Culture Bitch

It has been about a month since I returned on a very special trip to the region of Galicia and the city of Barcelona.  Having traveled through Spain years ago, I left the first time with a sense of disappointment about the food.  I felt like I totally missed the boat on what Spain had to offer in the culinary world.  This trip definitely made up for it.

Galicia - Palmeira

Most people have never even heard of this area of Spain.  In my mind, this little fishermans town is what heaven looks like.  I felt as if I was taken back to an era long forgotten.  Little terra cotta roofs of stone houses line tiny cobblestone streets with the ocean in the foreground and the lush green mountains in the background.  Some of the worlds best seafood comes from this area which is comprised of a series of bays the lead into Portugal.  The people ( affectionately called Gallegos) are as warm and welcoming as can be.  Below are a few of my favorite food moments;

A Kunka:  A small but bustling tapas bar in the center of a little town called Puebla.  Traditional plates such as patatas bravas, Tortilla Con Patate Y Queso, Queso Tetilla, and Pimiento Di Padron were all briskly brought to the table.  As I sat there drinking a glass of local Albarino and aggressively sampling all these simple dishes I realized how amazing Spanish culture is.  It’s a Monday night at 11:00 p.m. and the locals are all out enjoying conversation over a glass of wine or a beer and eating delicious local fare.  Before I could reflect for another minute, more food came to the table.  Pulpo Alla Feria (octopus), Razor clams, and baby fried calamari (some with the ink still present).  This seafood is literally traveling an 1/8 of a mile to get to the bar to be served.  Note; if you have a problem with copious amounts of sea salt and fried food, don’t come to Spain.

El Meson and Arume; One of the things I found so amazing about Spain was that even the worker or laborer during the day needs a nice hot meal during lunch time (the main meal of the day).  So there are many bars / cafes that serve the “menu del dia” or menu of the day.  It is usually three courses and includes wine, water and a delicious cortado (espresso with steamed milk) at the end.  I’ll never forget going to Arume and sitting down to a lunch of fresh steamed mussels (the best in the world and the best I’ve EVER tasted) that were served on a platter that could have fed 3 people.  It was followed by churrasco which was pork spareribs roasted in the oven with herbs and olive oil.  They were served on yet another silver platter with fried potatoes.  I was wondering if they were being served family style for the table but I was informed by my gracious hosts that the platter was in fact just MY portion.  I probably looked like an animal eating these pork ribs and drinking my red table wine but it was just that good!  I didn’t want to leave anything on the plate.  Just when I thought I couldn’t eat or drink anymore I was served a Torta Di Santiago; a warm almond cake dusted with powdered sugar which is named after the major city nearby.  A hot cortado and a “copa” of brandy was served alongside and I was in heaven.  Here’s the kicker of these meals.  All of this was 9 Euros per person.  That equates to roughly $14 dollars per person.  No this was not an unusual instance.  These places exhist all over.  So who says that all of Europe is expensive.  If I ate like this at $14 per meal I’d be a very happy man.

Olagar (Condado 7 15940 A Pobra A caraminal A Coruna):   My hosts that were from this area of Spain were so incredibly gracious.  They decided to take me to a very special dinner to their local “high end” restaurant.  The spot was beautiful and you could tell that this type of restaurant in this area was few and far between.  We in fact were the only table for dinner which didn’t actually surprise me since most people have their main meal at lunch time (hence the restaurants busy time).

First Course:  Mussels a la Plancha, Roasted bay scallops in the shell, fresh melon with a yogurt sauce and aged balsamic, potato croquettes with serrano ham and cheese.  They may have been the most delicious croquette known to man.  (My quest for the best croquette in Spain continued to Barcelona as well)

Entree:  Risotto of fresh seafood (similar to a paella but richer), Lenguada (sole) over poached potatoes with baby shrimp and leeks.   This sole may have been of the most memorable seafood entrees I’ve ever had as it should since seafood is king in this area.

Dessert; We were all way too full to enjoy dessert so little “piedras” or stones of almonds coated in dark chocolate and cocoa powder were brought to the table.  They were the perfect way to end the evening.  We also enjoyed a bottle of Peccado which is a very up and coming red wine from the area of Galicia.

The next morning I sadly left Palmeira and this beautiful piece of heaven.  I hopped on the plain from Santiago and by 4:00 p.m. I was in Barcelona ready to party.

Barcelona

Barcelona was quite interesting in many ways.  The language was different (Catalan) and the scenery was quite a change from what I had just experienced.  My life long friend picked me up at the airport and off we went back to his 7th floor flat that had the most amazing terrace overlooking the city.  Barcelona is very gothic in its architecture and at times one can find it very mysterious and almost scary.  The people of the city are quite the opposite; friendly and hip.  I unpacked my luggage and my friend told me, “I hope you are ready to walk a lot, eat a lot and drink a lot” LETS GO!

“Canya’s” of Estrella beer (the beer of Barcelona) begin the evening.  It’s great to see old friends doing so well in BCN (the airport code for Barcelona which I will use from here on out).  My host whisks me and his girlfriend off to this amazing rustic spot for dinner called:

Taverna Can Margarit (Poble Sec);  An amazing rustic trattoria of sorts that is run by a bunch of old gay men that are completely entertaining.  We walk in and see huge barrels of wine lining the walls.  The place looks as if it’s been around for 100 years.  The walls are stone and everything is old.  As we wait for our table (you always wait in Europe.  No one seems to ever be in a rush to get things done.  This was hard for me being a NY’er but I appreciated it).  We are offered little glasses and take them to the barrels to fill up on our choice of wine.  We chat while drinking delicious house wine.  Once seated I’m informed that the roasted rabbit here is the thing to get.  I’m all for it so I let my host do the ordering.  Before I realize it, food starts to appear at the table.  When in Spain don’t plan on ordering your own entree like we would do in the USA.  The portions in Spain are HUGE and everything is meant to share.  Fried white beans come out, bacala with olives and potatoes served chilled as a salad, fried potatoes and very large slices of rustic bread slathered with a tomato spread.  My friend tells me that bread is almost always served this way in BCN unless you ask for it without tomato.  Next course comes out; the rabbit!  It’s a baby rabbit broken down and roasted until the outside is almost mahogany color.  It is served on a bed of whole roasted garlic cloves and tons of onions with fresh rosemary.  The meat is salty and delicious.  For dessert they offer something very good for the table; a tastings of custards/flans.  They arrive and all dive in with spoons.  Almond, coconut, chocolate, raisin and peach all were served in the family style tasting dessert.  Overall, another amazing dinner and that was when the night really started to get good.  Shots of absynthe at BCN’s oldest bar and more beers dragged late into the night but then again I’ll save that for another blog hehehe.

Enopia:  So everyone hears about Ferran Adria @ El Bulli.  I admire his cooking and his success but I honestly have more respect for his brother Albert who owns this hip tapas bar called Enopia.  It was so damn cool and so hip I wanted to throw up.  Where else is there a tapas bar with a red velvet rope in front where the guy takes your name and puts it on the wait list.  If you ask how long he replies “I dont know.”  Despite the laissez faire attitude once you’re inside the staff is friendly and down to earth.  Here’s my advice at Enopia, just continue to order.  The croquettes (a tie with Olagar) were so damn good I ordered them two times.  Tapas from tuna to mixed olives came to the tiny table.  The food here was treated with amazing care and technique.  The best part about this restaurant besides the fact that it was remarkably cheap for the high level of food we received was that everyone around you (including the staff) was having a great time.  No one looked pissed off.  It was impossible not to smile and want to order another bottle of wine.  If I lived in BCN I’d def be regular here.  Check this place out online.  Their website is absolutely off the wall.

I won’t bother you with all the amazing pastries and croissants I enjoyed while walking around BCN but make sure you take time to stop and enjoy them over a hot espresso.  There were really too many other little dining experiences to list and quite frankly I’m getting sick of typing (as I’m sure you’re getting sick of reading about all my “amazing, life changing food moments) so I will leave you with one final story / tip of a great place to go

Saturday morning we all wake up and head to the Mercado which is the covered markets that host vendors of all types selling seafood, meats, cheese and amazing Spanish hams.  There are also produce vendors selling beautiful fruits and vegetables.  Inside this particular Mercado was Bar Boqueria;

Basically this spot is a tiny 30 foot by 15 foot cube that all the employees are inside by the plancha and flat tops etc etc cooking the food and serving beer/ wine to the bar stools that surround it.  You bascially have to stalk people eating and wait behind their bar stool to grab a place to eat so coming here with a party of six is not happening.  We finally grab bar stools for us all (it was like being in a trendy NY bar trying to grab seats at the bar).  Cava and beer start flowing and we all start ordering out of control.  All your basic tapas start showing up but platters of fresh fried seafood and broiled fish appear as well.  The seafood was glistening in olive oil with wedges of lemon on the side.  I knew I was enjoying when I saw the olive oil start dripping down my arm.  It was the most raw and unpolished form of Spanish food I had the entire time and a memory I will not forget.  Everyone sitting at these bar stools was having a great time enjoying simple spanish tortillas, croquettes, ham, and seafood while drinking a cold beer or a glass of wine.  No frills but tons of flavor!

This trip to Spain is going to be hard to top.  I owe it all to my friends who graciously showed me around and introduced me to the greatest restaurants, bakeries, coffee spots and little holes in the walls of their respective towns.  I am so fortunate to have had this experience.  These opportunities cannot be bought with money.  They simply happen by fate and are to be cherished!  Bon Profit! (Bon Apetit in Catelan).