In a restaurant world saturated with salumi platters, it’s satisfying to see this geographically exclusive collection all in one place. The menu begins with a collection of Spanish cheeses and cured meats that one would find in abundance in any of Barcelona’s boquerias available on their own ($6.50) or a selection of three ($17.50).
“An a la carte menu forces a guest to eat a certain way,” he says, but tapas represent “an array of dishes that help each other become a complete experience … (where guests can) build the experience that they’re after.”Īt Barcelona, Lee and the restaurant’s cooks assemble a menu (which is similar but not identical, location to location) that represents a broad swath of mix-and match offerings that one could combine with seemingly endless variety, and it’s tempting to go overboard. Some might say that tapas, small plates, as a concept has been done to death, but at a place like Barcelona I’m not tired of it, and Culinary Director Christopher Lee handily articulates why it remains so appealing.
While Garces’ offerings at Amada have long been his own interpretations of classic Spanish dishes, the menu at Barcelona Wine Bar is textbook tapas. The price point of tapas and half-glasses of wine keep it weeknight friendly, but there are also plenty of bottles worthy of a making it a special paella date destination. Meanwhile, more casual offerings like Bing Bing Dim Sum, Cantina Los Caballitos, Stateside, and Brigantessa all offer dressed-down, weeknight-friendly counterpoints.īarcelona Wine Bar sits squarely between the two occasions.
East Passyunk is among Philadelphia’s biggest restaurant destinations for Saturday night and special occasion dining: Laurel, Townsend, Will, Fond, Noord and Le Virtu all draw dressed-up diners. Part of the reason behind that immediate popularity might be the occasion one might dine there. The space is both elegant and rustic, filled with wood surfaces and industrial-chic lighting, but the marble surface of the bar and large framed photographs on the walls lend it sophistication, as do the twinkly lights that sway over the patio and the fleecy blankets draped over every outdoor chair.īarcelona is already a hit with the neighborhood, packed on weeknights. There are a few tables to accommodate even larger groups and, beyond that, a triangular outdoor patio hemmed in by dense containers of shrubbery. Beyond that, a vast, U-shaped bar stretches into the long space, framed by booths for groups of four and six on all three sides. At the back of the room an open kitchen glows, light reflecting off of white subway tiles. It launched in the triangular shaped lot formerly held by menswear boutique, A Man’s Image, and the restaurant’s designers have made excellent use of what could have otherwise been a very odd space. More: The Farmhouse is a welcome addition to South Jerseyīarcelona Wine Bar opened on East Passyunk Avenue in mid-July, the first in our region of a concept that first launched in 1996 in Norwalk, Connecticut, and now exists in 14 locations across seven states.
More: Walnut Street Cafe will turn your head, any time of day More: Oki Maki's sushi burritos are on a roll in Voorhees, Cherry Hill View Gallery: GALLERY: Barcelona WIne Bar in PhiladelphiaĪmada and Tinto have long been the places to go in Philadelphia to satisfy a craving for Spanish (and Basque) flavors and, for years, Jose Garces has held the monopoly on Spanish food.
0 kommentar(er)
