The location: Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats) - an elegant restaurant in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona well-known for its food, wine, and famous former patrons, including Pablo Picasso (who held one of his first solo shows here and even designed the menu).
The time: Perfectly in line with Spanish standards, we arrived cooly at 9pm. As we all walked inside, the small entryway opened up into a large room complete with a second story balcony, a baby grand piano, and a sea of vested waiters bustling around the tables.
The cuisine: After the wine and water were poured, we were treated to a variety of traditional Catalonian tapas including pan con tomate, tasting olives, chilled salmon with pesto, mussels, and a plate with slices of various local sausages. For the main course, the vegetarians of the group were served a delicious pasta and vegetable combination, while the rest of us did our best to work the slightly undercooked (but surprisingly still savory) fish. For dessert, we were offered espresso and a sparkling champagne and lime beverage topped off with a delightful mint leaf.
The night: During dinner, there was much discussion to be had, particularly about how wonderful the restaurant was - John was so inspired he suggested we rent out the entire place for our farewell dinner! A camera was passed from table to table for people to make images of the evening, and it is there photos that appear at the beginning of this post. After all the wine and food had been deliciously consumed, we all headed into the night for another magical Barcelona evening!
