HOUReview
photo credit: Richard Casteel
BCN Taste & Tradition
Included In
Interested in sipping Spanish vermouth while staring at beautiful art? You should be when BCN Taste & Tradition is involved. Converted from a Mission-style bungalow, the Montrose restaurant feels birthed from the coupling of a private art collector and a wine freak’s fancy homage to late-night meals in Barcelona (why, yes, that’s a very real Joan Miró at the entrance). This place shines in three key areas: sensual ambiance, gin and tonic variations, and the number of original art on the walls that are a great backdrop for all the incredible Spanish ham you’ll devour.
BCN radiates pure romance and quiet luxury. It’s definitely fancy, but as fancy as you want to be. Come in a full Prada fit, or just a pair of well-fitted jeans. Whether you sit at the tiny bar or table bathed in warm light, every meal at BCN starts with complimentary bread and Spanish chorizo. It’s simple, but feels decadent thanks to the teensy salt cellar and miniature olive oil carafe that go with them. Fancy things, after all, must be small.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
The pages-deep menu opens up into plates of grilled octopus, pickled anchovies, gazpacho with infinitesimal diced tropical fruit, and, you guessed it, ham. Most dishes are traditional Catalan cuisine executed successfully, like the crispy skin branzino. Others are modern riffs and specials that spin in a less tasty direction, like the overly icy salted cod ceviche.Even though some dishes can be hit or miss, the dinner experience still feels like a sexy little secret we want to get in on. Everyone, from the staff to the diners, has an air of mystery or intrigue, as though you’re witnessing international art thieves on a clandestine rendezvous, or are a bystander in a soft whisper perfume ad. The sultry mood and dreamy space just makes being here feel kind of hot.
So let yourself get swept up in the ambiance, admire the priceless works of art hanging around the low-lit dining rooms, and drink one (maybe two) exquisitely composed gin and elderflower tonic with manzanilla sherry. You’re at BCN for a date, anniversary, or just because you really love ham.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Julie Soefer
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Food Rundown
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Gin And Tonic Service
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Bread Service
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Spanish Iberico Ham And Toasted "Pa Amb Tomaca"
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Fresh Cherry Gazpacho
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Grilled Spanish Octopus
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Grilled Wild Caught Branzino
photo credit: Richard Casteel