Noche 2 en Barcelona: Restaurante Doncurado

Gelato Break!

I was quite tired after walking for about an hour to find Parc Poblenou after having already walked for several hours around the Sagrada Familia. I had been wanting to try some gelato before returning to the US because the flavors in Spain are much more diverse. 

I tried several different flavors before finally settling on Nectarine-Peach.  The flavor was incredible (a flavor I haven't seen in any ice cream parlor before) and the mouthfeel was creamy and rich. The man responsible for the gelato was a recent immigrant to Spain from Italy.

Helado de Nectarina y Melocotón (Nectarine-Peach Ice Cream)

I had this at 8 and felt recharged enough to continue on my search to find Parc Poblenou.  The map I was using wasn't particularly helpful because not all of the streets were shown.   

Cool chairs!

 The park was so pretty at night. These metallic balls were scattered throughout & turned on one by one while I was there.

I thought this sculpture with the agave plants was quite impressive!

Restaurant: Doncurado

This was a memorable restaurant experience. I was asking my waitress about the ingredients in my meal and mentioned I was doing a blog of the food I'm having in Spain. I ended up meeting the manager of the restaurant who was happy to find someone interested in Spanish cuisine and ended up paying for my dinner!

 Pan con Tomate (Pa amb tomàquet)

This is a Catalunya specialty.  Mediterranean flatbread called pan de coca gets toasted, rubbed with garlic and tomato, drizzled with olive oil, and finished with a sprinkle of salt. Quite delicious. It is sometimes topped with Jamón Iberico or anchovies.

 Pan de coca has a similar texture to a baguette but is made with lots of olive oil. 

Ensalada de Temporada Con Quesos Variados (Seasonal Salad with Various Cheeses)

The design on the salad plate is made with Crema de Vinagre Balsámico (reduced balsamic vinegar). The lettuce was dressed lightly with oil and vinegar and had a lovely blend of mixed greens, baby tomatoes, and thinly sliced white onions. My friends and I were talking about how it would be so fun to do a cheese tasting, and this salad provided me with that opportunity! 

Northern Spain is well known for its sheep's cheeses.

 (Left, Back) Manchego, a famous sheep's cheese from the Castilla La Mancha region. It was one of the stronger cheeses on the salad and one of my favorites.

I got to also try an aged Manchego because I was showing so much interest in the cheeses. The chef who made the salad loves cheese and was happy to meet someone who appreciated cheese as much as herself! She said that this aged Manchego was "como un beso" (like a kiss) when eaten with grapes. 

(Right, Back) A cured sheep's cheese (queso curado oveja) called "El Abuelo Calderero," from the nearby city of Salamanca (Castilla-Léon region).  It had a strong, musky flavor and slightly crumbly texture. I really liked this one.

The two cheeses in the front were both quite mild. The front right cheese didn't have a special name and I just know that it was creamy and a very mild sheep's cheese. The front left was a semi-cured sheep's cheese (queso semi-curado oveja) called "Finojosa" from Salamanca.  Since it was semi-cured it was a little stronger than its neighbor.

Jamón Iberico de Bellota

Jamón Iberico comes from black Iberian hogs that eat grain, while Jamón Iberico de Bellota comes from black Iberian hogs that roam freely and eat only acorns and wild plants.  These hogs live in special oak forests maintained just for them, and they eat about 20 lbs. of acorns (bellotas) a day in the fall during their bulking up stage. They live for about 2 years in their special environment before being slaughtered.

I tried a small plate of the Jamón Iberico de Bellota and was a little disappointed because it wasn't as tender as I thought it would be. I had just heard so many good things about it in my culture class.

Jamón Iberico is served at room temperature and you can eat it plain, on melon, or on bread.