The Russian and I have recently made the move out to Brighton, and while its farther out than our old place in Fenway, it certainly has given me a whole new group of restaurants and areas to check out, which is awesome. It’s good to know the city in which you live. So after I unpacked and set up me new kitchen (duh) I made the walk over with The Russian to check out Barcelona Wine Bar, which was high up on my list of places to try.  I have been to the one in Fairfield, CT and couldn’t wait to try more rustic Spanish tapas.

Since this place does tapas, of course the prices are low.  I love that.  I also love how their pitchers of sangria are only about $23. Totally fruity and delicious, and the pitcher was not small either.

We started off with a plate of Spanish meats and cheeses.  The restaurant has a wide selection, and you can choose 3 for $17.  That alone with a pitcher of sangria makes for a perfect after–work bite. We decided on smoked duck breast, serrano ham (naturally), and a Romao Manchengo cheese with a rosemary crust.  So good.

We also had a plate of olives, because I love olives and because the whole plate was $3.

We then had the radish and feta salad, $5.  The radishes were so crispy and even though Feta is a Greek cheese, it was a perfect compliment to the rest of the meal, which was very rich.

How rich, you ask? Well we had the steak in a truffle sauce.  To die for. $10

We also had the squid and fingerling potatoes in squid ink (about $10), which is hard to find here in the states.  Not many places using squid ink, but many should. It’s awesome, but it does stain.

Overall, I spent a little more than my usual $20 per person, but it was worth it.  Our table was covered in food.

The best part is, you can come here and spend little to get a taste of Spain.  The food is wonderfully prepared and inventive, and I will definitely be coming back to try the paella.

-L