Author Archives: Kristin

Discovering Pintxos

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Tapas, tapas, tapas. That’s what was on our minds as we landed in Barcelona and ventured out into our first night of food frenzy in Spain. And, our first taste of Spanish cuisine was several varieties of tapas, including some now-favorites patatas bravas and fried baby squid. However, as we wandered the streets of the gothic neighborhood after our first round of tapas, looking for something to keep the night going, we stumbled across a pintxos bar.

Pintxos (or pinchos) are more popular in the basque region of Spain, but are also served in northern Spain (we had them in both Barcelona and Madrid, but did not run into a pintxos bar in Sevilla nor Granada). They are a type of tapas, but have a slice of bread on the bottom, and a toothpick through the entire thing.  The picture to the right shows a pintxo with sausage and a pepper on top.  At the pintxos bar we frequented in Barcelona, we were given plates and then we were able to fill them up with whichever pintxos we wished to try. Ordering the drinks was through the “bartenders,” but all of the food was chosen by us, at our pace. It was similar to the sushi bars with the conveyer belt – take what you want, and pay at the end based on the number of plates. However, unlike at a sushi bar, the pintxos were paid for based on the number of toothpicks you had on your plate. Also, each pintxo was worth the same amount – a couple of euros a piece. Continue reading →

Barcelona – Deciding to Relax

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Barcelona ended up being our relaxation city for this trip. On our first trip together, Cinque Terre and Nice were the (relatively) relaxing stops, and on our honeymoon, Mykonos and Santorini allowed us to wind down and reflect after the wedding. We planned to be go-go-go this trip, but for several reasons, Barcelona was the perfect place for a little break.

Our hotel. It was located far away from the points of interest (listed out by us prior to our trip). To give an idea, it took us about 20-25 minutes to get to the closest metro stop and about 40-45 minutes to get to the start of La Rambla and the Gothic neighborhood. While it was far from that part of town, the W Barcelona is located right on the beach and it has a pool. We made a conscious decision to stay here so that we would be close to the beach and have access to a pool.

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City Overview: Barcelona, Spain

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City.  Barcelona, Spain

When?  Thursday, September 6 – Sunday, September 9 (3 nights).  An extra day would have been nice since we spent so much of our time relaxing.  However, had we not done that, I think three days (actually two and a half) would have been plenty to see the sites we really wanted to visit.

Where?  We stayed at the W Barcelona, which was right on the beach, way out past the Barceloneta area.  The rooms were gorgeous, the staff was friendly, it was very luxurious and had several bars and restaurants.  Oh, and it has a pool and direct access to the beach, with a private section for hotel guests only.  We used our starpoints for the entire stay – 20k per night for a total of 60k.  For the room we stayed in, it probably would have been around 300 euros/night.  The real downside is the location, and then also cost if you don’t have starpoints to use for a free stay.  If we were to stay in a Starwood hotel the next time we go to Barcelona, we would probably try Le Méridien since it’s less starpoints per night and located right on La Rambla.  However, the Gothic neighborhood was really our favorite, so I would be more likely to find a hotel there. Continue reading →

Missing the Food in Lisbon (Part II)

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In addition to the delicious food that we were planning to try in Lisbon, there were many other foods that we were given the opportunity to order and I’m so glad we did.  It’s fair to say that we did not have a bad or even average meal in Lisbon.  I would even venture to say that all of the meals were closer to excellent (especially all three of our dinners).  We tried to order appetizers, main dishes, and desserts as often as possible in order to take full advantage of of our meals in Lisbon.  So, it’s understandable that we have several great dishes to share!

Appetizers.

We shared two appetizers that I keep dreaming about – grilled sardines and fried green beans.  We ordered grilled sardines on our second night in Lisbon.  If it’s not obvious yet, we both love seafood.  We saw a grilled sardine dish as a special of the night, but since we had already decided on our entrées, we asked if it could be an appetizer instead (it came with sides as an entrée).  I’m so glad we ordered this – five whole sardines, complete with bones, tails, and heads!  The aroma of the freshly grilled sardines hit us right away, and we could not try them quickly enough.  The crispy, salty skin and the fresh fish inside was perfect – there was nothing to distract us from the wonderful taste of the sardines.  We ate as much of each sardine as we could, starting with the head and going down to the middle of the tail.  After finishing, Ryan wished he had ordered it as his entrée, and I don’t blame him!

We were torn on which appetizer to order on our last night in Lisbon (at the Fado restaurant), but our waiter recommended the fried green beans, so we went with that.  Although a little disappointed that a seafood appetizer was not recommended to us, our anticipation grew as the plate of green beans was placed in front of us.  They were still hot and crispy.  They were surprisingly light, and not oily or greasy like most fried foods.  The green beans themselves retained their flavor and were not dried out at all.  Another excellent choice.  We noticed that every single table also ordered the green beans, so they must be a house specialty (try them if you go to Guarda-Mor!).  I wish we would have ordered a second helping!

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Missing the Food in Lisbon (Part I)

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Before leaving for our Portugal and Spain trip, Ryan and I did a little research on some food we wanted to try in Lisbon, and I wrote about it here.  Now that we’re back, we miss the delicious food we were able to eat for every meal.  We took full advantage of the proximity to the sea, and made sure to try everything I had researched beforehand.  Looking back at the pictures makes me envious of my Lisbon-visiting self, but I can’t wait to share the local delicacies that have made us add Lisbon to the “places to revisit” list!

First up is bacalhau, the nation dish of Portugal.  We made sure to try this several times, since they are reportedly 365 different ways to make it (we only tried four).  Bacalhau is my kind of fish – tender, salty, and full of flavor – and I loved it every single way we ordered it.  The traditional way, served with potatoes, was fantastic.  Both times we tried it this way it was covered in garlic and an oil and white wine vinegar mixture (that was not overpowering).  The combination of bacalhau with potatoes is perfect – the soft potatoes and the firm (but tender!) bacalhau made the dish interesting and delicious.  Also, both taste great cooked in oil and garlic. 

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