Pinotxo (Pinnochio)

Pinotxo is a small bar inside the market of the Boqueria in Barcelona. It is a silently famous place. In other words, some of the best chefs in the world will make a point of eating here when they are in Barcelona but unless you know about it, you would just walk right past it while grocery shopping in this stupendous market. I am actually a bit conflicted about talking about it here but since this is a blog for friends, I guess it's OK. :)

Pinotxo is expensive, uncomfortable and hard to "get into". I put that in quotes, because the place is nothing more but a bar, which means you might have to eat st

anding up, or wait quite some time for a couple of stools to open up. The food is to die for. When I went with my friend Dushan (hola!) we opted for the "bring us what you want" option and were regaled with amazing dish after amazing dish, until we said no more.

The place is famous for its Croquetas (to the right) and the Bacalao (cod fish) they make, which is to die for. The garbanzos con morcilla (chickpeas with blood sausage) are great too, as is their tuna. Needless to say everything is fresh and bought that day in the very market it stands in.

Anchovies

My friend Carlos Lorenzo has a great little article about one of the most delicious anchovies you will ever taste. They are well known in Cataluña: Anchoas de L'Escala. L'Escala by the way, is a gorgeous little town north of Barcelona, close to the French border and is definitely worth a visit. But if you can't visit, just eating its anchovies will be heaven on earth.

For more information, here's the link to Carlos' blog:

http://www.barcelonaphotoblog.com/2009/07/la-escala-anchovies-genuine-catalan.html