Menu - El Caliu Carnes, Parrilla Buffet Bcn

Start with the notion that Barcelona is not New York or Paris, where it is all but impossible to get a bad meal. I choose Cor Caliu for dinner because it was on... read more Start with the notion that Barcelona is not New York or Paris, where it is all but impossible to get a bad meal. I choose Cor Caliu for dinner because it was only two blocks from my hotel, and after walking all day, I did not want to venture far afield. Next time faced with such a dilemma, I will hail a taxi. The service here was not exactly bad, but neither was it awe inspiring. There was simply no attempt to hide the impression that the wait staff would have preferred to be anywhere but in the restaurant. I must confess that a glass of cava, served with an offering of assorted olives, was excellent. But things quickly deteriorated from that high point. A small **** salad was just a glob of tasteless ‘stuff’ hiding in plain sight of too much mayonnaise. Then came the main course, paella misto, arriving as a dark, dark hot plate of equally dark meat or fish of unknown origin with mussels that failed to open, clams that somehow did, tiny pieces of chicken and at least one prawn. The rest was all dark, way to dark rice. Increasingly, and surprisingly so, ordering paella in Spain is a **** shoot. I have had much, much better luck, as it where, in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan. But there was more, a glass of red house wine was wholly without character, redeeming or otherwise. I am sure that there are fine, fine dinners to be had at Cor Caliu, unfortunately, mine was anything but.

We dined here one evening while staying at a nearby hotel. We chose the special set menu of the day, and the food was fine overall but mostly average. Desserts... read more We dined here one evening while staying at a nearby hotel. We chose the special set menu of the day, and the food was fine overall but mostly average. Desserts were good. Midway through, our server ended his shift, and there was not too much lag before the next waiter attended us. Unfortunately we both had digestive issues later, despite choosing different dishes. We had not had lunch, so it’s hard to cast blame elsewhere. Probably this was a one-off for the restaurant, but the dining experience just didn’t add up for us.