Considering all the wonderful experiences the Art Girls had in Barcelona, the following is a pretty bold statement: We saved the best for last. Now, this Art Girl may be particularly food-oriented, but I can back up those fight'n words. We spent our last night at the one-and-only Tickets bar. Tickets is Albert Adria's restaurant, opened after he and his brother Ferran closed down the one-and-only El Bulli. As someone who tried (multiple times) to get reservations at El Bulli and failed, Tickets was the next best thing. I will admit, I had high expectations, but Tickets met each one. Now, this is not the same experience as El Bulli - there are no white tablecloths and you can order (gasp!) a la carte. This is the highest level in food creativity served in a casual, carnival-esque atmosphere. This is "la vida tapa" where the joy of eating is translated into a way of life. We put in a few requests, but let our charming and helpful waiter choose for us. He lead us through an epically delicious, hilarious and exhilarating journey of 29 courses. These courses included, but were not limited to: a solid cocktail, liquid olives and a very tasty rock. The food by turns highlighted pristine local ingredients (Galician razor clams; a huge, fresh, naked oyster), respected Catalan food traditions (preserved sardines dressed in vinegar; jamon Iberico served with tomato bread; croquets), reinterpreted Spanish and pop culture favorites (liquid Machengo cheese served along side the traditional; gazpacho made of huge marinated tomatoes on a thin layer of gelatinous sauce; an upscale version of a fast food sandwich; a chicken lettuce wrap; a carrot cupcake with edible paper) and surprised with new delights (a "nordic journey" that brought the flavors of Scandinavia together on a cracker; a sesame sponge "rock" desert). But most of all, it was fun! The Art Girls, ate, drank, marveled, made merry, and got a photo with Albert himself to boot! Thanks, Tickets, for a great send off! Until next time...
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| A solid peach cocktail |
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| One of two varieties of liquid olives |
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| Karen samples a traditional Catalan sardine |
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| Mini air bag with manchego cheese foam |
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| Quail egg in nest |
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| Tomato salad with transparent gelatin of Gazpacho |
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| Razor clams with refried sauce and lemon air and Japanese black garlic |
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| A Nordic Trip |
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| Machengo; old style and new style |
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| Lemon dessert |
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| Carrot cake with edible wrapper |
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| Chocolate balls |
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| Black sesame and white chocolate lava rock |
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| Albert Adria and fans. |
For more food pix, videos, cool stuff, check out TICKETS website:
http://www.ticketsbar.es/web/
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