Classic Catalan cooking
Market-driven Catalan cooking lives in the paper-tablecloth restaurants: seasonal plates, calçots in winter, cannelloni at Christmas and escudella when the cold presses.
The menú del día opportunity
On weekdays, many neighborhood restaurants serve a two- or three-course set menu at the price of a fancy sandwich. It is the best honest doorway into Catalan food.
Season rules
Calçots from November to April, mushrooms in autumn, esqueixada and escalivada in summer. A menu that ignores the season is aimed at tourists; one that celebrates it, at neighbors.
Finish with pastry
Crema catalana, mel i mató and the nuns' convent cakes. A neighborhood café with its own pastry counter is a better ending than any dessert list.