit to Sagrada Familia. It was one of the only places where I saw churros being made fresh. They are a must have.

www.xurreriasagradafamilia.es

Enjoy!

T

Whenever I travel to a new city one of the first things I make sure to do is check out the fresh markets. Whether it is the Farmers Market in Nashville or Pikes Place in Seattle, fresh markets are a great way to truly experience a city. All the fruits, vegetables, meats and even flowers are the freshest they could possibly be. So in Barcelona I made sure I stopped at Mercat La Boqueria.

I got there pretty early in the morning so I could avoid huge crowds. It was still fairly busy. Many of the local chefs shop there to get fresh ingredients for their restaurants. I also noticed several little old ladies shopping which I could only assume they were there to plan the dinner they would be making their lucky families.

  

I was completely overwhelmed. I did not even know where to start. There were butchers everywhere. They had everything from fresh steaks to thinly sliced jamon (ham) that they served up in paper cones that you could munch on as you walked the market.

   

The fresh seafood was abundant. There were several fish I recognized and many I did not.

   

   

If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, they had everything from fresh made gelato to handmade candies that looked like food.

   

If you were craving an empanada, I found a stand that had several to choose from. This was their specialty.

   

What I was excited for was all the fresh fruit. That is what I wanted for my breakfast. There were so many stands to choose from. For the most part they were all priced the same. It really came down to who offered the fruit I wanted.

   

  

I got a cup of fruit that was fresh mango and papaya. Plus they offered a variety of fresh squeezed juices, so I tried the strawberry/pineapple.

The fruit was fantastic. Each piece was extremely juicy. The natural sweetness from both the mango and papaya jumped forward. The flavors were extremely memorable both on my taste buds and through my sense of smell.

The juice was amazing as well. The combination of strawberry and pineapple blended so perfectly together. It was smooth in texture and went down very easy. The strawberry shined through; the pineapple was kind of hidden. The best part was this juice was a bargain at 1.50€.

Now I spent the rest of the day exploring Barcelona. Later in the evening I stopped back by the market. I wanted to get another juice. I was not sure if there would be anything left since it was so late. But lucky for me there was plenty and they were on discount, only 1.00€ now.

  

I could not pass up a bargain so I got two different juices combinations:

• Pineapple Coconut
• Mango Pineapple

The pineapple coconut juice was sweet and slightly creamy. It was a great blend. I was able to taste an equal amount of pineapple and coconut. When I closed my eyes the taste transported me to a tropical beach.

The mango pineapple was both sweet and tart; it all came from the pineapple. The mango only added slight texture.

The market was a fun experience. It was a great way to get immersed into life in Barcelona. It was great both day and night. Everyone visiting needs to make at least one stop.

www.boqueria.barcelona/home

Enjoy!

T

I had booked my trip to Barcelona in December and spent months planning things I wanted to do when I got there. However, once I arrived I was so excited to finally be in the city that I did not know what to do first.

I started my journey from my hotel to La Rambla, the famous street where all the tourists head to. I just started walking around all the side streets, admiring the architecture of the buildings.

As I looked down these alleyways, they kept reminding me of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

    

   

As I was walking along I started to get hungry. There were so many choices for food around. Not far from Rambla de Canaletes I came across Santa Anna.

The brightness coming from their interior caught my attention, along with their sign that said they had sangria.

It was amazing to me that this restaurant has been around for over 90 years. They clearly have updated the restaurant but to be in the same location for all that time is just impressive.

The restaurant was very bright and clean. There were great black and white murals on the wall that were of famous buildings around Barcelona.

   

They also had all their wine bottles displayed on really cool holders mounted to the walls.

   

The first thing I did when my waiter got to the table was order my sangria. I could not wait to try it. There was something magical to me about drinking sangria in Barcelona. They used a nice, sweet red wine and there was fresh fruit throughout. It was refreshing after all the walking around I had done.

I started off with three appetizers. The ham croquettes were a must try for me. In my research before arriving, I had read about different foods that are famous in Barcelona and croquettes were one of those foods.

These croquettes were a blend of mashed potatoes, chopped ham, and cheese. They were then breaded and deep fried. When I bit in I could taste the savory flavor. The ham had a smoky taste and the cheese added a little saltiness. Overall the croquette was extremely creamy.

I also ordered the spicy potatoes. These were sliced potato wedges that were lightly fried then drizzled with a spicy cream sauce. They also included a dollop of mascarpone cheese in the center.

The potatoes had a slight sweet taste. The sauce as not really spicy but it was amazing on the potatoes. There was a hint of tomato in the sauce. The cheese added a little tangy taste.

I got the grilled baby squid because I knew it would be really fresh. When it came out I realized that it was not grilled; it was lightly breaded and then fried. It was just like the calamari I get back home. The only difference was the squid was extremely tender. It melted in my mouth.

The last thing I ordered was the Pizza Prosciutto. The size of the pizza was perfect for sharing. The crust was crispy and thin. The prosciutto was thinly chopped into pieces and sprinkled all over the pizza. It had a wonderfully salty taste, especially with the cheese. It paired really well with my sangria.

So my first dining experience in Barcelona was delicious. I could not wait for what else lied ahead of me. You can check them out on their website at http://www.restaurantsantaanna.com/

Enjoy!

T