New Year's Eve in Barcelona

...the restaurant, that is. Dandy celebrated the last day of 2008 with a scrumptious meal at local favorite Barcelona. Here are our observations on what it's like to ring in the New Year at one of the most popular joints in town:

She says: From our vantage point near the back of the restaurant, we could see the well-dressed crowd trickle in for a festive night out. Service, as always, was very attentive, friendly and efficient (in an effort to keep those tables turning over, no doubt!). We were offered an amuse-bouche soon after being seated, but it was a duck confit with no apparent vegetarian alternative. Fortunately, I was able to represent for the carnivores and prevent the offering from being wasted. Kudos for the amuse-ing tidbits, but Barcelona could take a page from Alana's and present an alternative for the herbivores.

I will let my better half share more thoughts from the veggie POV, since I went meaty, beaty, big and bouncy last night (That's a Who reference, Dan). The Caesar salad featured large leaves of green with some perfectly browned croutons - a tasty beginning, and one that I washed down with a somewhat bland lemon drop martini. Due to a recent brush with some admittedly inferior paella at another establishment, I opted for one of the New Year's Eve specials - prime rib with cheesy scalloped potatoes. The meat was good and cooked appropriately, but I was a little overwhelmed by the richness of the cut. I think my tastes have tilted toward the lean in the last few years. Rounding out the meal was a vanilla bean creme brulee -yum! - and Irish coffee to keep the cold at bay.

He says: Coming in from the cold, I found the warm brick and wood interior a welcome respite. Accordingly, I opted for a warm-sounding drink, the carrot cake martini. It did not disappoint. Rich butterscotch schnapps and Bailey's Irish Creme blended with shaved almonds and perfectly-blended spices to create a memorable drink.

Next came the nicely-balanced tomato basil soup with a cheddar tosta, adding to the warmth. This went well with the freshly-baked bread and olive oil with tomato infusion. I noticed that the entrees included no vegetarian options, something that never ceases to disappoint me. Our server offered the option of a veggie paella, but something about it did not appeal at the time. I will sample that at a later time, I'm sure.

The only other sizable offering that could be made vegetarian was the tapas platter, which normally comes with jamon serrano, and I opted for this, sans ham. It contained redskin potato salad (mayonnaisey), hummus (bland but passable), spiced olives (good selection), roasted tomatoes (fine), fresh mozzarella (good), and marinated salads (including a too-large portion of mushrooms for my taste).

The creme brulee was done right and accompanied by strawberries, a cranberry, whipped cream, and a tasty chocolate biscotti, all drizzled with chocolate. Neither of us was able to finish our meal, and we were pleased to see environmentally-friendly cardboard take-home containers. Service was very good on such a busy night, and we whisked back into the dark and cold, filled and warmed inside.