We've been to Barcelona Tapas multiple times – by ourselves, with our children, and with friends. It's located in the downtown area, four blocks up from the north end of the Malecón, with panoramic views of Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta. However, we don't go to Barcelona Tapas for the views – we go for the food. The restaurant has dining areas on two levels; one must climb a steep winding flight of stairs to get to the first level, and an additional winding flight to get to the second level, where we like to dine.
The Barcelona Tapas menu is traditional Spanish tapas, meant to be shared; their website recommends ordering 2 or 3 per person. Our beverage of choice is red sangria; we always share a pitcher. Our waiter suggested we order a half pitcher; we told him differently.
We were served a tasty garlic egg salad amuse-bouche. We then made our first two tapas selections, the Spanish ham and the grilled calamari.
The Spanish ham was served with cheese and toasted bread, with fresh tomato and olive oil; it was very good.
The calamari was served with garlic, pesto sauce, olive oil and sweet bell pepper. The calamari was perfectly cooked and perfectly complimented.
We had planned to order two more rounds, two tapas per round, but wisely scaled back, finishing with garlic shrimp, sautéed spinach, and pork tenderloin. The spicy garlic shrimp was served with extra virgin olive oil and chili peppers in a clay dish. The shrimp were excellent, with lots of garlic.
The sautéed spinach was served with pear, raisins and pinenuts. It was our obligatory vegetable and it served this function perfectly.
The pork tenderloin was served with white beans "fabada" style. The pork was tender and delicious.
Our waiter, Luis, perfectly paced our five dishes; they didn't all arrive at our table at the same time. He lamented that Barcelona Tapas was not as busy as it once was, since many visitors to Puerto Vallarta were staying at the all-inclusive hotels, north of the city. But he was proud that the owner still insisted on quality ingredients; he did not cut back to increase profits.
The optimal way to dine at Barcelona Tapas is with a larger party, to sample more of the tapas on the extensive menu. But don't pass up tapas-for-two at this consistently fine restaurant. Copyright © 2013 TwoForTheTable.com |
