Las Ramblas

When I spent a couple of summers in Spain, I came to really appreciate the afternoon Tapas culture. People have big lunches, but dinner is well after 9 pm, so that leaves the odd happy hour window as a good chance to grab a snack as hold over till supper time. I liked going to the bars/cafes with the family in the early evening, and getting a beer and a snack (tortilla española.. mmmm)

So on that vibe, I am one of those people who is really happy with how trendy tapas bars are getting. Seriously, what is better than little sample sized shared plates with friends over some good Sangria.

Las Ramblas in The Village.  The place is cute and tiny. So small and intimate, in fact, that I have been in awe before of how they fit so many customers so comfortably in there. That's the thing about an intimate scale, you design lighting correctly and it feels like a restaurant is bustling with life rather than being packed like sardines. We had to wait about a half hour for a table for five, during which time we went next door to Tio Pepe and had some Mojitos. I am not a mojito fan, but these were okay, not too minty.

Once at Las Ramblas we ordered White Wine Sangria, which is sweet and mixed and peach and some type of berry. Very good. I don't drink red wine, so it's nice when places take the same care for their white wine sangria as for the traditional red wine. Then we ordered Tortilla Espanola, bocadillos de jamon y queson, croquetas de jamon, chorizo de pato, alcachofa rellena and some grilled lamb dish. For my money, they make the tortilla espanola to perfection. I could eat it all day. I liked their ham, and thought everything was fried it didn't feel greasy. I was bummed we didn't order morcilla, patatas bravas or albondigas. But some embers of our group complained that the plates were too small and that they were hungry and we made the decision to take off possibly grab pizza somewhere else to address the hunger.

And that's the thing about tapas. I don't know if I would recommend going if you are really hungry. These are not Olive Garden Sized portions. These are small plates that give you a sampling of a variety of different Spanish appetizers. I was a bit disappointed that some people in our group were not embracing the system. It's about having some drinks and having great food. Not getting stuffed on cheese sauce. This is not about a big sit down dinner, it's about the Tapas culture. And in many ways, Las Ramblas is one of the most "authentic" places I've seen in the US. It's small, understated, about grabbing some good food and drinks and going on the next place. No fusion, no fuss, no muss, just about the Tapas.

It's also a problem that since you are ordering some many small plates, the cost can get away from you all of the sudden. It's like sushi, you keep ordering a little here and there, and next thing you know, you have run up a huge tab. We kept it reasonable, tried a bit of everything and decided to go drinking and keep the night going somewhere else. Reasonable, and it the spirit of the place.

Before leaving though, we tried the Porron with muscatel. A Porron, which I had never seen before I went to this bar a few months ago, is something resembling a hipster beer bong. It's a decater, filled with spanish wine, and then each person tips the porron so that a stream of wine flows from the spout into your mouth. Once the stream and it's water pressure has been established  you try to hold the pron as far from your own mouth as possible by extending your arm out. Hilarity ensues when normal mortals tend to spill wine on themselves. Good times.

After Las Ramblas we walked around the Village looking for a place that wasn't bursting at the seams with NYU students before settling at The Belgian Bar, where there was plenty of room on the courtyard to sit and hang out. Good thing it was such an unusually warm February night.