Best Little Bars

I forget how much I love Spanish food when I am not there, but really those Spaniards are such underrated geniuses. Who doesn't love the idea of tapas? Brilliant! Especially for people like me who can never decide what to order, because I just want to try it all. The tapas culture keeps you grazing for hours on end, and plus what a convivial atmosphere it lends itself to.

Food in Barcelona. Sigh of delight. Where to begin? From the gorgeous markets to of course Mr. Adria's El Bulli (one day my dear Catalan), there is just so much to explore and sample, and that my friends is my kind of city. And so it comes as no coincidence that one of my favorite tapas bar in all of Spain is found in Barcelona.

Enter Quimet & Quimet. These people do not mess around.

Now take a look. Obviously if you are hoping for a romantic, intimate evening, this isn't your best bet, but if what you are looking for are some of the tastiest, most creative tapas that the peninsula has to offer (excluding of course, the Basques. That is for another post/book.), then you have come to the right place. Mr. Quimet seriously puts together some killer combos, like my absolute favorite:

Looks a bit like a bagel with lox, but what is really going on here is a light yogurt cheese, with smoked salmon and truffle honey. Weep!! They do a lot with Iberian cheeses, pates and the fantastic offerings of Spanish canned/preserved seafood.

I know that the whole idea of tapas is to graze your way through the evening, from one bar to the next, but I would be none the happier stepping a toe outside their door. Really now, what is the point?

Quimet & Quimet
Poeta Cabanyes, 25
Barcelona, Spain
93 442 31 42

The Spanish 'Stache

When my honey suggested vacationing in Ibiza my eyes rolled up in disgust, immediately imagining, well, pretty much what Ibiza is known for. But after some hearty research, I quickly gathered that the Spanish island is much more than an ecstasy-laced, club hotspot. If you steer clear of that scene, which is very easy to do, you will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful, and secluded, Mediterranean beaches. Exactly what we came for. Oh, and to eat.

Do you all know about defensive dining? It's what happens when you're at, let's say a buffet, or any situation where there is potentially limited food to be shared among a large group of people and everyone loads up really early on because they're afraid it'll run out and they'll be left high and dry. Or if you are at a restaurant that doesn't take reservations and get yourself all worked up in a tizzy, aggressively defending your place in line. This is me at my absolute worst. I become such a maniac. That fairly describes the scene that went down getting reservations at El Bigote.

I had read about this place and put it at the top of my Ibiza dining list with three imperative stars next to it. It could be out of a film - located right on a secluded, crystal bay, no menu, but rather it serves seafood caught that day, you must reserve in advance, oh and they don't have a phone, which means you gotta go there in person to get your name down. Que estrés! As you make your way there through the winding, bumpy mountain roads you can't help but think, "This better be freaking worth it." Getting there is no easy feat.

And luckily it is SO worth it! This is casual, beach dining at its absolute pinnacle. Everyone sits outside under a covered patio, hoovering over write-home-about sparkling water. A huge pot sits over an open fire, cooking up everyone's lunch. When we were there we stuffed ourselves on fish (who knows what kind...whatever was fished out that morning) cooked simply with rice and saffron. Nothing as fancy or involved as a traditional paella, but filling in every sense of the word, just as you hoped it to be. It's all very communal, generous seconds if you'd like are passed around and at the end the staff comes by offering a special, sort of syrupy coffee, also ladeled out from a huge pot.

Lazy afternoons are built around meals like this and somehow all the stress of finding El Bigote and getting our reservation was miraculously erased from memory. A satisfied stomach, and soul, will do that to you, you know.


El Bigote
Cala Mastella
07850 Santa Eulalia
Ibiza, Spain