Day 1 as told by South Norwalk’s Holly Phillips:
After missing our connecting flight from Paris to Barcelona, we decided to take an impromptu trip into the city of Paris for lunch. We went with the idea in our heads of an Anthony Bourdain layover experience. While not exactly what we were expecting, it definitely beat sitting in the airport!
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A few Martini Blancos and a charcuterie plate or two later, we were off to the airport to catch our flight to Barcelona.
First stop in Barcelona was Bar Mut. Adam and Gretchen had never been before, so it was a new experience for everyone in the group. Come to find out they only did two seatings, and were booked for the night. Even so, they invited us to stay for a few cocktails on the patio, and even whipped up a few tapas for us to try.
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We left it at their discretion, and onto the table appeared some giant croquettes, along with the tastiest patatas bravas I have ever had; so simply put together with fresh ingredients, hardly altered, and yet all melding together into a plate of salty, saucy, steaming deliciousness. Top all of that off with a round of house-made vermut’s, and bam! A perfect start to an amazing epicurean adventure in Spain.
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Just when we had decided to move on and not overstay our welcome, our waiter came out, and informed us we weren’t finished yet. Seconds later appeared a glistening plate of Iberico, so thinly sliced it melted on your tongue like butter.
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Even though the restaurant wasn’t open, and our server was setting up for what was sure to be a busy night, they made time for us, fed us like we were family, and made for a great first impression of Spanish culture. I can only hope to give back to our guests at Barcelona Sono the level of hospitality we received that night.
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We next made our way to Tapas 24, a small tapas restaurant under street level that featured all of the amazing cuisine I had heard about. We tried what seemed like dozens of tapas. There were fried rabbit ribs, sepia a la plancha, gambas the size of your hand, super fresh anchovies topped with pickled red onions and micro greens, bikinis, and of course…more jamon!
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Gretchen picked out a beautiful bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose that paired perfectly with everything, and quite frankly, would have been delicious all by itself. Dessert was something simple, but special as well. Nutella chocolate mousse, with a sprinkle of sea salt. Oh. My. God. I don’t know how they made it, but I can only describe it as happy on a plate. Everyone needs to experience this once before they die.
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Final stop, XIX Bar. Most call it Nineteen (Roman numerals), we call it “Cheech”…because we are American and that’s what X sounds like in Spanish. XIX Bar is over 100 years old, and is known as the oldest gin bar in Barcelona. Here we discover a plethora of gins; you name it, they had it. Our bartender was also responsible for all of the infused gins that lined the bar top. The flavors ranged from “Pomelo”, which I had, all the way to Cardamom, even Jamaican Pepper. Let’s not forget the thirty-plus options of different tonics you can choose from. It was delightfully refreshing and a perfect end to our evening in Barcelona.
