“Be vewy vewy quiet…”
This restaurant in the very lively neighborhood of Poble Sec, not far from Las Ramblas or Placa Espanya, was a truly marvelous find by my cousin. As we entered we were in an atmospheric room of wine barrels. When we were greeted we were encouraged to help ourselves to a free glass of their current batches straight from the barrels. Free wine is a great place to start! We were brought into this cool dining area that oozed old world charm with a slightly modern touch. We came for their noted rabbit, but we started with snails. My cousin had never eaten them, and I only had in France. They came in a brown meaty broth, that I would find out later was a rabbit broth, a Catalan dish. They were little like French escargot. They were very earthy, enhanced by the broth. I prefer the French preparation but I must admit to appreciating the different taste that this imparted. Delicious! We also ate a bowl of the most savory olives we had ever had. Honestly both my cousin and I could have just made a dinner out of them! The main course however was a perfectly seasoned, lightly fried, rabbit for two. The bowl smelled amazing! Rosemary, and other spices filled our noses and palettes. The entire rabbit was used. My cousin ate the head and I ate the bunny tail. When we got the big bowl of bunny, it looked daunting. But we had no problem enjoying every piece and though satisfied, we were sad when there was no more to eat. The service at the restaurant was very good. They were busy but had plenty of time to answer our questions, and even carry a conversation in Castillian with someone who desperately needed the practice! Moreover, our waiter really appreciated that two Americans enjoyed a completely non-American meal of snails, rabbit, and homemade wine with such gusto. It was amplified when we got the bill, which was a fraction of what it would have been back in New York. Next time I am in Barcelona, I will try to stay in the Poble Sec neighborhood, and definitely go back to Can Margarit. Watch out Bugs!
