Barcelona is a beautiful city – the architecture, the historic cathedrals, museums and the tree-lined streets make this a wonderful town to visit. And then – there’s the food! The big adjustment here is WHEN you eat it. Lunch usually is about 2p and dinner 10p. Most of the restaurants don’t even open until 9 in the evening, so plan on some late nights.

Our absolute favorite meal was at Cinc Sentits which means the ‘five senses’. We did the tasting menu paired with regional wines. It was one of the best meals we’ve ever had. As is common in Catalonia, the meal started with a few tapas like spiced ‘marcona’ almonds, a house-marinated ‘gordal’ olive stuffed with pimento and a delicious anchovy and fig delicacy (I usually am not an anchovy fan). Also, a semi-sweet maple flavored aperitif arrived topped with cream served in a stylish shot glass.

The foie gras ‘coca’ was exquisite with a thin pastry crust, glazed leeks, caramelized sugar and a sprinkling of tiny chives. Caligo vi de Boira Massis del Garraf from the Penédes region – a sweet wine much like a sauterne with lots pear and peach notes. It was spectacular with the foie gras.

Next came the most beautiful fish wrapped in plastic – a wild Mediterranean red mullet with farm fresh veggies and lemon thyme. This was delicious and paired with another Penedés wine called Finca VilaDelloPs.

I could have stopped here, but there was more! Next an Iberian suckling pig arrived that was crisp on top and then had layers of tender, juicy pork. It paired with a wine we fell in love with Taberner No.1 from the Cådiz. These grapes are from the Xéres region where sherry is produced. The grapes are grown in the south of Spain near the ocean and produce a delightful red wine.

Next, was a lovely cheese course, peaches with chamomile ice cream and then what they called a ‘Grand Cru’ Chocolate 67% served with olive oil ice cream and macadamias. This was paired with a Catalan red dessert wine made from 100% Garnatxa Vermella.

Even the espresso course was lovely with an assortment of beautiful sugars. What a night…what a meal! For more information check out their website at ww.cinsentits.com

So, that was the best meal, but there are many worthy of mention. PLA Restaurant is very popular with the locals and VERY good. I would definitely go back. It’s very hip, trendy and cozy with a warmer atmosphere than some of the other Barcelona restaurants.

The dinner at Gaig was very good with one of the best entrés of the entire trip— a pork, veal, and foie gras cannelloni with a black truffle cream sauce. We drank a Catalan red which was fine but nothing remarkable. We fell in love with their chocolate dessert course at Gaig. It arrives much like a cheese course with a cart full of various chocolate delicacies for you to select from. When our waiter found out we were from Texas and producing a food and wine website, he insisted we try them all and not only brought out a 20 year Tawny port but also a 20 year Pedro Xémenes sweet sherry. We slept good that night!

For lunch (and dinner), there are many, many places that serve tapas. A popular one is Bilboa a few blocks off La Rambla. It was good, fun and lively, but the incredible deal we discovered was at the Le Meridien hotel. For $15 Euros Cent Onze (the hotel restaurant) serves a three course lunch that includes a carafe of wine. It has to be the best deal in town. It was delicious, and the service was excellent.