If you happily greeted the New Year in Spain, you will certainly seek out a place to have a special dinner with friends to wish good fortune for the year ahead. A tapas place may be one of the best spots for that avenue, even if the occasion has to be around the feast of the Epiphany. Irene Palmer, in her piece for Eye on Spain, writes that tapas speaks at the very essence of Spanish cuisine.
This is not lost among food lovers in the Principality of Catalunya. The region’s western Mediterranean location and good climate makes it a prime place for various homegrown ingredients, many of which are incorporated into any local tapas dish. If you’re looking for a great place that offers the best tapas in Barcelona that has all those attributes and more, you can’t go wrong with a restaurant like Ziryab.
Pica-Pica
Tapas is normally served in whole servings with a high emphasis on sharing. A check of the menu will give you ideas on which food to mix and match. The restaurant will have a section of their best tapas dishes and offer you a special platter containing samples from each dish; a surprise menu may even tempt you, as long as you can inform them of any food allergies beforehand.
The New Year may even be something to help you embark on a healthier lifestyle. For instance, you can order special versions of the place’s special tapas or dishes that have no gluten on them. This is essential for people suffering from celiac disease.
Combinations
The best thing about tapas is that the ingredients are well-prepared and come together in certain permutations that test your palate. Some places take pride in so-called fusion tapas, which combine the best elements of one cuisine with another. In the case of Barcelona – a city with a vast background under Moorish rule – this brings Catalunya’s multi-lateral yet strong ingredients, with spices brought in from the Middle East.
Fewer things help people mark the entry of el Ano Nuevo better than a plate of good Barcelona tapas, some wine, and the fun and good cheer that come with them. Let a place such as Ziryab down at Carrer de Grunyi 4 warm you up for the adventure that 2015 will bring.
(Source: All About Tapas, Eye on Spain)
Thank you for your hospitality.