FROM BROOKLYN TO BELGRADE: 2011

28 December 2011

CAL PEP Barcelona

Every now and then it's good to experience a little culinary magic, and today we did at tiny little perfect Cal Pep. (And yes, it made up for yesterday's dinner.) It is simply food well done in a relaxed atmosphere. The place is unpretentious, the waiters are busy but cool, and the dishes are beautiful and precise and delicious. It's how food should be.

¡Visca Catalunya! ¡Viva Cataluña!

tender clams

Tuna tartar

Razor clams

Monkfish with crazy amazing pan-fried potatoes

Pimientos de Padron
deep fried with just a little sea salt, served hot...

and the postre that smelled of sweet caramel

27 December 2011

Abissinia

First things first.

There are a few things I miss living in Belgrade, and one of them is Ethiopian food. So, because I'm an Ethiopian food junkie, we went to Barcelona's only Ethiopian restaurant, Abissinia, in the lovely Gracia neighborhood.

The place was nice, and they made an effort to put up some traditional decor, but the food kinda sucked. The injera (you can always tell a good ethiopian place by the quality of it's bread) was white and bland, and though a couple of the veggie wots were ok, they really didn't give us enough for 2 people. And I'm being nice when I say the service was so-so. Man, I miss Ghenet and Awash in NYC, and Warsa in Milan, where they don't cut corners on teff and you can have a glass of tej...

So, though this place lacks some friendly competition in BCN, I did get to scratch that itch, and I was glad for that!

26 December 2011

barcelona

It's great to be here in Barcelona! Sun and sea in the middle of winter, great food, good vibes, lots of different colored faces, cool shops, beautiful architecture, what more can you want? It's amazing. I love it.

Not to mention the kids are in Belgrade, and we get to enjoy being here as people, not parents ;)