Bari Ristorante

We ordered alittle of everything off and the menu and you can't go wrong with anything you order here. The scallops are melt in your mouth goodness, the croquettes are to die for and their Bourbon drink on the menu has me still daydreaming about when I will have it again! Delicious! Everything was made fresh and with a chef kiss ! 10 out of 10 this place.. I wanted to gatekeep this one but it's soo good and deserves all the business!

Some highlights for me are that the menu rotates seasonally but keeps some items longer term. So there's always fresh dishes. They also have TONS among amazing tapas that match many different palettes and dietary needs. Lots of great vegetarian options and really good meat dishes too. If you're looking for a place to start, I recommend the veggie Paella, and for winter the Albóndigas (meatballs), the Sweet Potato Hummus, or the Cauliflower. For summer I really enjoyed the Champiñones, Pan Con Tomate, and the Veggie Paella as well. For dessert, everything I've tried so far has been amazing which is the Flan, Basque Cheesecake, and the Crepas.

I parked on Elmen street nearby because I didn't want to pay for valet.

I went to Barcelona Wine Bar for a wine tasting event called Summer Flight School. We had about 15 people trying a flight of three wines (+1 sparkling opener) along with tapas, entrees, and desserts. I'll rate the food since the wine was effectively a separate event:

Tapas:

Gambas al Ajillo (4/5): Shrimp served with an olive oil and garlic sauce. The sauce actually paired perfectly with the complimentary focaccia bread. I only got one piece of shrimp, which was rich with the olive oil but altogether missing something. Maybe a hint of salt or pepper?

jamon and Manchego croquetas (4.5/5): Not gonna lie, I could dangerously eat these all day. They are rich with the Manchego cheese and well balanced. It's like a fried charcuterie board bite and probably very unhealthy.

Patatas Bravas (3.5/5): These were served with two kinds of sauces, a tomato sauce salsa and a garlic aioli. Some pieces were perfectly crispy while others were a bit soggier. The crispy ones were excellent.

Albondigas (3.5/5): Just meatballs with a tomato sauce. Nice, nothing unique.

Chef's Seasonal Vegetable (4.5/5): Whew! Great portion, served very hot (like burn your tongue hot) but overall excellently spiced and still crispy.

Mariscos Paella (3/5): Honestly not enough seafood and a little light on the saffron compared to flavors I've had in Spain. I think I counted six mussels and even less shrimp. There was a good serving of octopus (calamari) though.

Parillada Mixed Grill (4/5): Stellar portions, enough for six to have a bite of each. Pork was 2/5, too tough. Chicken was perfectly tender on some pieces but a touch too salty and not seared enough on others (3.5/5). Steak had a nice sear and was perfectly cooked (4/5). Sausage was unique and flavorful (4/5).

Desserts: We had the cheesecake, olive oil cake, crepes with strawberry, and flan. I'd say all were average with the flan being noticably better than the rest.

Overall, nice tapas restaurant with music that is a little too loud to be intimate. Some folks were having a blast and we could hear them from in a sectioned off space! I'd give it a 3.5/5 overall and I doubt I'd come back for the food, but maybe to pair with some wines with friends.