We recently found ourselves in Stamford, CT on a Saturday night facing the decision of which restaurant to go to. We had just attended the Greenwich Wine and Food Festival, so we had several choices from that event, as well as a large number of local places covering every ethnic food group you could think of. We opted for one that we had seen at the festival the previous two years, and which sounded like fun. That was Barcelona.
This is a tapas place, and we tend to like those. It’s in an area just packed with restaurants, bars and clubs, and as the evening progressed people descended on the block surrounding 
us in droves. Barcelona has a large outdoor seating area streetside, which was crowded on a warm, late summer evening. We opted for inside, and were shown to a large booth. The table size worked well 
as tapas are the order of the day and many plates were likely to arrive. The atmosphere is soothing but still carries energy, as the dark woods are offset by some gleaming metal and glass, and the glass case wine wall provides the main architectural highlight. We liked it immediately.
The bar is large, U-shaped and marble. It slowly filled during our meal, as did the restaurant in general. Clearly this is a popular place. Since it was time to find out why, we ordered some drinks and five tapas. The wine list here is understandably dominated by Spanish choices, but there are representative rest of world bottles if you so choose. We opted for a glass of Cava and Toro. On the food side the dishes were as follows:
Calamari – these were large, lengthwise cut rings with tentacles, accompanied by a spicy
Calamari
mustard and mayo sauce that was tangy and not heavy. The rings were really light, not greasy and well cooked. Calamari is either done well or the opposite, and nothing in between. This was done well.
Albondigas – the Spanish version of the ubiquitous meatball, in a very rustic and comforting tomato sauce. The meat was tender and moist and the bite was delicious. No complaints here.
Empanadas – another very spicy and tasty bite, the empanadas were served with fresh guacamole that made the whole thing really pop.
Hangar Steak
Hangar Steak – this came thin sliced and perfectly medium rare. The black truffle sauce lended an earthy cloak to the meat and the overall combination worked well.
Heirloom Tomato Salad – a simple preparation of thick tomato slices, shaved parmesan and balsamic vinegar. Simple is
Tomato Salad
good, and this was good. At least Cheri said so as I just don’t eat thick slices of tomato.
Everything we tried was tasty and we ate every bite. A dish of ice cream cleared our palates and finished the meal. The salt was running a little high in everything, but not over the top, and we tend to go lighter on the salt side than many anyway.
We really liked the food and the ambiance here. Our wallet is open for Barcelona when we’re in the Stamford area. They have several other restaurants in the Greenwich/Stamford area as well.
The particulars:
Barcelona Stamford – 222 Summer Street – Stamford CT, 06901
203-348-4800
http://www.barcelonawinebar.com/
A votre sante!
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