Tapas 24 is one of Michelin-starred Chef Carles Abellan’s five “Projectes 24” in Barcelona.  Abellan, formerly of El Bulli, spent a decade working with Ferran Adrià before returning to Barcelona to build his own empire.  Tapas 24 does not take reservations (hence the line), and although it has a number of international customers (i.e. tourists), there were plenty of locals in the queue as well.

As we slowly but steadily descended the staircase, we peered to the restaurant below and excitedly pointed to all the mouthwatering dishes coming out of the open kitchen, like this Stewed Bull’s Tail.

We were eventually escorted to the bar waiting area where we happily ordered our first round of cava – off to a good start.  After a couple more glasses, our table was ready. 

The restaurant is made up of high tables and long counters with stools.  Our two-top was in a prime location right in front of the bar and kitchen entrance.  We ordered a couple of glasses of house red and eagerly listened to our waiter describe the specials of the day.  We knew not to miss a couple of the dishes (the Bikini Commerç 24 and the McFoie Burger), but we took our waiter’s suggestions on a couple of other dishes (a very, very good idea).   

• Pa Amb Tomàquet (Tomato Bread):  This is a Catalan classic of toasted bread rubbed with a giant ripe tomato and seasoned with olive oil and salt.  We had tasted our first tomato bread earlier in the day, but this toast was without question superior.  The tomato was so sweet and fresh and was balanced nicely with the salt.  The toast was crusty and not too bready, but the standout was the earthy, fragrant olive oil that was generously poured on top.

• Fig, Anchovy, Goat Cheese, Foie Gras, Honey:  I am not the biggest anchovy fan, but even I appreciated the combination of the salty fish with the sweet fig, decadent foie gras and creamy goat cheese.  It was light (unlike anything else we ordered) but packed a punch of flavor.  Andy was a bigger fan of this dish than I was, but I appreciated the balance of flavors and textures.

• The Bikini Commerç 24:  This was my favorite tapas of the night (and possibly of the trip!).  It is really astonishingly simple.  It’s basically a crustless grilled cheese sandwich cut in triangular wedges with jamon ibérico and black truffle.  It was absolutely divine.  The fine white melted cheese and flavorful ham with the shavings of black truffle make this easily the best grilled cheese sandwich on the planet.  I would return to the restaurant (and even to Barcelona) for another bite of the bikini.

• Assorted Wild Mushrooms with Egg Yolk:  Wow.  Boy, were we lucky our waiter had told us about this dish.  The earthy rich mushrooms were decadent on their own, but then you pierce the perfectly placed yolk at the center of the plate and the silky yolk runs through the weave of mushrooms creating a truly memorable dish.  We both LOVED the unami flavor of the wild mushrooms with the velvety layering of egg yolk.

• McFoie Burger:  This was another dish we had read about.  The beef and foie gras patty was gamey and rich and the bread was grilled thin – like a mini burger panini.  It came with a mayo-based foie gras creamy dipping sauce which only added to the indulgent nature of the already rich, meaty sandwich.  I did love this burger (but would later be wowed by another foie gras burger at Hotel 1898 which would take first place in my Barcelona burger book). 

• Chicken Wings:  Our waiter suggested our last two savory courses.  He said we must try the chicken wings.  Chicken wings?  Really?  He said they were boneless and not to be missed.  Boneless chicken wings?  Okay.  And they arrived… They looked very much like standard chicken wings (bones and all), but when we took our first bite, we knew they were no ordinary wings.  They had a delicious Asian-soy based glaze, perfectly crisped skin and they were in fact boneless.  You could pop one of these bad boys in your mouth like a chicken tender.  It was a fun, different, and delicious take on the traditional chicken wing.  Move over Bon Chon.

• Lamb Skewer:  When our last dish arrived it really didn’t look special – a skewer of meat – but it did taste extraordinary.  It wasn’t my top dish of the night, but the lamb was cooked perfectly and the seasoning was excellent.  There was a salty, spicy, minty drizzle of some sort over the skewered meat which took it to another level.  After everything else I had tasted, I should have known better than to be disappointed at first glance.

• Xocolata Pa, Oli I Sal (Chocolate Mousse):  And for the birthday dessert (accompanied by a candle and festive Spanish waiters singing a Spanish ‘happy birthday’ song) was the signature Abellan dessert which we would also taste at Commerç 24 the following day.  Three amazingly rich scoops of chocolate mousse in a fragrant olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and accompanied by savory crostini.  This is my kind of dessert, and I rarely have a sweet tooth.  The sea salt and olive oil mixed with the sweet chocolate was absolutely divine.  This dish alone could make me a dessert person, well… a dessert, olive oil, sea salt type of person.  It was a fine end to a truly exceptional meal.

At the touch of midnight, as the waiters were in full song and as the flickering candle in the chocolate mousse sat in front of Andy, we raised our glasses.  A toast of cava to birthday number thirty-five and to a meal that we will never forget.

CommunityWalk Map – East Village Eating & Drinking Tour

(1) Happy Hour drinks at Drop-Off Service (Ave. A at 13th) — We didn’t realize it was happy hour until we ordered a double Maker’s and ginger ale (me) and a Dewar’s rocks (Alton) and it was only $12. Alton felt like he was back in Atlanta with those prices. They also have great beers on tap, like Stone Arrogant Bastard. All drinks are half-price everyday from 3-8pm. Sweet. They don’t have a kitchen but they do have meat pies and sausage rolls from Tuck Shop.

(2) A Couple of Dogs at PDT/Crif Dogs (St. Marks b/t Ave. A and 1st Ave.) — I wanted to show Alton the vintage phonebooth leading into PDT and grab a couple of inventive cocktails (like the old-fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon), but there was too long of a wait. Instead we mosied over to the Crif Dogs counter and ordered a couple of franks — for me, a philly tubesteak (cheese and sauteed onions; $4) and a chihuahua (bacon-wrapped dog with avocado; $4.50) for Alton. Aside from burning the hell out of the inside of my mouth, these dogs were delicious. A perfect start to the eating portion of our tour. 

(3) 6 pcs of Pork Dumplings at The Dumpling Man (St. Marks b/t Ave. A and 1st Ave) — These fresh, made to order dumplings are not the best the city has to offer, but they’re not the worst either. A tip: while you wait, get your soy sauce, chopsticks, and a fork to take with you if you are planning to eat elsewhere cause they don’t put it in the bag. So far, dumplings and dogs…and we were only getting started… 

(4) Jill joined us at this point and we walked across 1st Ave. to Seoul Station (St. Marks b/t 1st Ave and 2nd Ave) for some Korean tacos and mini buns — We split a spicy pork taco, a beef bulgogi taco and each had a mini bun. The tacos are $2.50 a piece. An order of mini buns is $2.95 for 4 buns. We also got an order of pork dumplings since there is a $10 min for credit cards. Comparing our tasting notes, we were in agreement that the pork tacos are the way to go. They are loaded with pork au jus and it’s the sweet spiciness of the pork mixed with the cilantro, chopped onions and salsa that gives it the edge over the beef taco, which was more sweet than spicy and seemed to be made from fairly low-grade beef. The dumplings were average at best.

Spicy Pork Tacos

(5) Bon chon fried chicken and a pitcher of Kirin beer at Boka (St. Marks b/t 2nd and 3rd) — We were here for one thing, and one thing only — the ridiculously good, crispy, golden fried korean-style bon chon chicken. This was something that Alton definitely couldn’t get back in Atl. We were basically the only non-Korean people in the joint, which tells you it has to be good. And this was one of the best batch of bon chon I’ve had. They arrived in a big bowl and appeared to be two different flavors and two different sizes (big drumsticks and smaller wing-style pieces). The flavor was a perfect blend of spicy and sweet — like a soy garlic flavor with a kick. Oh, and they have an AYCE/AYCD recession special during the week: 4-8pm all you can eat Bon Chon + Coors light for $20. 

Crispy, Delicious Bon Chon Chicken

(6) Falafel and shwarma stop at Mamoun’s (St. Marks b/t 2nd and 3rd) — Now Alton and I did our fair share of late-night shwarma and falafel-feasting while in Amsterdam several years back, so it would only be fitting to take him to try one of NYC’s finest. Jill went with a falafel while Alton and I decided on a shwarma. I’m not sure if it was a culmination of all the spicy foods we had been eating on the tour, but the famous hot sauce seemed to be the hottest it’s ever been to me. Since then I’ve had the Brick Lane Phaal Curry, which makes Mamoun’s sauce seem like ketchup. 

(7) Belgian Fries at Pommes Frites – What would an E. Village culinary tour be without a stop at Pommes Frites? We snagged a large with 3 sauces and headed over to Jimmy’s No. 43 for a much-needed beer.

Belgian Fries @ Pommes Frites

(8) Beers at Jimmy’s No. 43 — In addition to being a great food ‘hood, the E. Village is also Manhattan’s best beer ‘hood. Other than Brooklyn, there are more beer bars per block here than anywhere else in the city. We hit up Jimmy’s for a quick round — Maudite (Alton), Green Flash Special Belgian Style (Jill) and a Sixpoint Bengali IPA (me). 

(9) Lights and Darks at McSorley’s Ale House – By this time we were feeling no pain (other than my mouth burn from not waiting to let my Crif Dog cool off and the Mamoun’s hot sauce). We decided to finish the tour (at least the E. Village portion — we would still end up at Vig 27 for a round of drinks and for some unknown drunken reason Alton and I thought it would be a good idea to hit up a Chelsea night club until 3:30am) with a round of lights and darks at McSorley’s.

The takeaway: instead of taking a friend who’s in town out to a fancy dinner, why not do an all-out eating and drinking tour of the city’s best food and drink neighborhood — the East Village.