El Vaso de Oro

Queridos amigos,

Estoy en mi cama ahora, porque anoche yo tenía demasiado divertida con mi amiga, Lori Ann, y después, tenía ‘una fecha’ (bad translation I’m sure) con un hombre Catalán.  Una cena, mucho baile, y un poco demasiado vino. Hoy, estoy cansado.  Pero tengo muchas cosas que sobre escriban (bad Spanish).  Primero, mi restaurante favorito (por Tapas), que se llama EL VASO DE ORO, en Barceloneta.

The first thing you need to know about this place is that you better figure out what you want, and fast, because as soon as you sit down at the bar (if there is room of course) these big, burly men come up and shout, “Dígame!” or, if they recognize you, just “Dime!”  This literally translates to “TELL ME” and is used as a way to answer the phone, take someone’s order, or really begin any business transaction in Spain.  At first I was a bit startled by this method of introduction, but now I’ve come to appreciate the way that, despite the amount of time spent in Siesta in this country, Spaniards know when NOT to waste any time — when they are ready to eat.

There are two things that make this place very special to me.  The first are the characters behind both sides of the bar.  On my side are mostly regulars (old men) from Barceloneta.  They come here to sit, to eat, and to drink the homebrewed beer called Vaso De Oro Amber, which is really delicious.  Many of them bring a newspaper, or just chat with the cooks on the other side of the bar, who are also very special.

I included this photo, not to show you the individual characters, but the liveliness of them all.  The man on the right side is singing, here.  Yes, many of these men sing, loud, and with deep, operatic voices that almost make me think of a very popular and traditional form of Spanish music, you may know it as Flamenco.  Perhaps the origin of Flamenco is not with the Gypsies (ROMA) from Andalucia (Southern Spain), but the cooks at Vaso De Oro in Barceloneta.

Cole and I discovered this place when we were visitors here in June.  I heard about their Tapas from a very reliable source, and after a day at the beach we came.  Well, we kept coming and, eventually, on the night of my return here in November, this was the first place I ate.  Some of the things I eat look like this:

So of course the first thing are those non animal treats you find at every Tapas Place.  To the left, Pimientos de Padron and to the right, Patatas Bravas.  The Piemientos are small green peppers, which are fried and covered with a mountain of pyramid-shaped salt.  (Cole and I ran out and bought some mini pyramids when we found a jar in a market somewhere).  Patatas Bravas are spicy fried potatoes named after the wild coast that claims Barcelona as its capital… The Costa Brava.

I read a review of this place that said to choose a snack here is to have a ‘truly Catalan experience.’  I guess because all the seafood was probably caught fifty meters away and fifty minutes ago, you know what you’re getting is good, and that is ‘truly Catalan.’  Let’s continue.

On the left, Grilled Fois Gras with Onions, and on the right, Anchovies with Green Olives.  These photos are from somebody’s flickr account, as I am always too busy eating my food to photograph it, but I’ve had all these things and can assure you they are as good as they look.

See, Lori Ann is enjoying her Pimientos.  And on the right you get a small glance and a feel of the place – One long, long bar full of Tapas plates, and its very narrow and easy to bump yourself against the guy next to you who is shouting out his order to the very charming cooks, who by the way, dress kind of like they’re part of a ship crew.  The whole scene kind of reminds me of being on a boat, now that I think about it.

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