Tamar L.
Yelp
Strolling around downtown Santa Cruz one cold winter night after dinner, we spyed a hot pink neon sign which stopped us in our tracks.
"Hot Churros."
Could literally anything have sounded more appealing at that moment? No. No way. Luckily we saved room for dessert
This alluring sign was in the window of Barcaloneta, a restaurant I'd been wanting to try, but never seen open before. That night, the restaurant was lit with a warm glow and appeared to be bustling with people.
We ducked inside. The interior was stylish and hip, with clean white decor, colorful Latin accents, a casual beachy Ibiza meets Santa Cruz vibe. We were warmly attended to by a sweet, friendly waitress. We ordered up a plate of churros and hot mint teas to go with it.
The churros were even more mouthwateringly good than we anticipated -- hot, fresh, crunchy and not too sweet, paired with Tcho hot chocolate dipping sauce, which was rich with cacao flavor and also restrained in sweetness. It was like a dream, something unexpected and wonderful that happened one night and you wonder was it even real?
We knew we had to go back to Barcaloneta to find out if dinner was as good as that fairy tale visit.
I've long avoided Spanish restaurants due to the typical pork and shellfish heavy menus, which are things I don't eat. One cool thing about Barcaloneta is that they offer a lot of great options for vegetarians, including vegetarian paella.
We finally returned to Barcaloneta for dinner on a night when we were looking to lift our spirits after a rough day. We arrived in a cranky condition and blessedly the hostess handled my husband's inordinately picky seating requests with exceptional grace. Our waiter Jose was fully knowledgeable about the menu, efficient and personable.
Tapas was awesome -- Companion bread with EVOO set the tone for a high quality meal, the olive oil had that bitter, fruity taste that you get with a really good one. Marinated olives were buttery with bright citrus and spicy cumin. Spanish tortilla was served warm, not hot. I'm guessing that's how they do it in Spain.
I'm not usually a fan of cold food and neither is my husband but we both absolutely loved this dish,
the cooler temp allowed for the flavor of the caramelized onions to come through more strongly and it was just delicious.
Seared Cana de Cabra in a salad with a crispy toast, mixed lettuces, hazelnut and citrus was my favorite dish of the night. I hadn't had Cana de Cabra in ages and it hit so good in a bite of salad...delightfully salty and spicy, contrasting the bright flavors of citrus and the other elements. And searing it? What genius.
We chose to try the vegetarian paella, since that's something we've never had before. It was a dramatic, exciting event, served in a hot cast iron pan. I loved the texture of the rice, kind of creamy and toasted at the same time, with great flavor from saffron and vegetables. Here we could see the thematic journey of paella, risotto, tahdig, pilaf, biryani, plov, fried rice, across the Silk Road and into Europe.
Sangria, fruity and nicely spiced, was delicious with everything. Of course we had to round out the meal with more delicious churros and chocolate.
By the end we were feeling great. It was a magical, special experience. Barcaloneta is more than just a dream, it's a fantastic addition to downtown Santa Cruz!