Dinner at Mercat a la Planxa

When the restaurant website said "Barcelona in Chicago," we knew we had to go. And sure enough, like Barcelona, our menu came with pa amb tomàquet

The food was amazing and we wanted to document it, albeit using an iPhone camera. Forgive the quality but know the taste was superb.

We started with the classic patatas bravas, fried potatoes with spicy aioli sauce and dusted with smoked paprika and a cheese plate that came with three Spanish cheeses and sauce like marmalade, dulce de leche, and a third I have forgotten.

My favorite dish was a sort of risotto, "arroz de coliflor," which was made with traditional Spanish calaspara rice, truffle cauliflower cream, pan-seared cauliflower, and finished with shaved Manchego cheese. Gooey and comforting yet sublime and complex.

Austin's favorite were the bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with sliced almonds. The bacon was incredibly crunchy and salty, the date soft and sweet, then a crunchy almond finished the flavor-packed bite.

We also ordered croquettes with jamón serrano, chorizo, and romesco sauce.

And some lovely grilled prawns.

Dessert was hard to photograph but an absolute symphony of flavors: chocolate creameaux, hazelnut nougatine, epresso granita, and caramelized white chocolate ice cream. Yeah, I don't even know what all I said there either because we were enraptured while eating it all.

Before leaving and sighing happily on the half a block stroll back to our hotel, I had to try to snag a picture of this pattern that was all over the windows and walls of the restaurant, the very pattern of Barcelona sidewalk tiles. What a blissful city where we spent part of our honeymoon, what a blissful dinner to celebrate our birthdays.