I do many things ass-backwards. Normalcy tends to bore me. Why would that change while traveling? Just as my first meal in London was Chinese Dim Sum, my first dining experience in Spain was Italian. With Sangria. And it was delicious.
Brown33 Restaurant is an Italian eatery with an urban fusion of style and sensations, where classic dishes are presented modernly.
We arrived to our hotel in Barcelona, The Mirror Hotel, in the early evening with severe hunger pangs. I chose to forgo the salted peanuts on the plane over from London. I don’t regret my choice.
Passeig de Gracia road was the closest main drag to our sleeping quarters in Eixample and we scurried over to nourish ourselves prior to closing time. Little did we know, Barcelona is the town that barely sleeps and we ended up looking like the old folks out early for the $2.99 special.
Brown33 was the first restaurant to catch our eye due to its floor to ceiling windows, creative menu and romantically trendy ambiance. I will inhale any sort of romance whenever possible, even if my husband isn’t the one that created it.
Peter uncharacteristically ordered a Negroni, while I opted for a traditional Sangria. We were in Spain after all. The Sangria at Brown33 was the best one I had in all of Barcelona. And I drank a lot. Don’t judge.
Sangria is typically made with wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener and a splash of something bubbly.
What exactly made this Sangria better than the others? The variety of fresh fruit that obviously took shelter in the wine several hours, if not days, earlier. The crispness of the fruit was evident while the wine was a pleasant afterthought. That’s how I like my Sangria.
The others seemed to have simply plopped a wedge of lemon and lime in my glass to order, as if it were table water.
Since a wild mushroom risotto is my death row meal, I had to order it in Spain, as I am hoping that I will never be on death row. This one was laced with smoked mozzarella and garnished with a sprig of rosemary ( €11,90).
Tasty, yet it would not be my choice order from my jail cell. It would need more champignons (aka: shrooms) to be a last supper contender.
Peter, being a meat man, ordered the 10 hour roasted lamb with thyme, lemon and honey ( €15,25). I was happier with my risotto.
This meal in Barcelona wasn’t tapas or pintxos, but it filled a pressing need. But, we would only be eating Spanish food from here on out. And maybe going back to Brown33 for another Sangria.
Where did you have your favorite Sangria? Would you eat Italian food in Spain?
