I don't get out much. Job and family will do that to you. But when Mrs. Wine Snob and I hit the town for our date night we live it up. On a recent Sunday afternoon we attended a show at the Shubert Theater. My gift from the wife, tickets to the Rat Pack Christmas Show, turned out to be a lovely evening. After the show we decided to use a couple of gift certificates from Xmas 2011 to Barcelona. I got this love hate thing going on with Barcelona. First time I went there the food and wine were delicious. The next time I went was for a distributor sponsored wine tasting and I was less than impresses with the spread they put out. Understandably that it's not a fair judgment all considering that it's just a trade tasting for us retail and restaurant people. My next visit with the group was a late Friday night after work for a drink with some friends. Did you see the clues there? Late, Friday, night...needless to say as I was walking down Temple St and I was happened to be the recipient of a 9 volt battery to the head by some Jersey Shore wanna be doing a drive by yelling profanity out the car window. Stay clear on college nights. Nothing of any fault of the restaurant's. It's either New Haven has changed since the last time I went out or I'm getting too damn old. Steer clear of Friday and Saturday nights when school is back in session.
Ok, let's put it all behind us. Sundays at Barcelona are half price bottle nights. Score! Sundays around 5PM in December are also a great time because with Yale gone for the semester, New Haven is a ghost town. We sit at a corner high top and order several tapas while I look over the extensive wine list. It's a novel. Barcelona's wine director, Gretchen, is sharp when it comes to wines from the Iberian peninsula. My feelings anytime I see a wine list at any restaurant that is the equivalent of the the entire Lord of the Rings series is that it's just too damn much. Kudos if they turn over that much variety but Damn!! that's a lot of inventory tied up especially with such esoteric varietals and regions. You really have to know your wines, but again this is where the staff and Gretchen's tutelage comes in. The staff is heavily quizzed on what is what when it comes to wine and also pairing those wines with food. Ask your server since they have tasted everything on that menu.
After much deliberation I selected a Txakolina (sp) which is a very esoteric white wine from the Basque region located between France and Spain. The taste is something like Portuguese Vinho Verde and Spanish Albarino, light, a little acidity, minerality and crisp green apple. The waitress even gets a kick outta pouring the wine. The wine goes really well with the plate of hummus and warm pita chips, but not too tasty with anything else which is fine because I'm more thrilled to be drinking the wine on it's own. As we move onto the entrees I order another bottle, but this time I go for a Mencia from the Bierzo region. One of the up and coming regions turning out top quality highly rated red wines that over deliver for under $20. The taste is something of a cross between Washington State Merlot and Loire Valley Cab Franc. The wine is delicious as is the smoked duck breast I order. The pairing this time is a home run. My wife's Filet Mignon also nails the wine pairing. We top it all off with dessert and cappuccino.
The waitress we had that particular evening was one of the absolute best I've ever had at restaurants more exclusive than Ibiza. Again it's a testament to the training and wine knowledge passed down from management. As it was now 6:30-ish and the restaurant began to fill up with young hipsters, it was time for the old folks to get back home.
Definitely without a doubt this place deserves your undivided attention. Go to Costco and purchase $100 gift cards for only $79.99 and order a half price bottle of wine. If you are in doubt about what to eat or drink ask ask ask! Tapas are good but in comparison to say Ibiza Tapas in Hamden, Barcelona's are just ok. Ignacio Blanco is a hard act to follow, but food like art or wine can be interpreted many different ways. Entrees are well worth the $20+ price tag as I had to be fork lifted outta there. I will tell tales of this terrific culinary date night for years to come!
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