Enigma
If you like an adventure than this restaurant is for you. The wonderful chefs prepare foods that you know and a lot that you don't but every dish is a wonderful surprise. 

A few standouts for me were the green mandarin Kakigori, Barnacle and codium, pea "calcots", the cured Lobster, and the Autumn salad.

Disfrutar
During our visit to we opted for the Disfrutar Classic menu. I can completely understand why the restaurant is No 9 on the World's 50 Best Restaurant List.

A few standouts from the meal were the frozen passion fruit ladyfinger, the black cauliflower with coconut lime bechame, hare and foie gras bonbons, and the chocolate peppers with oil and salt.

Tapeo Born
​The Born neighborhood is filled with great restaurants and Tapeo was one of our favorites. 

Our two favorite dishes were the eggplant with lime and honey and the fideua. Fideua is similar to paella but made with small pieces of thin pasta. Don't forget to order a glass of Lustau blanco vermut to end the meal. 

Bar Joan
Inside Mercat Santa Caterina is the unassuming and highly underrated Bar Joan. We dined here twice during our stay in Barcelona and would definitely go back. 

My favorite dish and it's one I make at home now is the comforting and slightly spicy chorizo stew.

Demasie
What could be better than fresh, soft, gourmet cinnamon rolls that are flavored with real ingredients. Don't think about the calories but do go and try one of the amazing cinnamon rolls. Demasie also offers vegan options that are amazing.

Las Fritas
Inside the small shop you will find friendly staff, a cool environment and delicious french fries.

My favorite were fries topped with garlic aioli and spicy sauces. We also recommend the garlic aioli and Jamon. 

December 2019
​I had such high hopes for our New Years Eve dinner at Kamakura but I left with mixed feelings. We were seated at the Chef's counter right away (no coat check, unfortunately). Our server greeted us and along with our Kaiseki 10 dinner, we upgraded our Wagyu as well as added the beverage pairing. There was a long wait from when we placed our order and when our beverages and amuse-bouche arrived. This would be the theme for the night. Throughout the night our server was also the sommelier and he would bounce between the 4 of us at the counter and the 6 other guests at tables across the room. We would either be waiting for our beverage or looking at our food and waiting for it to be brought to us all night long. I would suggest the restaurant to either let the chefs serve the food to the counter or higher a sommelier. 

The food itself was for the most part good. I feel that some of the dishes would have been better if they were served at the temperature the chefs plated it (you could see the frustration on the chef's faces as well. The Wagyu could have used more color on it, the chawanmushi was overly flavored with orange, and the burgundy truffles with the cod were bland. My favorite dishes were the sushi selection. The accompaniments to the fish were outstanding. I also loved the fish cake dish which completely surprised me. 

What truly disappointed me was the way the restaurant ended the night. During our meal (probably around our cod course) the staff starting putting away clean dishes on the counter in front of us as well as the shelves behind their station. Next came the washing of dishes and the grill area while we are still eating. Having the noise of dishes being stacked in front of you, the sink running, and the chef scrubbing a grill a foot away from you during a $$$$ meal isn't acceptable.  I have dined at several chefs counter and been there late at night (Tasting Counter, Morimoto, O Ya, etc) and have never had this occur.

December 2019
Before heading to a show in Salem we decided to have dinner at Ledger. Our reserved table wasn't ready yet so we sat at the bar for a cocktail.

After a while, we decided to just dine at the bar. We never mind sitting side by side and sometimes the atmosphere at the bar is a lot more fun for dinner.

I personally like steak tartare chopped a little more but the dish was good. A little more horseradish cream and finer cut would have made it great. I will forever want Ledger's smoked cocktail sauce that accompanied our oysters. It was incredibly flavorful.

Our last dish was the spicy pork belly. We both loved the flavor of the dish and appreciated the crunch of the vegetables against the melt in your pork. ​

October 2019

Our party of 4 made dinner reservations at Mystique inside Encore Casino. We were seated right away and welcomed by our server. 

While perusing the menu we ordered cocktails. The menu is intriguing and it enticed into order 3 appetizers. The warm Uni toast was buttery but I would have loved some fresh herbs with it. The chicken skin from the Robata Grill was outstanding. It was crispy and a touch salty. The pork belly was good but not memorable. 

We splurged and ordered the dry-aged Wagyu tomahawk. There was a little too much fat left on the steak for our group but this was a delicious entree. Throughout our meal, we kept seeing desserts go past our table. The desserts looked whimsical and definitely creatively plated. Unfortunately, the desserts ended up being more style than substance. The flavors and textures of the desserts could have been a lot better.

After dinner and before gambling could commence we enjoyed the beautiful weather by walking outside along the river. Inside the casino, I ended up have some luck. It was a terrific end to our night.