What makes Barcelona one of the world’s great food cities is the fact that it’s still fed by hundreds of small farms located no more than a dozen or so miles from the city center, plus local fishing boats that ply the Mediterranean daily. And Catalonia’s artisan butchers, cheesemakers, olive-oil producers and other food purveyors understand the excellence that the knowing locals demand. Following the craze for molecular gastronomy from chefs like Ferran Adria, the city’s culinary creativity has become much less theatrical, but no less innovative or delicious. The gastronomic bottom-line in Barcelona, however, will always be the spectacular local produce at the beck and call of its most talented chefs. Here are four restaurants we recently enjoyed.
Chef Jordi Vilà’s superb contemporary Catalan restaurant now occupies a chic new setting in the heart of the city. This is an address for sophisticated food lovers willing to embark on one of the fascinating tasting menus.
Dishes might include Swiss chard with oyster romesco sauce, leek tart with horseradish, and locally caught wood-grilled fish with eggplant, pickled lemon and clam juice.
alkimia
Ronda de Sant Antoni 41. Tel. (34) 93-207-6115
Tucked away in the Ciutat Vella (Old Town), this intimate seafood restaurant is the new project of chef Rafa Zafra, who formerly cooked at Ferran Adrià’s auberge, Hacienda Benazuza, near Seville. Zafra keeps his cooking simple so as to not mask the flavors of the superb fish and shellfish. Don’t miss the Galician sea urchins and the grilled sole.
Estimar
Carrer de Sant Antoni dels Sombrerers 3. Tel. (34) 93-268-9197
Though Barcelonans are serious seafood lovers, they also enjoy a good steak now and again, and they’re as discerning about their beef as they are about their fish. This new restaurant serves nine varieties of beef, eight of which come from the Iberian Peninsula (six from Spain, two from Portugal). Helpful waiters explain their very different tastes and textures, and the meat is expertly grilled.
LomoAlto
Carrer d'Aragó 283-285. Tel. (34) 93-519-3000
The name of this restaurant means “high tide,” a reference both to its superlative catch-of-the-day menu and its location on the 24th floor of the Edifici Colón. Come here for spectacular views over Barcelona and the Mediterranean from the yacht-cabin-like dining room with teak floors and a nautical décor. The specialty here is grilled and smoked seafood, and the dishes not to miss include Menorcan lobster and the scorpion fish from Cap Roig.
Marea Alta
Avinguda de les Drassanes 6-8. Tel. (34) 93-631-3590
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1 (800) 375-4685
Open M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM CT
