Eat The Menu: Bravo, Barcelona

A bowl of paella veggie with some tapas and wine.
Photos courtesy of Barcelona Wine Bar

Breaking news: Spain invades Minneapolis!

Wait, wait: Don’t run for the air raid shelter. Trot, instead, to the North Loop to discover a former warehouse upcycled as a vibrant tapas restaurant named after the Spanish city which celebrates that superior form of dining. The newcomer to Minneapolis is part of a national chain that doesn’t act like a chain, designing individual atmospheres that reflect each city’s culture — here, an homage to our lumbering heritage via husky wooden beams, reclaimed wood and sculpted dividers. Vivid, wall-size artworks further warm the site. The rambling space separates a vibrant, partying crowd from the quieter kitchen-side tables.

Barcelona’s extensive menu and wine list are no corporation-wide cookie cutters, either; they’ve been curated to suit and pique our local tastes. More good news: The extensive, Mediterranean-based wine list offers affordable, mix-and-match 3 oz. pours to encourage experiments as well as BTG and bottle service.

A table full of a variety of tapas dishes.

Where to start? Let your spirit guide you through the small plates, ranging from $4.50 to $18.50. Or, better yet, begin with tidbits from the Charcuterie & Cheese listings ($8 Each). We eagerly inhaled Spain’s signature tapa: a saucer of marinated olives that disappeared all too quickly. Next, a plate of jamon serrano, that revered, prosciutto-like, air-dried, sweet-salty ham, sliced thin as Kleenex, which we paired with an order of Cana de Cabra, a mild and buttery goat’s milk cheese, to play against each other. An order of house-made focaccia, firm-textured and crusted with a lick of salt, plus a plate of translucent circlets of kicky, peppercorn-studded chorizo kept us from starvation’s grip as we assessed the food-friendly wine list.

On to those intriguing tapas, the stars of the kitchen. A height-of-the-season Catalan ratatouille celebrates veggies (minus the usual eggplant, however) topped with an egg (the chef’s caprice) and a sprinkle of migas (aka recycled bread). Rewarding, especially when partnered with an order of patatas bravas, maybe my favorite item at tapas time. Those cubed spuds swim in a velvety aioli, pungent with garlic. (Anyone care if I lick the dish?)

White wine by candle light and a small serving of three scallops.

Next, a plate of chilled green beans, to swish through a rich oregano-scented tomato sauce as a cool, straightforward entr’acte, followed by that Spanish show-stopper, gambas al ajillo. Plump, pink and bouncy-textured shrimp leaped off the grill scented (make that blissfully permeated) with garlic, along with pepper and scallions. Don’t miss these, or you’ll be sorry. Same goes for the saucer of jamon & manchego croquetas: perfect, quickly deep-fried little balls of sweet/salty ham and nutty cheese.

The kitchen does right by the tuna crudo, too, presented in petite, rosy squares. For beef lovers, there’s an offering of grilled filet — juicy, full of flavor — delivered in Triscuit-sized slabs, brightened by a zippy chermoula and grilled onions. And for the more adventurous, the pulpo (octopus) platter, starring robust, chewy, sweet-salty hunks, comes spangled with chimichurri and bits of potato — highly recommended. Add a saucer of sweet heirloom tomatoes in a sherry vinaigrette to accent both, or either, with their uncomplicated, straight-from-the-vine presentation.

Next time: the cold, omelet-like potato tortillas, the seared scallops with corn puree and Aleppo pepper, the mussels steamed in a saffron sofrito, the albondigas (spiced meatballs in a jamon-tomato sauce). Oh, and the pork belly (duh!).

Small cheese plate of chorizo picante.

Okay okay okay. We skirted the trio of salads and steered for the entrée-portioned plates ($22-36). The fish on the list — a whole branzino — revealed juicy, sweet and tender flesh beneath its skin, aided by a spunky salsa verde to spur its gentle flavor. Perfect. Or go for one of the kitchen’s paellas, although ours proved to be too thick on the rice base (which had skipped the top-of-the-stove browning process intended to crisp its base and edges). Good try, but short of the jackpot.

Room for dessert? The correct answer is always yes. The star, this evening, was the flan Catalan, a velvety, limpid and custardy bite of heaven. The Basque burnt cheesecake — less dense than you’ll find in a Manhattan deli — hit the spot, too, especially when anointed with a tart-sweet rhubarb sauce.

Barcelona, in true Spanish style, stays open late for those after-concert/theater patrons who know the night is still young (bless the kitchen) — just what the city needs.

Barcelona Wine Bar
508 N. Washington Ave.
(612) 446-0202
www.barcelonawinebar.com

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