December. We’re only two days in and already this month is more extreme than the X-Games. Ladies and gentlemen… start your engines.

Alright, anyone who seriously watches the X Games knows that me sitting at my desk for 10 hours doesn’t count as “extreme,” but, seriously… we’re two days into December and I am already exhausted.

Luckily, if December 1 set any kind of precedent for the month, I am happy to go-go-go at a million miles an hour. Why? Because it means that the days will start early and end late, but in between I’ll get to enjoy great friends and fantastic food.

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, December 1 started with a fabulous meal at BARcelona Tapas Bar with my girls. And to make it even better, we were there in celebration of the lovely Miss Emma’s 25^th birthday.

BARcelona is a fabulous little bar and restaurant in Clayton that features all the warm colors and feelings of Spain itself. (Yes, I’ve been there… so you can count me as a reputable source.) Here’s the sitch: people are talking and laughing and gesturing with their hands. It’s just a straight up enjoyable atmosphere … which is of course enhanced by the pitchers of sangria that are ready and available.

Side bar: this reminds me of how much I loved Spain. Everyone there lived such a leisurely and yet lively life. Yes indeed, I think it is about time that I return to that beautiful country.

Anywho, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. The moment you’ve all been waiting for… The food.

Now, just in case any of my readers don’t know what tapas are (this is directed at Carson, mostly)… tapas are defined as appetizers or finger foods that are meant to be shared. In fact, the serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them. And in my opinion, that is the true glory of tapas. We were able to chat and eat easily, because we didn’t have a huge portion in front of us to handle.

So, what did we order, you ask? We each choose one thing from the menu; and since there were five of us, we got to sample a nice variety of eats. Here’s what we selected: fried calamari, patatas alioli (which is essentially potato salad), pincho de maruno (pork tenderloin with curry mayonnaise), pincho de pollo y chorizo (a chicken and chorizo skewer with cumin alioli), and the real winner of the night: the queso de cabra al horno (amazing baked goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic bread).

As a whole there was a wide variety of flavor featured on the table–which was really nice. The cheese and tomato sauce was Italian-y and had a nice hotness to it; the pork had an Indian flare; and the calamari was crispy and seasoned beautifully. As I said, the goat cheese was my favorite dish of the night (seriously, I’m still dreaming about it), but the chicken and chorizo dish was a close second. It had a really great flavor to it and the meat was verrrry tender. Muy fantastico!

Now, before you get in your car and head to BARcelona right now… let me finish this blog by telling you about the most amazing ending to the meal: the dessert! That’s right, we ordered dessert; judge away. But, because it was Emma’s birthday, we got a free one and you don’t turn down FREE. Of course, because there were 5 of us, we decided to order a second one! (Ok, now you can judge us.)

So, we ordered the chocolate brownie and the bread pudding. Holy.Moly. Both were absolutely fantastic. Rich, creamy, moist… they were truly delicious. (Plus, how can you go wrong when one of them was free, right?).

All in all, the restaurant was pleasant and warm, the food was fantastic, and the company was extraordinary. So, of course I’d recommend it! OH, and PS the bill only ended up being $20 a person, which wasn’t too terrible if you ask me (considering we had two pitchers of sangria, 6 orders of tapas (oh, yeah, we ordered another cheese plate…), and a dessert.

I’d give it two thumbs up. So, check it out!

Happy eating! (Oh, and I apologize for the poor quality of the photos… the romantic lighting never makes for a good photo.)

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