Pinotxo Bar - Barcelona, Spain

Mercado de la Boqueria, paradas 66 y 67
Barcelona, Spain
933.171.731

When you think of Mercado de la Boqueria you think of great products. When you think of Pinotxo Bar you think of great food. Great Product + Great Execution = Great Food. This is the kind of math that I don't mind doing.

Pinotxo Bar is always mentioned when people talk about places you must eat at while in Barcelona. Is it strictly because of the food or is it the always smiling and cheery owner Juanito Bayen?

Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas. Usually I am not a huge fan of these beans, but this flavorful preparation was very good. I can see why so many people end up ordering these chickpeas. I liked that they added some course salt to bump up the flavor and add a little texture.

Sausage with mixed greens
Nicely browned and greasy in a good way sausage. The sausage was perfectly cooked leaving the sausage juicy and full of flavor. The mixed green on the side was nice to cut the grease of the sausage and to add some veggies to this solo sausage dish.

Tripe
Whenever we see tripe on the menu, we usually end up ordering it. This tripe was stewed in a tomato and spiced broth that allowed the tripe to soften. The tripe was not tender and soft as I imagined it to be, but was still a good dish. 

Omelet
Sitting there at the bar, I noticed a basket of fresh eggs that had just been brought in by a local vendor from the Boqueria. The omelet was served with a piece of pan con tomate. The omelet was good but wasn't anything extraordinary. The pan con tomate was pretty standard, not one of the better ones I had on this trip.

Since it was still morning we opted to have a bit of coffee to end our meal and give us some energy to walk around the beautiful city of Barcelona.

As I wrote in the beginning of this blog post, Great Product + Great Execution = Great Food. In my opinion, this is how I would change the equation for Pinotxo Bar. Great Product + Great Execution = Good Food.  Pinotxo Bar gets a lot of love from foodies around the world but I wasn't wowed with any of the dishes that I had on my one visit. Don't get me wrong - the food was good, but not great. Based on this one visit, Pinotxo Bar in my opinion isn't a place that warrants all this attention.

Inopia - Barcelona, Spain

Closed.

How does a restaurant opened by Albert Adria, the brother of Ferran Adria of El Bulli end up closing its doors? How does a restaurant that is always busy and always has people waiting outside end up closing its doors?

Inopia was one of the few tapas bars that we were lucky enough to eat at while in Barcelona. Inopia is a little more lively, brightly lit, and high energy than most tapas bars. The restaurant is so lively that there is a doorman/bouncer guy that controls the velvet rope.

The Eixample "Bomb" (3.50E)
Eixample is a part of Barcelona. Not sure what the correlation between Eixample the part of Barcelona and the Eixample "bomb" was, but this was a larger version of a croquette. This bomb was stuffed with meat and encased in potato, then fried to a crispy golden brown and topped and bottomed with an almost ketchupy like sauce and an aioli/mayonnaise sauce.

Tomato, burrata, olive, and microgreens
This was one of the specials for the day. Super fresh burrata topped with tomato, microgreens, and some sort of olive, then drizzled with olive oil. This was a super simple yet extremely fresh dish in all aspects.

Iberico ham, cheese, and truffle
Guess how big this sandwich is by looking at the picture? Subway foot long? Not even close. This sandwich was about the size of sharpened pencil and slightly wider than an AA battery. I guess I should have expected that, considering there was iberico ham and truffle in this sandwich. I wished this sandwich was a subway foot long. This was delicious!!!

Homemade Iberian ham croquettes (1.90E)
This croquette came to us fried to a perfect golden brown and nuclear hot, just the way I like it. I couldn't really taste the flavors of the Iberian ham all that much, but still really enjoyed this croquette.

Mini Inopia Burger (3.80E)
Judging from this picture, guess how big this burger was? 1/4 pound? 1/2 pound? Nope... this burger was slightly larger than a French macaron. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare/rare. This was one delicious burger and wished it was a 1/2 pound burger.

Pineapple with lime zest and sugar cane liquor (4.20E)
Since it was so warm in Barcelona during our time there, we wanted something refreshing for dessert. What's more refreshing than fresh pineapple. The pineapple had freshly zest lime skin and was then drizzled with a sugarcane liquor. I loved this dessert!! The zest of the lime really added a freshness and citrus kick to the pineapple and the sugarcane liquor added a bit of sweetness and depth to this dish.

By the time we finished eating, which was really early by Barecelonian standards, there were still long lines outside of the restaurant. Not sure why Inopia ended up closing its doors but I am sad to hear that the restaurant is closed. Word on the street is that the brothers are looking to open a few new restaurants in the Barcelona.

Tres at SLS (Bazaar) - Los Angeles

465 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
http://www.slshotels.com/experience/tres
Chef Jose Andres

Tres: The #3 in Spanish or tres in the French word for "VERY."  

Tres is The Bazaar's version of brunch. On a Sunday afternoon we decided to head over to Tres for brunch. We wanted a place that was different from the normal ho-hum brunch but still serve some of the brunch elements. Would Tres fit what we were looking for?
 

Tres and the Bazaar are located in the ultra hip, too-cool-for-school SLS Hotel. Brunch is only served on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00A.M. to 3:00P.M. At the time, brunch cost us $38. This is a long overdue blog post from months back, and unfortunately for you, and fortunately for me, the price is now $42. Glad I got in there before they raised the prices.

The SLS hotel is designed by none other than Philippe Starck. Talk about eclectic and an interestingly designed space.  I felt like I was in a candy boutique.

When I think of brunch, I think of egg dishes, breads, fruits, smoked fish, mimosas, and bloody mary's, just to name a few. Tres has most of the basic brunch items covered, but with a twist. One of the things I didn't like was that egg dishes were supplements, meaning it would cost me more money on top of the brunch price. At $42 for a brunch, which isn't a exorbitantly high price nor is it a low price, I figured some egg dishes would be included. Come to think of it, they did have a form of egg that was included: surprisingly, it was caviar.

Coffee and Teas, fresh squeezed juices or aguas frescas (water infused w/ fresh juices)
What I did like about the brunch was that a nice selection of teas were available included in the brunch. They each came out in individual pots. Also appreciated the various fresh squeezed juices that were available for self service.

Caesar "Cardini" Salad - Baby romaine hearts, parmesan cheese.
Although a simple salad, I really enjoyed this version of a Caesar salad because of the grate yourself parmesan cheese, the freshness of the romaine hearts, and my favorite part - little pillow shaped croutons.

Crudite Cups - seasonal vegetables, romesco sauce
Nothing really out of the ordinary with these crudite cups and romesco sauce, but the display presentation was nice.

Gazpacho with traditional condiments
Wouldn't be a Jose Andres brunch without some Spanish influences. Here, a fairly standard version of gazpacho with diced bell peppers.

Charcuterie- A selection of salamis, chorizo, and prosciutto.

Cheeses- Four cheeses available on this particular day.

 Selection of Marmalades, Organic Butter and Cream Cheese

Caviar display - American Paddlefish caviar, salmon roe, steamed buns
Underneath the bamboo steamers in the picture were the steamed buns for use with the various types of caviar and creme fraiche. An upscale touch to this brunch.

SLS Carving Display - Chef's selection with accompaniments
Hangar steak with piquillo pepper. The hangar steak was nicely cooked to a medium rare, but lacked enough seasoning.

Smoked Salmon Display - Russ and Daughters Diamond Selection served with caper berries, minced red onions, quail eggs, chives, greek yogurt

Greek Yogurt Parfait - apricot, mixed berries or plain. Fresh fruit in cups with either kiwi and raspberries or watermelon and orange segments. Also pictured is sliced fresh fruits, watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe.

Chef's Selection of Assorted Pastries: croissant, muffins, pain au chocolat, danishes
One of the things I was most impressed about was the quality and selection of pastries and desserts.

Flan with orange segments - The desserts were one of my favorite aspects of the brunch at Tres and the flan was no exception.

Chocolate mouse with berries, madeleines, gelees, and various assortment of cookies. I think the dessert selection at this restaurant is enough to last me for a whole month...

There were some elements of the brunch that I felt were lacking. In my opinion, the brunch lacks the comforting items normally associated with brunch, such as the egg dishes and pancakes or french toast. I realize that these items can be ordered a la carte, but to spend $42 without these items is bit much personally.  The brunch had an interesting mix of various and quality foods, but were kind of all over the place.

We enjoyed the overall experience of the brunch at Tres, especially sitting amidst the whimsical design and ambiance of the restaurant. Everything that was served during the brunch was of high quality. The highlight of the brunch was the selection of desserts available and the quality with which they were made. Based on food alone, I'm not sure this brunch would warrant a return, but taken together with the whole experience, I believe it is definitely worth trying out.