Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/25/21

The metal, wood, and soft hues from the setting sun enveloped the Barcelona Wine Bar Westside wrap-around patio. At the bar a couple chat over a shared bottle of red wine with an assortment of small plates. Now this is date night done right with the ambiance, impeccable food, and endless wine bottle list, all meant for sharing. We imbibed on the fantastic Aperitivo Board, bubbly BarCava, spicy Grilled Pulpo, great Grilled Broccolini, divine Potato Tortilla, creamy Jamon & Manchego Croquetas, and finished it off with crispy calamari. Who’s ready to go on a Friday night date night?

Sipping on some bubbly, the BarCava is an exclusive sparkling wine made just for Barcelona. It’s bright, tart, and crisp with tons of bubbles. A must try. To go with our wine, we started with the Aperitivo Board, which was an assortment of tasty Serrano, Feut, Mahon, tangy and creamy Patatas Bravas, spicy peppers, buttery almost, and sharp and creamy Manchego. You can mix and match in any combination, which we both loved the Serrano with the Manchego and a dollop of the spicy mustard on top.

Something that we love about Barcelona is the small plates that’s perfect to sharing. You can try more of the extensive menu this way and explore a variety of flavors. You can get everything from light dishes like the pulpo to decadent like the Potato Tortilla to hearty, fried calamari. Speaking of the dishes, one of our favorites was the Potato Tortilla. This fun dish is served like a piece of pie and starts creamy and sharp and then melts in your mouth. We found this dish eye-roll good from the richness of the cream and potato to the earthiness and tang of the chive dip on the side.

After that hearty dish, we went a little lighter with the Grilled Pulpo and Grilled Broccolini. The octopus is simply grilled and tender and topped with a mix of olives, tomatoes, and a spicy bright vinaigrette. It’s a spicy, earthy, and tender dish! On the other hand, the broccolini is slightly crunchy with a fresh, fantastic lemon aioli that comes off as bright and creamy. Impeccably paired with crispy capers for an earthy bite on the end.

To end the night our tour around the Barcelona menu, we tried the Jamon & Manchego Croquetas and the Crisp Calamari. The Croquetas are crunchy, rich, creamy, and oh-so gooey. All of the complex flavors that all go so well together. Go bold or go home, right? We ended with the Crisp Calamari. This fried goodness is the right amount of light crunch and tender squid. Juxtaposed with a tart, tangy and bright dipping sauce for the perfect bite.

What would you want to try?