Archive for the ‘Bars’ Category

Barcelona Guide : Gracia area

December 22nd, 2009

The Gracia area starts at the end of Passeo de Gracia but is so different ! Very few people go and walk in this area although it is a very nice area with lots of squares with cafes and restaurants, clothes ‘ designer shops, art shops, organical food shops.

The Gracia WEB all infos about shops, cafes, restaurants

Untill the late 19th, it was an independant village and people living there have a strong identity feeling. The peek time is in August (5 days) the Gracia festival with all the streets decorated by the inhabitants, food and drinks everywhere the all night long. Infos about the Gracia Fiesta Major on our blog

How to get there: Metro stop Joanic ( Yellow line 4)  or Fontana ( Green line 3)

Main squares : Placa del Sol, Placa Rius y Taulet now called Placa Vila de Gracia, Placa Joanic, placa Virreina.

Main streets : Carrer Gran de Gracia ( shopping area), carrer Verdi ( small cafes, restaurants, art shops ), carrer Asturias (ecological, organic shops), carrer Traverseria de Gracia.

The area is perfect for those who want something a little bit different, those who perhaps have been to Barcelona before and want a different tourist experience.  Although really because central Barcelona is so easily accessible from Gracia it is suitable for everyone.

On the Verdi street, the Cine Verdi where you can watch movies in their original version. Web Cine Verdi to see the weekly programm.
There are 2 entrances , the Verdi on carrer Verdi  and the Verdi Park on carrer Turijos

Next to the Cine Verdi the D.O. Tapas restaurant
carrer Verdi 36 Ph 932189673
Open from Monday to Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Kibuka carrer Verdi 64 very friendly Japanese food

On carrer Asturias 20 : Barcelona Reykjavik : organic and natural homemade bread.
Open from Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.

Website  Barcelonareykjavic

Carrer Encarnacio :
al01 al02Restaurant  al. ( al punto) Web AL.

carrer Encarnacio 56
Ph: 93 219 82 13
Catalan, mediterranean cuisine.
Opening hours : from 1.30 to 4p.m. amd from 8.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Lunch menu 10 €.
On Saturdays and Sundays  only rice dishes, all kind of typical spanish rice dishes. from 1.30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Café Le Versailles
carrer Encarnacio 43
Movies from the years 30th on the back wall, salads, risottos, hamburgers, beers, coktails

anagramaCafé Anagram
carrer Encarnacio 38
Delicious and carefully made coktails,

salads, pizzas,

guacamole, tapas,

TV plasma : menu football, lunch menu

lachitarra01La Chitarra

Carrer Joan Blanques 56 corner carrer Encarnacio

Phone : 93 285 33 15
650 88 47 18

Delicious fresh pastas, fresh raviolis, sauces …

Take away lunch menus during the week.

lachitarra02 Catering service.

A young italian couple has opened this friendly and delicious shop.

Very fresh mozarella, smoked mozarella.

Homemade italian desert.

All kind of pastas, italian wines.

Plaza Vireina

La Piadina : italian bread filled with italian ham, rucula and cheese. Take away type of sandwich.  On the left from the church

Clair de Lune : nice toys shop for children. Wooden toys, small books . interesting games.
Italian ice cream : on the right side of the church

Shhh…no se lo digas a Nadie
Carrer de Torrijos 53 ( on side of Cine Verdi)
Quiches, vegetable pies, salads, homemade cakes and pies.
Very small and friendly restaurant down the street. Flamenco shows on Thursday.
Small terrace in Summer.

Salambo Cafè Salambó
carrer Torrijos 51 ( by Cine Verdi)
Ph 932186966
WEB Cafe Salambo

Very fresh and innovative cooking in this cafe- restaurant with billard on the second floor.
Painting from local painters exposed on the walls.

Night Menu from Monday to Thursday 12 €

Luch Menu from Tuesday to Sunday : 18 €
Football game Menus on the first floor

Coktails

Plaza del Sol

cafedelsolCafe del Sol

Web cafe del Sol

Plaza del Sol 16

Typical , famous small cafe on the Plaza del Sol.

Art exposition, good music, coktails
Big terrace on the Plaza del Sol

El Criolo
carrer Sant Domènec 10
Barcelona Gracia
ph 93 218 01 02
Argentinian foodshop : delicious homemade empanadas, pizzas, cakes. To eat in the shop or takeaway food.

Ila de Gracia : vegetarian restaurant
Carrer Sant Domenec 19
Phone Telèfon: 932380229
WEB Ila de Gracia

French cheese and food shop
Can Gavatxo
Carrer Sant Lluis, 35
Tel :+34 935540949 / 618090769
Nicolas a french friendly guy owns this shop. He regularly goes to France to get some good cheeses and french food, soft drink ( Orangina), wines …

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CAVA, the Spanish champagne from the Penedes area by Barcelona

September 15th, 2009

Good Wine shop : carrer de les Tres Senyores (corner with carrer del Torrent de les flors) Gracia area (Metro Joanic)

There are many different kinds of cava but the Recadero is a very good one. Price 17 € in a shop.

Cava Recadero Brut Nature Gran Reserva , cava from Barcelona area – Alt Penedes
Website Recadero Cava

Cava, a Spanish “sparkling wine”, is a centuries-old tradition carried on in the northern areas of Spain. A Cava is created in the same manner as French Champagne.

cava

Ninety-nine percent of Cava in Spain is made in the northwest region – in the Penedès area of Catalonia. The other 1% is scattered randomly amongst small producers in the rest of the country. One of the most popular sparkling wines in the United States, Freixenet, is actually a Spanish Cava. Out of the 130 million bottles of Cava produced each year, Freixenet accounts for over 60% of the volume.

The grapes traditionally used for Cava – macabeo, xarello, and parellada – make Cava a light, white, fruity, perfumed wine. There are currently around 250 Cava producers in operation in Spain, with most falling into the defined region and therefore legally able to use the Cava designation on their labels. The Spanish wine term for this is the ‘denomination of origin’.

How Cava is Produced

High quality sparkling wines, including cava and French champagne contain bubbles of carbon dioxide. How do the bubbles get there?

First, the grapes are harvested and a white wine is produced. Several types of wine may be blended. Three grape varieties native to Spain are Xarello, Macabeo and Parellada.

  • Tirajo is the second step – The bottle is filled with the blended wine, then a syrupy mixture of yeast and sugars is added, called licor de tirajo. The yeast will cause the secondary fermentation to occur in the bottle. At this stage, the bottled wine is then transferred to the cellar with a temporary stopper.
  • The Second Fermentation is next – The yeasts convert the sugar to carbon dioxide. This second fermentation and bottle aging occurs in the bottle and lasts for nine months at a temperature between 55 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the second fermentation/aging, the bottles are turned occasionally. This process is called remuage and in some wineries, this is still done by hand. This turning of the bottles causes the residue from the yeast to collect in the neck of the wine bottle. The neck of the bottle is then frozen, which forces the sediment out and the bottle is re-corked immediately.

Grades or Qualities of Cava

In 1991 EU (European Union) legal specifications were implemented to make sure that there was a consistent quality standard for Cava and at the same time, the EU recognized the origin of cava. However, there are very few producers of cava outside Cataluña. A star with four-points is printed on the base of the cork of any true cava. The six official types are as follows, depending on the sugar content:

  • Extra Brut – 0-6 grams of sugar per liter, the driest of the cava
  • Brut – 0-15 grams of sugar per liter
  • Extra Seco – 12-20 grams of sugar per liter
  • Seco – 17-35 grams of sugar per liter
  • Semi-Seco – 33-50 grams of sugar per liter
  • Dulce – More than 50 grams of sugar per liter, the sweetest of the cava

In general, the more expensive, the drier the cava. The less expensive cava is much sweeter. If you read the label on the less expensive bottles, you’ll see that it is probably Semi-Seco.

We recommend that you put the bottle of cava in the freezer or an ice chest filled with ice and bring out each bottle only when you are ready to drink it. (If you put bottles in the freezer, make sure not to forget about them or they will explode and you will have a sticky mess to clean up!) Cava should be served very cold to really enjoy it – about 46 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve in chilled flute champagne glasses so that the bubbles last longer, since they must travel farther before they break the surface. Place the glasses in the freezer for at least a half-hour before you will use them. Chilled glasses help to keep the cava cold.

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Cocktail Bar Dry Martini Barcelona

August 30th, 2009

coktail-bar-barcelona

Cocktail bar Dry Martini in the Eixample area
carrer Aribau 162-166
08036 Barcelona
Phone : 93 217 50 72
Website Dry Martini
Open from Monday to Friday 1 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday 6.30 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Cocktail bar Gimlet (Born area, near the market and the rambla del Born )
Carrer del Rec 24
08003 Barcelona,
The Gimlet is a very small, cosy, elegant cocktail bar.  Known by connoisseurs.
933 101 027‎

The same owner has these 2 bars. He has written books about cocktails.

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Cava Bar La Champagneria Barcelona

May 16th, 2009

La Champagneria
Calle Reina Christina
Barceloneta Metro stop

There is only one cocktail you can order in this bar : una botella de cava…the spanish champagne a lot more cheaper than the French one.

This welknown, fun and crazy bar near the beach in Barcelona serves only a bottle of pink champagne. Each bottle comes with two tapas not tapas like olives but tapas like bacon cheeseburgers, or chicken breast sandwiches with peppers. It is this ingenious concept that has made this hole-in-the-wall bar, world famous.
Everyone has a glass of champagne in one hand, and a greasy cheeseburgers in the other… it gets interesting very fast.

It is really the cheapest place where to eat and drink …

High quality Cava
Recadero Brut Nature Gran Reserva
Website Recadero Cava

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