Taktika Berri, Barcelona

I just can't get enough of this type of food...it is such simple honest to goodness cooking, how can you get tired of it? After my meal at Lagunak, I was told that I HAD to try the 'best' Basque restaurant in Barcelona, called Taktika Berri. Of course, how can I pass on an opportunity like this, I just had to try it to find out for myself .

Taktika Berri is almost an institution in Barcelona. As you enter, there is a huge bar on the left side, with the typical Montaditos/Pintxos they serve in the bars in San Sebastian. All kinds of small plates and bread with yummy things on top. I had to resist the temptation to stop at the bar and go straight to my table, since someone was waiting for me.

As we sat down, the waiter came to take our order. They don't have a menu or wine list, so they just tell you what's the special of the day. For wine, obviously I had to have Txakoli, so we ordered a bottle of 2008 Txomin Etxaniz, I was told the best Txakoli available. I have tried this before a few times in our meals at La Tienda and I think this is the best wine to pair with this type of meal. Served in wide tall glasses, they pour at an arms length to 'activate' or 'air' the wine, for it to release its freshness and flavors.

On to the food..for starters, I asked them to give us a selection of their best montaditos from the bar. Very simple pieces of bread, where they 'mount' mixtures of Tuna, crab, egg, etc...anything and everything that's delicious. We had 4 of them to start, a perfect combination with the Txakoli.

We then had our second part of our appetizers: Revuelto de Setas (Eggs and local version of Porcini Mushrooms) and Txangurro (Spider Crab).

The Txangurro was spider Crab, minced with celery and a sort of mayonnaise..I think this is a very typical Basque dish. The revuelto, was a simple omelet with local mushrooms very typical of Spain. With this we continued to enjoy our bottle of Txakoli, which paired very well with the Txangurro.

For Main, of course I could not resist ordering the Chuleton. This is a classic together with others like Bacalao or Kokotxas that you should always have in places like this.

Perfectly cooked, it was charred on the outside and very rare and juicy on the inside. Served with nothing but some rock salt and a few pieces of pimientos, this is how a Chuleton should be. With this, we had a bottle of 2005 Contino Reserva. Contino is a classic Rioja wine, although they have adopted and now are labeled as 'modern Rioja'. Still very enjoyable, although again I should have ordered a more full bodied wine, maybe a Ribera at the minimum.

This is probably the best meal I had this trip...and one of the most authentic or closest you will get to basque cuisine in Barcelona without going to Basque region. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys this type of cuisine.