I had been wanting to go to Barcelona for some time but never seemed to be in the right area at the right time. However, one recent cold Saturday, I decided to head there and try out their brunch.
240 N. Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
Tel: 404.589.1010
The restaurant was packed at noon on a Saturday, but we had a reservation and were seated immediately. We were seated (without asking) in their bar area at a high top table (not my favorite) next to a wall that leads to their back storage and kitchen area. But here's where things got a bit rough - after we were seated, we didn't see a server for over 15 minutes. And we knew we wanted to try their famed Bloody Mary bar but - - no one was around to take our order. After close to 20 minutes we were given water and told that "I'll be right back to take your order." Then, minutes later another server came and actually took our order. Way too long to wait.
We both went with Bloody Mary's from their set up below:
The Bloody Mary Bar:
The drinks were just OK. They hand you a glass with a shot of vodka and ice, and then you walk your glass up to the bloody mary bar. I like mine spicy, and there were no labels on the spices. The base of the Bloody is just tomato juice so you have to work hard to get it where I like it. But, they have many toppings, including chopped bacon, horseradish and anchovies. I would have liked a selection of tomato bases as well as more "pickled" items such as okra, or green beans. Also there were no straws or toothpicks so you just had to drop your olives or whatever directly in the glass.
Once we ordered our drinks, we began ordering small plates (tapas) to share. Here's where the fun began. We started with a goat's milk spread.
Whipped Sheep’s Milk Cheese 5.50 Pistachios, Pimenton, Grilled Bread
This creamy concoction was delicious. The bread was perfect and the cheese was divine. It was all I could do to put the bread down to snap a picture!
The meatballs were my husband's favorite. They were slightly spicy but in a good way. Wonderful bites to savor on a cold day in February.
Next up we chose the smoked trout pate. This little gem was hands down my favorite. Loved the combination of flavors!
Smoked Trout Pate with caviar and fried capers
The croquettes were good, but very heavy and rich. I felt like I needed to go run a marathon to work half of one of them off. They were too rich for me and the aioli or mayo based dipping sauce was just over the top in my opinion. I wouldn't order them again.
Can't go wrong with Spanish olives. I loved the selection, and the olives were a nice break from the richness of the cheeses we were enjoying.
All in all it was a pleasant experience. The food is very good, and I plan on going back to sample a dinner there as well as some great wine. The service was good (once we GOT a server), and our server was outgoing and positive and helpful with suggestions. I won't sit in the bar again though, it was loud and our particular seat was uncomfortable to say the least. But the atmosphere is fun, and the main dining room looked to be great. Would love to go with another couple or two to really sample a lot of different dishes.
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