Mi Casa es Su Casa...En Barcelona

Summerlicious is finally here! For some of us, it didn't come fast enough but we managed to snag a reservation on the event's first weekend.

Yes, this is my first entry to this blog and I must admit that it's pretty intimidating, especially when one of the contributors seems to have an excellent flair with words....yes, you, Diane. =)

But here's my synopsis...

Restaurant: Casa Barcelona (http://www.casabarcelona.ca)

Where: 2890 Bloor Street West (east of Royal York)

When: Sunday July 9th, 2006 (The day the Italians won FIFA 2006, in the rare case that you have been out of normal civilization and haven't yet heard...)

Set-Up/Decor: Nice cozy atmosphere. For once in my life, the chairs that looked plushy were actually comfortable. The restaurant interior had a touch of elegance without too much pretentiousness (or "frou-frou" as some would say.) I really enjoyed all the Spanish adornments hanging on the walls.

The Drinks: We've all had either red/white sangria at some point in our past lives, so we decided to be a tad adventurous and order a litre of pink sangria for the five of us. OK, technically, it was 4 glasses and 2 sips. To sum it up, the pink sangria was simply splendid...refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.

The Food:

Appetizers

Chicken & Sausage Croquettes Alioli Sauce

I didn't order this but verdict says that there wasn't much chicken nor sausage in these croquettes. Rather, it was just filler but was a good size for an appetizer.

Crab Cake Spicy Alioli Sauce

Diane and I both had this and it was mutual. We loved the crabcake. The sauce was delectable and the only thing I could have wished for was huger portions.

Entrees

Assorted Vegetable Paella

This pic makes it look somewhat like an Asian stirfry but it sure didn't taste that way. Helen's palate found it to be a bit dry and when she couldn't finish it, guess who got to be her tapeworm...yours truly. I must admit, it tasted good at first but eventually, it became more difficult to swallow. I think this was too much rice for an entree (and me, being Chinese? That's a rare thing to say!)

Beef Tenderloin Organic Mushroom Sauce

Lee ordered this and thought that the portion size was good. The beef was very tender.

Fresh Fillet of Salmon Saffron Sauce

Diane and I ordered this for our entree and we weren't disappointed with our selection. I am learning that saffron can go with many types of meals. It was especially intriguing to have it with salmon and I found it to be simply delicious. Again, I must admit that I did wish that that sliver of salmon was just a tad bigger...

Desserts

Fried Apples Topped With Ice Cream

According to Lee, it was dessert extraordinaire. It was good and simple. Helen was not too keen on this dessert. The neopolitan ice tasted as if was store bought and the apples didn't taste like they were truly fried.

Creme Brulee

According to Veronica, the creme brulee was absolutely divine. The picture here doesn't even do it justice.

Churros

Great minds must think alike. Diane and I (yet again) ordered this traditional Spanish dessert and it was basically like a deep fried doughnut dipped in heated chocolate. I don't usually enjoy doughnuts but this dessert was surprisingly light and tasty. I think that the chocolate really brings out flavor of the churros.

Staff/Service: The servers were friendly and extremely attentive. They even went the extra mile and let us use their scotch tape so that we can mend an expensive piece of legal tender that someone had unintentionally tore. I'm not sure whether it was the lack of patrons present at this venue or whether it was Summerlicious but the service was excellent. Our courses came in quickly and quelled our eagerly awaiting tummies.

Price: Since it was Summerlicious, the price turned out to be $25.00/person, not including taxes and gratuity. It was a pretty sweet deal, considering that entrees in this joint started at $17.00.

Overall:I think collectively, as a group, there were mixed feelings about this one. I really enjoy trying out new restaurants but I feel that it's a great place to frequent to if you live near the area or just happen to be there. I'm not sure if I would be willing to travel so far to come and dine there. The food was good but wasn't truly excellent by my standards. The highlights, in my opinion were the pink sangria and the crabcake spicy alioli sauce...how do you pronounce that word anyway?

P.S. I'm not sure whether we had walked off our dinner when we were exploring or whether the portions simply weren't huge enough to satiate us all, but we had to make a pitstop at the good ol' Golden Arches to fulfill our grease addiction. =)