Cafe BARcelona

It's the best time of the year, my fellow Indy foodies. It's Devour Downtown! This year my fellow foodie husband and I decided to go to Cafe BARcelona.

We have visited Spain and often reminisce about the culture, wine, and food of Spain. We loved how the house wine was a euro fifty per glass. The tapas were simple: tomatoes marinated in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper or manchego cheese drizzled in olive oil or cured ham in...you guessed it...olive oil. (I love me some olive oil. I think those ancient Roman woman had it right, nothing is sexier than rubbing yourself down in some olive oil...) A night out in Madrid was going out with friends, visiting a couple different bars and eating and drinking as you go and coming home when the subway started running again at 6:00am. It was not only a lot of fun, but also affordable. I am constantly pursuing a similar experience here in the United States, but without much luck. Alas, one can simply not find a restaurant that sells wine by the glass for $1.50. Or at least, this one can't.

So it was with great expectation that my husband and I visited Cafe BARcelona. The menu for Devour Downtown was as follows:

APPETIZER
Queso de Cabra sl Horno (Goat cheese in marinara sauce with garlic bread)

ENTRÉE(Choose One of Each Two Items)

Gambas al Alioli (Sauteed garlic shrimp)

or

Pincho de Solomillo (beef brochette)

Empanadas de Espinaca y Champinon (Spinach and mushroom empanadas)

or

Alas de Pollo (garlic chicken wings)

Brecol Rioja (Sauteed broccolini)

or

Trigueros con Romesco (grilled asparagus)

Each Entree Comes With: Paella Valencia

DESSERT: Cajeta Churros (Stuffed spanish pastries)

We chose the beef brochette, empanadas, and asparagus. Overall we really enjoyed the meal. Yes, the bread could have been crusty instead of soft, but that's really personal tastes. The beef was buttery and melted in our mouths, and the empanadas were flaky and delicious. My main complaint would be the paella. My best guess is that it is a frozen paella dish that is simply reheated. The rice was crunchy in some areas, meanwhile the sausage (labeled as chorizo) was almost tasteless and it looked like Jimmy Dean Slice 'N Serve dinner sausage. God help me, I didn't even try the seafood in it. Seafood and the microwave don't mix. Repeat after me, seafood and the microwave do not mix. When the waitress picked up our uneaten paella, she giggled and said 'it's a lot of food!' as if why we didn't eat it was because we were just so full. No doll, it was just about as favorful as my fabulous Michael Kor sling back pointy toe pumps and much less attractive. But I just smiled.

The atmosphere and decor was fun and lively. This is a good place to go if you want an upbeat talkative meal. Tapas are designed to be shared and this style of dining always encourages good conversation. It's what I call an Experience Meal. It isn't only about the food, it's about the overall experience. As an experience, it's fun and would be a fantastic Girls Night out because you can look super cute, drink sangria, and stumble home. This is not the place for a romantic dinner for two. It's too loud, bright and open.

I wish... they had a super inexpensive house wine. I also wish they had some cheap and simple tapas. These changes would give Cafe Barcelona a more authentic Spanish experience.

I give Cafe BARcelona 3 out of 5 stars. You must get the beef brochette and some Spanish wine. Skip the paella. Repeat after me, skip the paella.