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While even glass-half-full types are calling Spain’s economic forecast gray, the food climate in the Catalan capital couldn’t be sunnier. With packed tables, new venues such as Tickets and 41˚, and Spain’s hottest restaurant, Can Roca (recently voted #2 in the world) just a stone’s throw away in Girona, Barcelona’s restaurant scene provides an elixir guaranteed to cure the eurozone’s worst economic hangovers.

Interviewed recently on Spanish national television, legendary chef Ferran Adrià was asked by radio journalist Luis del Olmo, ¿Cómo se cocina la crisis? (How does one cook the crisis?) Adrià answered, “With innovation and taking risks.”

Thanks to Adrià, who both raised and redefined the bar, a small cadre of avant-garde chefs are enjoying a culinary renaissance these days in Barcelona. A juggernaut of food culture and gastronomy, the city represents the best of what’s happening food-wise – not only in Spain but also the world.

So while the faltering Spanish economy could be considered an impediment to culinary progress, local chefs prefer to view the recession as an opportunity. With this outlook, Spain marches forward as the culinary world’s lodestar. In the kitchen, chefs continue to push the boundaries of creativity, juxtaposing modernity with traditional cooking without ever losing focus of what’s most important: having fun!

Your average dyed-in-the-wool culé, of course, is not feasting on tasting menus but rather on traditional Spanish fare. And classics – standbys such as boquerones fritos at La Plata, tortilla de patatas, calamares and croquetas at Cal Pep, anchoas and cava at El Xampanyet, montaditos at Quimet & Quimet, and patatas bravas at Bar Tomás – fill Catalan tummies on any given night. Meanwhile, bright and booming modern tapas bars like Bar Cañete in El Raval and Paco Meralgo in the Eixample offer top value for money, at €25-30 for a meal.

A practical tip for eating in Barcelona is to throw out your conceptions of proper meal times and eat when the locals do; trust us, you’ll be glad you did. Breakfast is small, usually a café con leche with a pastry, such as a croissant, taken between 9 and 10 a.m. Many people return for a savory merienda (snack) between 11 a.m. and noon to tide themselves over until lunchtime. Eaten between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., lunch is the main meal of the day. During the week, most restaurants offer a three-course menú del día, with bread and a beverage included. Dinner is typically smaller than lunch and most restaurants do not open before 8:30 p.m. La Flauta, Cervecería Catalana and Les Quinze Nits, whose kitchens are open all day, are acceptable early-dinner options for families.

With so many alternatives, from high-quality gastronomy to recipes de toda la vida, what it really boils down to is that people eat out in Barcelona to enjoy themselves. While the city hasn’t escaped the gray cloud looming over the markets in Europe, the frenetic pace of activity in Barcelona’s dining rooms is proof positive that life here is not taking a backseat to the economy. ¡Salut!

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Hollis DuncanHollis Duncan

Published on July 24, 2012

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