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Uncle Orson's Restaurant Guide
Ciudad Condal
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his is just a lunchroom-style restaurant down the street from our hotel (Hotel Calderon — we recommend it for both location and comfort), and it's not the place you take somebody you're trying to impress. But for good Catalan food with decent service we found it better than merely reliable.
Order their selection of "tapas" — snacks that used to be given away free with drinks — if you want an introduction to informal Catalan cuisine (it's not at all unusual to have "dinner" at night by going from bar/restaurant to restaurant/bar, sampling the tapas).
For us, though, there was too much squid in the mix, and we ended up going for their salads: especially their chicken (pollo) salad in "salsa rosa," which is very much like thousand-island dressing without the islands. Along with the generous chunks of chicken, you'll find apple and pineapple, a surprisingly delicious mix. And the Greek salad is a deceptively simple plate of feta cheese and tomatoes — but we've never had better tomatoes than the small tomatoes in many restaurants all over Catalunya!
Kristine insists that I report that the fries are wonderful, but that's because she likes thick chunky ones. I can tell you, though, that for a more substantial meal the "tortilla" they serve is very satisfying. Tortilla in Catalunya is nothing like the Mexican version — it actually means an omelet, but cooked over a hotter fire than in America, so it can be somewhat runny inside while being quite firm outside. Our favorite was the tortilla with potatoes, like having your hash browns cooked right into the omelet.
We ate at Ciudad Condal several times, but our favorite was on a lovely night outside in the middle of the street — not a joke, the Rambla de Catalunya has a superwide treelined median that is used for strolling and for outdoor dining. A waiter took our orders and then hustled back and forth to the restaurant, crossing the street every time with our food — he earned his tip that night! — while a marginally talented musician added local color by singing American folk songs in bad English. (Best street musician: A serious guitarist and folk singer whose station was in a little plaça in the narrow street leading from the cathedral to the Plaça del Rei, where Columbus was received by Ferdinand and Isabella after his first voyage — but that's another story entirely.)
Even though we can't recommend it as one of the great restaurants of Barcelona, I know that on our next visit, Kristine and I will hurry back to Ciudad Condal at the first excuse, for good food and for good memories.
Ciudad Condal
corner of Rambla de Catalunya and the Gran Passeig (I think that's the name; it's the "Gran" something; anyway, the major east-west street just one block up from the Corte Ingles, the monstrously misplaced department store that blots the otherwise gorgeous architecture of this most elegant part of Barcelona)