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Cook the Book: 'The Barcelona Cookbook'

20090706barcelona.jpgWhen The Barcelona Cookbook showed up on my desk, I initially thought it was a Spanish cookery book, or perhaps a cookbook of tapas recipes. As it turns out, The Barcelona Cookbook is both of these and more. It is a collection of recipes from Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurants, a group of six restaurants located throughout Connecticut. While the cuisine served at all of the Barcelona restaurants can loosely be called Spanish, the menu is peppered with international influences from the backgrounds of this restaurant group's two owners, Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer.

Mahr-Batuz is a former professional tennis champion and restaurateur, and Pforzheimer is a Harvard-educated chef whose varied resume includes cooking dinners for the Harvard Lampoon, working with the legendary Jerimiah Tower, and creating menus for the Hard Rock Cafe. Mahr-Batuz fell in love with Spanish cuisine while playing tennis in Spain. He wanted to recreate the easygoing, glass-of-wine-and-a-bite atmosphere of a Spanish tapas bar but in Connecticut. Pforzheimer was working as a restaurant consultant at the time, and when Mahr-Batuz approached him with the tapas concept he was immediately sold.

All of this happened in 1996, when tapas were considered pretty exotic. Initially people were a bit confused by the set up. Why were the plates so small? Where were the waiters? Pforzheimer and Mahr-Batuz resolved these issues by expanding their restaurant and offering table service and introducing more substantial hot tapas. Their clientele quickly became comfortable and well-versed in Spanish food and wine.

The menus of the Barcelona restaurants and the recipes in the cookbook are not stuck on being authentically Spanish; Italian, French, Argentine, and Mediterranean touches and techniques show up throughout.

Each day this week we will be highlighting a recipe from The Barcelona Cookbook—tapas standards such as patatas bravas and Fire-Roasted Peppers with Boquerones, Gazpacho Boracho, delicious desserts like Crepas Salguero filled with dulce de leche, as well as some inspired cocktails. So grab a glass of rioja or albarino and get ready for some Spanish tapas by way of Connecticut. Caroline Russock

Win 'The Barcelona Cookbook'

Thanks to the good folks at Andrews McMeel, we are giving away five (5) copies of The Barcelona Cookbook this week. All you have to do is tell us about your most memorable tapas experience in the comments section below.

Five (5) people will be chosen at random among the eligible comments below. We're sorry, but entry is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Comments will close Monday, July 13 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.

Comments are closed: 320 Comments:

The time I was sitting at the bar and some men came in and wanted to know if my date worked there and what time the dancers started. They thought they heard "topless" instead of "tapas."

Madrid wine bar...can't remember the name...terrific staff...terrific wine...terrific tapas.

Tapas and sangria, in Las Ramblas, quite appropriately, in Barcelona!

Sweetbreads at Jaleo!

A hole in the wall bar in the east of Madrid where we used to watch the Real games - spectacular manchego, grilled sardines, and copious amounts of whatever the bartender served with the $1 canas...

At Tapeo on Newbury St in Boston, finishing with drinking cava out of a poron while standing on the table, pouring it down my friends' throats.

Tapas in Edinburgh Scotland

My birthday dinner after moving to NYC: Sharing tortillas and pitchers of (red and white) Sangria with friends in a basement tapas joint.

I arrived on Madrid on my 22nd birthday and had friends take me on a tapas crawl. My first tastes of chorizo, serrano ham, and myriad other delicious Spanish foods.

I was in Jaen at an Improving University Teaching Conference. I was with a handful of attendees tapas hopping from one establishment to the next. It was a fantastically great way to experience local culture and food.

A birthday dinner a few years ago.

Most memorable would have to be the first time I ever tried it! Jaleo in Bethesda, MD, a few years back :-)

birthday celebration with a variety of plates and salsa dancing! owww!

Amazing little tapas place in Florence - when I studied abroad my roommate dated the Spaniard owner and they had the most amazing non-greasy or bitter marinated eggplant.

At a tapas bar in Las Ramblas... collected quite a stack of toothpicks by my plate.

My favourite restaurant while i was in school in Chicago was a tapas place, Cafe Iberico. Where else can starving undergrads find a delicious, vegetarian-friendly meal, complete with sangria, for under $10/person?

Of course the time my mom kept insisting she wanted to go to, as we heard it, a topless bar stands out, but my favorite memory is, years later, preparing tapas for hours on end with my mother for a party. They were a huge hit, and delightfully varied.

The pata negra ham appetizer- a 14 inch plate covered in slices of that divine stuff -- at L'Ami Louis in Paris.

Party with my friends in college. The tapas weren't authentic, but they were tasty.

Making tapas and paella for family after a trip to Spain.

This odd place in New Mexico, where I had (among other things) grilled shrimp in a sort of garlic fava bean sauce. I don't know why that one dish sticks in my head so much, but when I think "tapas," that's where my brain goes every time.

My most memorable tapas experience happened sometime back in the early 1990's when my best friend and I spent a weekend shopping in Chicago. Tapas were all the rage and thought we'd hit Cafe Ba-ba-reeba on the north side of Chicago on our way home--we live in the Milwaukee area, so it was practically on the way--not. This was in the days before google maps (although certainly not before actual maps, ha ha), and we had no idea where we were going, and never found the place, although we did end up passing the infamous Cabrini Green public housing development. So....no tapas, but definitely memorable!

On the last day of our three week tour of Spain, at a little neighborhood bar in Barcelona. We had just finished having dinner but when I passed by this place and saw what some patrons were having, we just had to find room for three wonderful tapas. Seven years later, I still haven't found better tapas.

Sardines with Sherry vinaigrette

My best tapas experience was at a little hole in the wall restaurant in the Buttes aux Cailles neighborhood in Paris. Tasty sangria with traditional tapas, delicious bread with olive oil and salt. Spectacular!

Actually my most MEMORABLE tapas memory was eating at the Thirsty Bear in San Francisco... it was horrible. well maybe not "horrible," but it was greatly unsatisfactory.

first time having patatas bravas (spelling?)... i fell in love!

Fried black pudding and prawn croquettes! Yum!

My parents giving me a horrified look when they thought I was taking them to a topless bar!

fried goat cheese with honey

The pintxos, bite-sized tapas popular in the bars of Northern Spain at Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba in Chicago. The mushroom and rice croqueta and the short rib-stuffed piquillo peppers are to die for...!

Realizing that it was basically Spanish dim sum... yay!

Taller de Tapas in the El Born district of Barcelona (even though it's a local chain). It was our first night and this meal was a perfect entry into Barcelona food when jet lagged and wide-eyed. The wait staff was courteous and they had both Spanish and English menus. Some of the highlights included:

> A few bottles of Rioja (of course)
> Choricitos a la sidra (chorizo cooked with some sort of cider)
> Patatas Bravas (potatoes with a spicy paprika sauce)
> Gamba al ajillo (prawns with chili sauce)

Delicious!

soft, flavorful marinated eggplant spread on rosemary flatbread...mmmm

In NYC. Some little place.

my most memorable tapas is at a little place in chicago..........yummy tapas and great sangria.

This is the easiest one yet!!! There's a delightful tapas place in Cambridge, MA called Dali...you step inside and it's as if you've been transported to Spain -- portly gentlemen with bushy mustaches dressed in colorful vests serve amazing Sangria in clay jugs, and bring out the most AMAZING tapas ever, including my personal favorite...pork sausage with fig sauce. The fig sauce is so divine that I've been known to order 3 plates all for myself. The sizzling garlic shrimp is also amazing...I love sopping up all the garlicky oil with the bread which is served. I've spent many a happy moment at that charming place, with many friends and loved ones.

The first time I ever ate tapas was at a local restaurant, appropriately named Ceviche. I've tried many others since, and it's still my favorite. The asparagus with aioli and the albondigas are the best.

i've only been once, but it was a wonderful experience with some of my best friends (including one from Spain, who made sure we ordered all the best dishes). i can't wait to go again.

The gothic district in Barcelona. It's touristy but we had a great time watching them preparing and putting out an increasingly complex array of plates.

A friend had a tapas party and each of the guests brought a dish - really neat idea - she furnished the libation.

After I graduated from college, a friend had a party at his family's farmhouse and we had tapas on the porch. Ah, what a day.

As a huge fan of the New Haven location, it's pretty difficult for me to decide on one night--there was the night I dragged a bunch of guy friends there after going to a cigar bar down the street and we feasted on tapas and bottles of wine, and then there was our bachelorette party that my friend and I hosted that featured a menu that all of my picky-eater-friends enjoyed (along with some pepper grinder jokes to boot), or another random night when said friend and my husband got dressed up and hung out there all night, eating tapas and watching the bartenders ply one particularly inebriated patron with bread loaves to somehow help them not be so inebriated...

On a warm night outside a cafe in Granada the night before I dropped out of the English language school I was going to there to spend the rest of my summer (and "school money") traveling all over Europe. Must have been something in those tapas!

Madrid in the pouring rain. My husband and I wandered into a neighborhood tapas bar to get out of the storm. We spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening chatting with the regulars and sampling all the glorious food and house wine.

Madrid, by far.

one night after work the entire staff of my restaurant went to the tapas place across the street to celebrate our chefs birthday. the patatas bravas dipped in spicy honey sauce were a favorite along with the clams in chorizo broth. The sangria was pretty amazing too... it was a fantastic night!

probably the first time i had it in barcelona on vacation as a young teenager...mmmmm =)

Tapas in barcelona! mmmm the memories

Both of my meals at Mercat a LaPlanxa in Chicago...! The more recent time, for my boyfriend's birthday, was insanely delicious. The evening peaked with a squid ink pasta, with baby squid and saffron aioli. I cook and eat a LOT, but that was one of the most unique and delicious bites I have ever had.

Uh oh, my mouth is starting to water!

as someone who hates olives and capers, and doesn't much like cured meats, tapas is always a rather miserable experience... except the wine. thank god for the wine.

A pitcher of sangria and my first sardines, celebrating my college graduation with my mother and aunt in London.

I had the opportunity to travel to Spain where my friend and I ate plates of these little sweet & hot peppers at two different tapas bars in the same night

I had great tapas in Santa Fe with DH and two of his grad school pals as part of the first trip DH and I ever took together. The sangria was fantastic. However, the service was slow, so the part of the evening after the third glass is nothing but a sangria-induced haze of yumminess.

In San Francisco a couple years ago, we experienced awesome tapas. The best part was my youngest sister, the pickiest eater in the world, loved everything.

Tintos Tapas in Los Angeles...the best, authentic tapas anywhere outside of Spain.

Years ago at Zarzuela in San Francisco. Great friends, great food, great times!

herbed goat cheese balls rolled in toasted cumin seeds, spice blends, pink peppercorns, etc..

Kangaroo and shark pintxos at Bar Garbola in San Sebastian... an Andrew Zimmern moment!

Tapa the World in Sacramento...great atmosphere, good sangria and a tower of plates by the end of the night.

A small street side cafe far from the crowds of downtown Barcelona --- early autumn sunset, still a bit warm. We shared a pitcher of exceptional sangria while working on a platter of crisp fried sardines and another of patatas bravas. Not a romantic menu but it sure set the stage for an evening of memories...

Mm...a graduation dinner at Barcelona in New Haven! Amazing, amazing shrimp. And the scallop dish - *drool*

It would have to be the chorizo at harvest vine in seattle. So good it might influence your serious eats login name.

a small seaside bar in Cadiz

My recent trip to Barcelona brought lots of tapas memories but my favorite was unintentionally ordering 18 pieces of fois gras appetizers for 6 people. Ooops. But we held strong and ate it all ... and then we turned into geese.

weirdly enough, my most memorable, though not necessarily best tapas experience was at a strange little hole in the wall restaurant in Echo Park, CA, attached to a liquor store. Its name was Restaurant Spain. A good friend and i had buckets and buckets of sangria, and enough chorizo and potato balls for a small army.

theres a place in downtown Chicago called Cafe Iberico. When we went there the bast thing i had was clams in white wine parsley sauce. It was sooo good i went through 3 loaves of the bread just to soak up ALL the juice and broth that was left over. i felt like i was going to EXPLODE from all the bread :D

during trip to barcelona.

So it wasn't Spain...but an amazing little restaurant in Lyon, France two years ago. I've had a love affair with mussels every since.

In Ithaca, NY on vacation with my boyfriend.

OK, less like tapas, and more like Happy Hour, but a good time had by my family at Woody's Bar on St. John USVI, cheap seafood, cheaper beer, people hanging out on the street when the bar gets too full. Awesome memories.

Cal Pep in Barcelona - yum!!

When I was 5 my family went out for tapas (I think it was someone's birthday) and there was flamenco music and dancing. I was terrified of the giant pig that was on the counter. I had abondigas and tortilla.

Tortilla - at home!

the very first time I had them, at my first professional conference, in Chicago. I felt so grown-up!

Eating tapas on an outdoor patio in athens on my honeymoon.

bacon-wrapped dates at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba in Chicago. But I hope to overshadow that experience when I visit Barcelona this fall!

A Spanish chef on an American vacation was a friend of a friend's and made us a great tapas dinner at home. Really made me want to roadtrip around Spain. One day!

perhaps not exactly tapas, but tapas-inspired: bacon-date pizza.

made my first tapas and gazpacho at 16 when my mom made us learn how to cook over summer vacation. thanks mom!

any tapas shared with my beloved husband and fellow foody!

no tapas experience but this book could quite possibly change all that. I do love all things Spanish.

I would love to try tapas, so I am hoping to win this cookbook. Thanks.

pulpo (octopus) a la Goya!

goat cheese with olive oil and some nice crusty bread
simple and perfect

Really loved Zarzuela in SF and Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba in Chicago. They'll do until I make it to Spain. :)

I had my first and only tapas experience in Boston last weekend. don't know how it compares, but there were some awesome chicken livers.

my best tapas experiences were in Vancouver at La Bodega

an amazing little place called Flats in Bellingham, WA

The most memorable would be my first, on a date with a metrosexual foodie who always made me feel so pedestrian. The relationship with him didn't last long, but Tapas and I remain good friends!

Thirsty Bear in San Francisco was the most memorable because of the food, the company and they make beer, too.

Went to San Sebastian a few months ago and rolled into town pretty late for dinner (even by Spanish standards). Ordered a bunch of things on the menu before closing time, knowing what most, but not all, of the items were. One of the items was called "lecheritas" and looked, um, glandular. Not being a big sweetbread fan, I just closed my eyes and ate it, reminding myself to just do as the locals do. Found out from our concierge the next day that "lecheritas" were salivary glands from a lamb. Wow, that was a first for me! But I can't say that I'll have that again.

La Gamba Dorada in Cordoba. We just had a table full of wonderful (mostly) fried seafood and tinto de verano. Yum!

I've only ever had tapas once, at a restaurant in north San Diego County, not memorable. I need this book to create my own memories!

Green Bay, WI does not have a lot of opportunities for tapas, so the most memorable tapas I have had was at a Spanish restaurant in Stuttgart, Germany.

Beyoglu in nyc - perfect girls night filled with authentic food, much wine and many laughs.

a delicious can of marinated mussels found in the cupboard

occasional parties at my house with wine, olives and more wine

I made a garlicky shrimp tapas dish once while my wife was sick. The smell in the house made her even worse.

My most memorable tapas experience was the second time I made that dish. She was well, we loved it, and then I got a stomach bug later that night. Aaaarrrggh. Memorable, but not in a good way.

For a good tapas memory, I'd say my first visit to Jaleo in DC

The first time I had tapas with my future wife.

Accidentally stumbling into la "Fiestas de la Paloma" in Madrid and hopping from bar to bar. Sangria, aceitunas, and criadillas. :)

Any one of the many delicious meals I had in Madrid, Zaragoza, or Barcelona.

My most amazing tapas experience was this weekend: Bar Ferdinand in Philadelphia. Fantastic, fantasic food (I especially liked the baked goat cheese with honey and pine nuts). But with any luck I'll be adding to that list when I head out to Barca for a few weeks on the 19th!

just last april I had tapas at la boqueria and had my first razor clams. the combination of the intense freshness and absurdly good olive oil blew my mind!

I don't remember the name of it, but it's on Sunrise Ave in Ft. Lauderdale. It was so fun to try little tasters and focus on the company instead of sitting down to chow down on a conversation stopping carb load.

I'm going to go ahead and say I've never had Tapas. I live in the middle of Michigan, and there aren't any Tapas restaurants in the area.

Still waiting to have a real one...

It was a place in Orlando on International Drive, and there was some type of chicken tapas that had us swooning. I could eat them every day for lunch and dinner and never tire of them.

I've never had an actual one.. they're (not surprisingly) a bit hard to get in Michigan

place in baltimore, can't remember the name, but it was (might still be there) across the street from the Club Charles. i remember eating a whole plate of garlicky mushrooms by myself.

Chocolate covered chorizo...Unbelievable.

Tia Pol in New York with my husband for our 3rd anniversary. A bottle of Rose, razor clams, cockles, shrimp heads and a Spanish blue cheese that I wish I remembered the name of. Best blue cheese ever.

Amazing Tortilla Espanola!

The most memorable tapas I've had were actually at a local wine bar, where they serve it in happy hour for half the price. It was great, and easily the best thing in that whole wine bar.

A place in Fresno, California called Flamenco Tapas of Spain -- the best sangria you'll ever have, but alas, they are no longer open!

inopia in barcelona - i dont even know where to start. there were so many things that were so simple, but so good. the thing that blew my mind was the pineapple. dont know how albert adria found the magic formula, but pineapple + lime zest + molasses = heaven. their skewered meats (chicken and lamb) were amazing, especially for the non-lamb eaters in our group. another amazing thing?? their beer. i've never heard of the brand of beer they serve exclusively there, but it was so dang good.

i'm getting really hungry now, so its time to stop. tapas are awesome.

At a sidewalk restaurant in Boston, we had seafood tapas. They were light and delicious on that spring day - and most memorable. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed long ago.

Just a Taste Tapas and wine in New York for my brothers birthday

La Merenda in Milwaukee - I knew we were onto something when my husband ordered the lollipop lamb chops...a second time.

Sangria, Beer, Mojitos, and being crowded into the tinest shop I've ever seen with at least another 50-75 people crowding the tinest counter I've ever seen trying to get the attendance attention in La Latina, Madrid.

In Barcelona, my sister and I found this awesome locals hot-spot place. You had to either stand to eat or wait an hour for a table. They served a variety of tapas (including the best tomatoes I have ever had, sausages, cheeses) and 1 euro glasses of cava. I think we tried 10 different things and 7 or 8 glasses, and it cost about $30! Delicious!

Pretty much everywhere we ate in Spain, but the best was this little dive bar in a tiny town where my great grandparents were born. Spanish-style empanada, grilled squid in garlicky olive oil, ajies de padron sprinkled with coarse salt, salt cod coquettes, ham, cheese, wine...

Some place in Austin, TX - had salmon ceviche for the first time and loved it. Tried to make it at home but it didn't come out that great.

Worst experience - 'Tapas' in rutland, vt which isn't a tapas restaurant but instead some american joint. Worst surprise ever.

I have never eaten as many anchovies! My wife and I did our own tapas thing - flatbread with piquillo peppers, anchovies and manchego, Jamon! quince paste and cheeses, tuna stuffed piquillo peppers, it seemed to go on and on...

Only authentic tapas I've ever had were at a now-defunct Spanish restaurant here locally in SW CT. Tasty but expensive. I need to go to Spain.

One of the best dates I ever went on- tapas and Sangria at a place in Baltimore. The food was amazing, especially the spicy mussles, and it made the perfect meal to linger over with my (now) husband

Pot-Luck Tapas dinner at a friend's house. Everyone was to bring one tapas and we had chinese tapas, spanish tapas, and american tapas, among others. It was delicious!

Tapas at Pipa NY for a promotion dinner with friends and coworkers. Drank too many pitchers of sangria and had the time of our life.

My fiance and I were in Barcelona two years ago. The first thing we did was walk the streets and stop into a local tapas bar. The food was amazing and the people were so friendly. We tried many things that we havent had before, sardines in a delicious light sauce, escargot, cheeses, breads, writing about it makes me want to go back! In houston TX we do not have any real authentic Tapas restaurants. I think its time for a trip back to Spain!

Tapas and wine

BARcelona in St. Louis - Delicious food and great Sangria specials. Had the most delicious beef tenderloin over spinach there. Mouthwatering!

when I made patatas bravas for a group of friends

Most memorable? Can't think of too many since they were always a prelude to late nights that were much more notable. Perhaps not tapas, but there's nothing like coming out of steaming hot Spanish club sweat dripping from your brow into the dark of early morning, and trudging to a little stand to have fresh fried churros and rich liquid chocolate. Yum.

At this place called Red Sky in Marietta, GA. Their corn/lobster dip was to die for!

tapas and sangria in the city with friends

Popping my head into La Fonda del Sol and deciding to try 3 tapas at the bar. The very memorable tuna tacos are raw done in a pumpking seed flour shell, the raw scallops are sweet and fresh and the octopus is tender and flavorful. I can't wait to go back.

I lived in Sevilla for a summer abroad - my most memorable tapas experince was off Plaza de Cuba, way in the bank twisted streets at a street party filled with locals at 4 am, and going into a little bar and getting the biggest piece of tortilla I'd ever had! I spoke to no one for 10 minutes and I can still smell the olive oil...

tapas party in spanish class back in ninth grade.

I would love a tapas experience. Can't recall having one! :/

I was in Germany on a study abroad. We asked my professor if he wanted to go to a 'tapas' bar for dinner. He thought we said 'topless' and responded, "I am married and have kids! No thank you!" We thought it was a strange response, so we went on to dinner. Only later did we figure out that he misheard us!

Went to a great little tapas party about 10 years ago in TX...got to chip in and help the hostess, brought my on dish, awesome fun.

my first tapas experience. Date with my boyfriend, cozy little hole in the wall, never ending pitcher of red sangria, absolutely amazing stuffed avocados and bacon wrapped dates.

My only tapas experience was the one I tried to throw with no real knowledge except the morning of internet research :p

It was fall in Barcelona and a local friend took us out to a crowded restaurant with supposedly the best Tapas in the city. We ordered a pork platter of sorts, which included just about everything. Even the pig ear, corkscrew center, hair and all. It was a bit chewy.

My first taste of piquillo peppers stuffed with bacalao in Madrid...the love affair began...

Mine was probably the first time I tried small plate dining at a place in Milwaukee called "Jolly's" it was a cajun/creole restaurant and had a tapas night on Thursday. The chef would make all kinds of awesome dishes and I loved hanging out with friends trying these creations and drinking some Milwaukee microbrews.

The first time I had Tapas was at a little restaurant in North Carolina, I had baked olives, shrimp in olive oil and patatas bravas. My friend and I sat on the patio and shared a pitcher of sangria. It was perfect.

Barcelona in South Norwalk when it used to be the burger place - although now i'm quite happy with their gambas ajillo and sangria!

One time locally, I dined at La Tasca (never since). It was a fair experience at best, but the one thing I did enjoy sharing orders of was their Manchego cheese. It had a bit of light olive oil drizzled over top of it and was quite good!

Half an avocado, filled with fresh hake fish, topped with a huge prawn and pink sauce. Sevilla - you know how to do it!

Calamarcitos a la plancha in an alley in Barcelona, wow...

This random place in Barcelona, with the meanest customers and wait staff, had the best patatas bravas I ever ate.

It was worth the taxi ride and getting lost just to have those hot, crispy, potatoes. The aioli was unbelievable.

I'm booking a trip right now....

I don't have one...:-(

Favorite was also the first - I was on my first big "away from the parents" trip, in DC for a social justice seminar. We ate at this tiny place in DuPont Circle. My parents aren't terribly adventurous eaters, and so this was my first attempt at most of the foods and flavors I encountered. Baked brie, calamari (in retrospect, probably a faux pas, since I was eating with a rabbi), and duck sausage!

Spanish restaurant at the beach in SoCal.
It was a welcome change from most beach food.

The first time a Tapas restaurant opened in Toledo!

On a jaunt to Cordoba, the highly recommended tapas bar in our guidebook was closed. Dismayed, we began to wander and ended up walking down a tiny, deserted streetway, coming upon an open door into an open courtyard tapas bar. We were the only patrons and they treated us like kings and queens as we drank vino tinto and had amazing tapas I had only dreamed of.

I don't think Green Zebra in Chicago counts as tapas, though it was a "small plates" restaurant. It was one of the best meals of my life!

Tapas in Salamanca...0.5 Euros each, and the best I had eaten throughout Spain.

My husband and I had our first date at a tapas restaurant...and visiting Barcelona several years ago, I had the best patatas bravas - would love to go back!

Mimi's in New Orleans. I took a freind for her birthday. It was a quiet night and the chef took care of us. wonderful evening.

There is a fantastic Tapas restaurant in Charlottesville, VA. So pretentious it doesn't even have a sign up outside (it does at least have a sign saying the single word 'bar' now, didn't even used to have that), yet good enough that it can get away with that. They do fantastic spanish style tapas, with wonderful local ingredients. Too many great evenings there to name just one :)

Solea in Waltham (outside Boston, MA). So, so good, and we keep going back!

That would have to be a month ago when we stopped in Barcelona on our honeymoon. Ate some great tapas and had a fabulous time in Barcelona.

In Barcelona - wonderful olives and potatoes in pink sauce.

A small restaurant near a lake with patio seating, good friends, good food and good wine.

I just came back from Barcelona. It is so about the tapas. Cal Pep, Bar Central in the back of the Boqueria, Cervesia Catalana, Quimet i Quimet. All, in my opinion, so much better than the 'better' restaurants.

Barcelona, I had just turned 22 and graduated college. I didn't really know what they were or what to get. I just remember eating and thinking they were absolutely delicious.

My first housewarming party, served everything tapas style...total hit.

No special experiences yet, but if I win the book I'll make some brave potatoes and together we will save the world!

Eating so many patatas bravas on Valentine's Day this year at Bar Ferdinand in Philadelphia that I was too full for dessert or going out for drinks after dinner. The combination of pimentón and potato is amazing.

we were just in petaluma and had a cheese tapas plate at a place called Grafiti's which was awesome.

nothing pops into mind... but making and serving tapas and drinks to friends and family alfresco is always a memory in the making.

I thought we were going to a topless bar, and then it was a tapas bar. and then I got drunk drinking mojitos with my israeli and pakistani friends listening to a cuban band.

Firefly Bistro in Las Vegas -- noisy but great tapas!

Potato - Ham - White Sangria on a warm evening in the back yard

My first European trip... our first city was Barcelona, second was Palma de Mallorca. While on Palma, we randomly wandered around for dinner on our last night... wandered right into a restaurant where the owner came out to sit and talk with us despite the full house. He wanted to practice his English and, as he said, "sit with a table full of beautiful ladies" haha. He talked to us about each tapas dish, each of which was made with love and wonderful, delicious, and unique to a region that he then told us a bit about... it was a lovely meal and I believe the end tally, for 5 girls and lots of wine & tapas, came to less than 10-15 Euros each. It was amazing and I still think of that night fondly.

My first experience was a tapas restaurant in San Francisco for a friend's birthday. Because we were such a big group, we ordered everything on the menu - giving me a great introduction to the cuisine!

We went out for tapas for a special occasion and for the first time ever, I had patatas bravas with a fried egg on top. It was scrumptious and I'll always make my PBs this way.

Though I haven't been to Spain, my first trip to Cobras & Matadors in LA with BYOW, in a cozy back booth by candlelight, is quite memorable.

Hands down. The 20 or so I had a Jose Andres Bazaar in LA.

The only tapas place I've been is in Ottawa, a place owned by a couple that end up arguing on a pretty regular basis. I'm looking forward to getting to try the real deal in September, though, when I go to Barcelona!

At Rioja in Houston: Garlic soup with a poached egg, sauteed sardines and sushi grade tuna, rare with piquillo cream sauce. Hooked on tapas ever since!

in madrid on sept 11, 2001. we went to a tapas bar called lateral, on calle velazquez i believe (or serrano i forget which) and everyone was so incredibly nice to us bewildered american students that still didn't know fully what had happened except for the spanish news. the host and waitress were so kind to us, checking to see if we were holding up ok, and we got the meal on the house. it ended up incidentally being my favorite tapas place for the two years that i lived there, but that night was really special because of the kindness of strangers.

It was in Manhattan, just recently. Memorable for the wrong reasons. The old story of not very good and not enough of it. A place never to be returned to. They need to go to Barcelona to learn about Tapas.

bgcchs@yahoo.com

Madrid,
The first place on the first night, the Ham left you feeling like you had never tried it before.

Casa Mono in NYC is pretty awesome.

Grilled Sardines - olive oil with sprigs of fresh thyme and lemon slice in the cavity...Bet ya can't eat just one!

serving them at a party mverno@roadrunner.com

My friend had her niece living with her. Her niece's Spanish class went out to dinner to the Spanish Restaurant in town, and my friend and I went also. We had tapas to start off the meal with - they were wonderful!


Thanks for the giveaway!

Fonda in El Cerrito, CA. I remember it mostly because I go there every chance I get.

It would have to be the first time I ever heard of tapas, and tried the patatas bravas at Cafe BabbaReeba in Chicago...mid to late 80s maybe?

My first taste of pimiento de padron. I have been hooked ever since.

cobras and matadors in LA...yum!

My friends have a tapas party every year - my best friend and her (then) bf did toothpicks stacked with figs and sausage in a red wine sauce to win best tapas dish of the night.

A warm spring night in NYC, good friends, lively music, and fantastic tapas!

my first experience was in mexico city mexico

Dying to have a real one!

a nice little spot in barcelona with some delicious sea food

Tapas hopping this past April in Seville for the opening of Feria. We were taken by local Sevillianas to the best tapas place for octopus, then on to the best place for Gallician wine, then the best jamon and so on....Ate very well adn then returned home to make white gazpacho and crave jamon serrano!

This happened quite a few years ago--before tapas became so widely known and popular. My wife and I had exhausted the most commonly known tapas bars in the city. I called the concierge at a four star hotel in town and asked for his recommendations. He hesitated a bit and mentioned a well know gentleman's club in town, thinks I had asked about a 'topless bar'!

; )

When my mom bought me a Tapas cookbook when she went to Madrid. We spent an entire day just buying ingredients and making tapas and we proceeded to have Tapas for the next two days for every meal. There was even recipes for multicultural tapas including German Tapas- Olives and "Pickeled" Potatos, Chinese- Cured 5 spice Pork on softbread, Italian- Basil Tomatoes and Aged thin slices of Parm, it was awesome. : P***

tapas with penelope cruz, oh sorry, that was a dream

So many tapas memories, my mother is from Barcelona and I have been lucky enough to visit 7 times in my life, each time for about a month. What sticks out most is our friend Jauma. My husband and I were there together for the first time on our honeymoon. Jauma decided to take us to this little place, bustling in the city but near the water. We couldn't speak to eachother very well, but he took over and ordered a plate of these little green peppers (2 to 3 inches long) that were fried and lightly salted. MMMM! We ordered 2 more plates, we liked them so much! I wish I could find those peppers here, I'd try to recreate them!

The first time I had tapas there was to many to remember, but I do remember the experience! So many flavors! So many foods and wines to try. That is the best way to eat!

so many great memories of delicious tapas in Madrid...loved the La Latina area..first time I had baby eels...yum

Delicious tapas in of all places...Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Barcelona is on my short list of places I want to visit.

I was 19 when I first visited Europe. After landing in Paris where my luggage did not arrive, hotel did not honored my reservation, not being able to speak French, I decided to go to Spain where I would be listening the motherland tongue, Spanish. Took the train from Paris to San Sebastian where I found myself lost listening to a Language I did not recognized (Basque), continued with my trip and finally arrived in Barcelona where I thought I would have not a problem with the language....wrong again, people spoke Catalan and I felt that if I use Spanish I would be lynched. Hungry and not wanting to cause a conmotion I entered a Tapas Bar where I ordered what I thought was the main course "Gambas al Ajillo". When the waiter brought me my order I told him that I had ordered the adult portion to which he answered "what was I expecting ...the dish was a Tapa. That was my introduction to the concept of Tapas...and I am in love with it.

My most memorable tapas experience was at Si Tapas in Dallas. Very delicious food and a friendly waitress making great recommendations!

my husband and i honeymooned in barcelona. it was his first time in europe, and my first time in spain. we walked into a place called xtapela on passeig gracia fully expecting it to be to like any of the tapas places we'd been to in nyc - tiny, overpriced portions of sad potatoes and sad shrimp. with our first taste of pan con tomate, we were proven WRONG! each bite was bursting with flavor - good bread, olive oil that tasted like olives (how novel!), tomatoes that were warm, juicy and sweet... we spent our first afternoon as a married couple drinking rioja and eating everything we could set our greedy little paws on. each dish was more delicious than the last, and 4 years later, we have yet to find a spot locally that competes with the simple deliciousness of anything we tried there.
i'd like to say that my most memorable moment of our time in barcelona was visiting parc guell or watching flamenco in a seedy basement, but honestly, the food is what i remember, and enjoyed, most.

My most memorable experience was my first one, at Jaleo in DC. We were there for a bachelorette party, and I remember sangria was involved, and it ended with the bride spanking some guy we didn't know with his belt!

Oh, the food was good too...

Madrid
no place has better tapas!

I love tapas, more than just eating an entree. It's fun and deliciuos, can't think of my favorite experience.

My boyfriend and I had the best mussels in a tapas bar in Boston, and I wish I could remember the place!

sun dried tomato goat cheese on a toasted piece of asiago cracked pepper bread .. mmmmmmmmmmm

I know what tapas are, but I have never had the opportunity to try them (I am not really a country bumkin, I just never lived where the only Latin meals were Mexican)

In Hong Kong... truly! I was visiting US expats for two weeks, and they were so excited to try a new cuisine, they missed the variety found in NYC. We went to a newly opened tapas bar, it was sleek, chic and the menu sounded wonderful. But the food... was something along the lines of if you had described tapas to someone who had never actually seen them before and just executed the idea in their native ingredients. Not quite Spanish, not quite Asian, quite weird! Not horrible but def. not tapas in the traditional sense. It was so memorable, and we had such a good laugh drinking "sangria" and marveling on how easy it was to get what would seem like fundamentals wrong anyplace else. I had some great Chinese, Laotian and Vietnamese meals in Hong Kong but this one stuck out as unforgettable, and I am smiling as I type.

In fact, I'm going to email those right now to remind them!

My only experience has been at a tapas restaurant in Ca. Not as exciting as Barcelona, but someday...

buying goodies from Fairway and eating the spread at home

3 days in san sebastian..it really was like a kid in a candy store. we ate dozens of croquettas, anchovies, octopus, seranos, ibericos, fois with lingenberry jam, and the list goes on. there's a tapas bar every ten feet, and everyone welcomes you with a smile and glass of txakoli. the best day was the one with a sardine festival in the town square!

I was in a Barcelona wine bar with standing tables only. The people at the next table were eating something that looked like goat heads (I know - gross). My knees started to go weak and I had to go outside and sit on the curb to keep from passing out. I'd love to have a better tapas experience. Maybe I can make some from the book.

A friend of mine had a tapas party - incredible!! In my travel wishes there are more tapas experiences.

Making it for my family on birthday last year :)

at some small hole in the wall eating juicy & crisp calamares a la romana (fried calamari) w/ a fresh squeeze of lemon. i can see why it had a long line.

At a restaurant actually named "Tapas" in Denville, NJ. I just loved the food there, but I hear they are no longer there!

amada in philadelphia's olde city http://www.amadarestaurant.com/ is wonderful, jose gares is a restaurant genius!

A small cafe in Carlton,OR. has a killer chef.

Tapas at Mezze in Baltimore are pretty good. Great atmosphere and an upbeat energy throughout the place.

We were going out for tapas with our then very young kids and I overheard my son (about 4) asking his older sister (7 years old) if we were really eating at a topless restaurant and did men have to take off their shirts?!!

My first time at Jaleo in DC turned me tapas crazy. The zing of the sherry vinager in the gazpacho made my mouth pucker and the cod fitters just melted into my mouth. Spain is the next European country on my travel list!

potatas bravas at jaleo - fab

First experience with Spanish chorizo in NYC

I have to make my tapas--I live in a city 10 years behind the times. Sigh. But I love working with fresh mussels and clams as stated in the review. Thanks for giving the books away!

Sipping wine with my dad, just talking about life, over a few plates of chistorras, croquetas de bacalao, mejillones and gambas al ajillo w/ crusty bread.

What the heck are Tapas? I guess I have never had them.

The only place I've ever had tapas is at Flamenco Tapas in Fresno CA. Very good!!!

We were in San Sebastian and had some of the best food ever. It's a good thing I love the pig!

I have only eaten tapas once then the place closed. Oh well....maybe with this book I can make my own : )

In Barcelona of course! Stuffed Sea Scallops in the shell equals awesome!

the first time i ever ate at a tapas restaurant i got sick and had to be persuaded to give it a second try!

My first time having tapas was in Sevilla with my best friend and I was shocked at how small the beers were!

I got hired for my last job over tapas in Berkeley. Double-yum.

My most memorable tapas experience was the chef's tasting at Amada in Philadelphia.

The tapas I made for New Years Eve and a couple bottles of Tempranillo.

Was the one I ate and drank so much I don't remember the last half of it.

The first time I ever heard of tapas, at a friends' backyard happy hour. Not authentic Spanish tapas but an introduction to the concept, at least.

I live in the middle of the woods. I have, sadly, never had a" tapas moment". Obviously, need the book.

I'm really sad that I have never had tapas! It sounds like a culinary experience, I need to get on that!

One of my most memorable tapas moments actually involved clams. My husband and I were on our honeymoon and we came across a random little seafood place on a narrow street in Malaga. It had the most delicious seafood, but what really stood out was their tiny little clams, in a garlicky herb sauce, served in a hot little metal pan. We mopped up all the sauce with bread and came back the next day for lunch! Their Gambas Pil-Pil (hot shrimp in a spicy sauce) were equally scrumptious.

Also, can not forget the patatas bravas at Bar Tomas in Saria - a northern suburb of Barcelona. It is a whole in the wall bar and one the best kept secrets in Barcelona. Those bravas can not be replicated.

I have nothing memorable that deals with Tapas........

Every time my husband and I make a meal out of them!

Sadly, I have never experienced Tapas, but definitely intend to. Thank you!

I have an "adventurous eater" cousin, who has introduced me to all kinds of foods. Always a good time!

I have never had Tapas either! We did just get a place in town that has Tapas, and when I mentioned it to my co-worker he thought I said that I wanted to to to the new "topless" place downtown.

Well, it was more a memorable tapas experience - my friend and I ate our way across Barcelona, always stopping at the various jamon establishments (Palacio del Jamon!) I've never eaten more pork in my life, but boy was it worth it.

My husband and I went to a small restaurant in Boston....Taberna de Haro. We tried all the different Spanish restaurants and thought that this one was the most authentic.

The first time I ever had tapas was at Pinxtos, which is Basque...attempting to pronounce all the dishes was memorable for me (or at least, our waiter, who found it pretty funny).

I flew my girlfriend to Barcelona for a romantic trip during a long-running long-distance part of our relationship. We traveled all around the city sampling tapas everywhere we went. She dumped me two months later. FML (wait, wrong site...)

When we were in Barcelona, we quickly realized anything made out of aubergines (eggplant) was the best thing on the menu.

I have never had tapas, but willing to try.

BBQ mini ribs, they were so juicy!

My first tapas were at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Chicago. Loved then then - love them now.

I was in Spain in the late 80's and tapas were something that was served only in little non-tourist bars then. I don't think we chose an especially good local bar because most of the tapas weren't memorable - except the olives and cheeses. Heaven!

I had tapas for the first time at a place called Ibiza in Pittsburgh. It was actually Portuguese style food. I ordered (and shared) a delicious garlic shrimp, a sausage and cheese plate, and some vegetable skewers. My friend ordered two different lamb dishes. We consumed a decent amount of wine and topped it off with an almond liquor for desert.

I was in the 5th grade in Bolnuevo, Spain and we went to a restaurant called "Virgin Del Mar" right off the boardwalk and they had devine tapas- baby octopuses, small whole fish (sardines?)in various sauces and oils, the egg "tortillas," the rock salt shrimp, jamon right off the leg, yum. amazing and i can't get this in NYC! i will go back in the next year to eat my face off. yum!

pinxtos in Barcelona!

I love Madrid and so, know this is sacrilege, but I remember the tapas at Jaleo (and the warm Basque semolina cake -- one of the greatest DC desserts) best.

My most memorable tapas experience would be at AOC Winebar in Los Angeles. It was the first place I experienced dates stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon.

There is a tiny little tapas place in Harrisburg, PA with live music above an Italian restaurant, Suba. The drinks were fantastic, the music was rockin', the atmosphere was comy, and the food was amazing - Manchengo cheese, olives, fried artichoke, grilled bread with tomatoes and garlic, piquillo stuffed pepper. But the standout was the Tacos. El Ranchero - slow cooked beef with horseradish and chive sauce. After finishing one serving, we ordered another. They were that. damn. good.

A Tapas bar recently opened here in ATL - called Noche. The menu is an eclectic mix of small plates - and there is a seemingly endless tequila menu as well.

The place was absolutely hopping and BF and I were hungry so we took two seats at the bar. We ordered some drinks and a few of the tapas. I am a fan of ...let's say "food considered delicacies" so I ordered the beef tongue taco as one of my selections. Three times the food runner came to us with grilled beef steak instead of the tongue. Each time, they let us keep the grilled beef (which was fantastic). I finally asked the waitress "if the restaurant doesn't want to serve beef tongue, why is it on the menu?" I burst into laughter, as, by this time I had a couple of margaritas. Eventually, the beef tongue taco DID emerge from the kitchen and with all the extra orders of grilled steak, we left the place stuffed, to say the least. The good news - it must have been awfully good tequila - no hangover.

I had been camped out in the Sierra's for a month and a half. I met my girlfriend at Il Luna Basque in San Francisco and it was my first meal out. We drank lots of wine and shared many small plates. It was pretty much perfect!

At IM Tapas in Naples, Florida, Isabelle and Mary's menu included raw oysters en gelee, stuffed squash blossoms, bacalao croquetas, and a lovely fish that I can't remember the name of because of all that cava.

Mmmm. I'm remembering these little potato croquettes. I don't remember what they were called, but I totally remember the taste.

The Tapa Bar in Victoria, BC - great friends, great food, great drinks!

Tapas and Rioja at Esteban in Monterey. Chef Tomas is fantastic!

Went to Mercat a la Planxa for my girlfriend's birthday. Great food (my favorite: the rabbit agnolotti), and a great experience, but we were trapped next to this horrible whiny couple--both in the lounge area, and after we were seated they ended up at the table next to us.

Never had the pleasure but would love to try them.

I can tell you about my very first tapas experience - it was at a TuTu Tango, a restaurant at Universal City Walk in LA, which had art for sale on the walls and really cool placemats for kids (which my husband would often charm a waitress into letting him have, too). Sadly, it's no longer there.

Barcelona in CT, the beef, the wines !!!!

Only had tapas in one restaurant in my life, in a suburb of Chicago. Went there maybe two or three times before we moved, and it was divine. And so much fun. That was 12 years ago, and I don't recall particular dishes, but it was all good.

By myself, drunk and hungry in San Sebastian.

My first solo trip in Europe was 2 weeks in Madrid. The first night, I went to a place famous for its patatas bravas. As a single blonde woman, it was quite the experience: although I'd never pass as a native, I do speak Spanish well enough to understand passing comments!

San Chez in Grand Rapids was awesome

The first time I ever had a tapas meal, we were in a little bar visiting Asheville, NC. Suddenly a woman at the bar fell backward--stool and all--almost hitting our table, and spilling the entire contents of her sizeable purse! She needed more tapas, fewer drinks--anyway, it was so long ago I've forgotten what our little plates were, only that we ordered about thirty and spent so much!

Sorry, I'm a tapas virgin.

I've never had them - my husband goes out to tapas with friends every time I leave town, drives me bonkers! We keep planning on going to a place thats just 20 minutes away but we keep procrastinating.

My most memorable tapas experience was in Barcelona, itself. It was my first visit to Spain while studying abroad in the south of France and my first time to have tapas. Tucked away into the back of a restaurant lit mostly by candlelight with cozy brick-lined walls and seating reminiscent of picnic tables with long benches at long wooden tables, we munched on tortilla espanola and sipped some Rioja while listening to a spanish guitar player in the corner. The food was wonderful, the wine was incredible, and the cozy, relaxed atmosphere just topped it all off.

Arrived at my Spanish host family's house for an exchange program, after a long nap I come downtairs to plates of pan con tomate and jamon, couldn't have been more perfect for the jet lagged stomach!

Finnish "tapas" in Duluth, Minn! http://www.kippis.us

Celebrating a friend's birthday in Gallery Place in DC.

Ooooh a mixed plate of olives--some black, some green, stuffed with garlic cloves or nothing at all. It was delicious.

...wonderful tapas and wine with my wife on a cold fall day at a quaint little tapas place in Powell, Ohio...

I had some incredible tapas at Thirsty Bear in San Francisco when we had a sales kickoff meeting for my former company. The patatas bravas were incredible, as were the asparagus wrapped in serrano ham!

Sevilla, Fall 1997 during program abroad!

Plates of queso manchego and beer most nights during my Spring in Seville.

Patatas Bravas in San Francisco's Picaro. Delicious!!!

I got back from my first trip to Spain five days ago! My friend and I ate our way across Madrid and Barcelona - Jamon, manchego, croquetas, gazpacho, dios mio! - but my favorite tapas experience by far was on our last day in Barcelona, in the Boqueria. We somehow managed to get five seats at the bustling Pinotxo stall in the market, and we were even luckier to be served by a man who clearly knows his tapas and seemed happy as a clam to shove plates of food in front of our eager and hungry faces. We started with a plate of garbanzo beans and what must have been anchovy paste, and moved on to pulpitas with white beans, spinach croquetas and carne, and ended with the two most delicious pastries I've ever tasted in my life. We washed it all down with cava, cafe con leche, and laughter courtesy of our Pinotxo barista. If I'm lucky enough to get back to Barcelona, this will be my first stop. I'll come hungry.

Not strictly tapas, since it's Italian, but my prefered ways to eat at my favorite local Italian restaurant is to order a number smaller plates, things like a small bowl of perfectly cooked creamy white beans with rosemary and garlic, topped with two or three large shrimp tails and good olive oil.

My most memorable tapas experience was when I said I would make 24 tapas in one evening, by myself. Not all of them were traditional tapas but there were a lot of tapas inspired tapas flying around.

See for yourself:

http://ericriveracooks.com/2009/04/26/24-24-24-24-tapas/

Eric

Some anchovy thing. Sorry, can't remember!

It would either have to be the time I had lentejas trufadas (with a gorgeous poached egg on top) at Boqueria, or the first time the guy I was dating made me the most perfect patatas bravas. Both moments have made me into a tapas fiend.

Going to a tapas bar in Barcelona with my dad and getting to drink a beer with him for the first time, it was such a fun grown up feeling. I remember eating tons of grilled octopus (like 3 plates of them)

I really don't have any either :(

kngmckellar@hotmail.com

JeansandTs@hotmail.com
I have never ever had one. I love to cook and would love to give this book a good going over.

I wandered into a laundromat in Figures, Spain with a backpack full of dirty clothes, noticed a small bar in back and proceeded to do laundry, drink wine and eat snacks with a few locals at noon on a weekday many years ago.

A delicious night out with tapas and drinks for my graduation party!

Maria and I went to this wondeful tapas restaurant in Chicago!

Goat cheese wrapped in walnuts and panfried.

My only authentic tapas experience in Spain was in high school - my h.s. Spanish class went to Andalucia region for a week. All the restaurants and foodstuff was arranged by our teachers, so I can't comment on what exactly we ate and where we ate it...but my oh my was it delicious! I had never had food like that before the trip.

I honestly have never had a tapa experience, but i would love to!

Sadly, my best tapas experience was from the view of my couch into the TV and the Travel Channel. Seems like it was Samantha Brown tasting the fares in Spain. Since then, I have so wanted to do the same. Some day...

I've never really been to a tapas restaurant, but I'd still love to learn more!

I do not have a favorite Tapas experience... yet.

I've never had a tapas experience but I'd like to!

While on vacation eating these fabulous chorizo tapas.

With my sister at a restraunt in a neighboring suburb. The waiter was wearing a wedding ring, overweight, bald, and missing teeth, but insisted on flirting relentlessly with us anyway. He actually said "I love to tapas". It was totally inappropriate but hysterical.

I found this wonderful tapas restaurant when I visited San francisco. garrettsambo@aol.com

My most memorable tapas experience was at Lucques in West Los Angeles, California.

I'm feeling out of sorts... What exactly is tapas?

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