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Fridays are great because they mean you’re just two days away from having brunch. Or in the case of Barceloneta, which serves the breakfast/lunch mashup both Saturday and Sunday, T-minus 24 hours from indulging in a Spanish croque-monsieurs, Ibérico croquetas, and torrijas with quince butter.
Disclaimer: Sunset Harbour is undergoing some serious construction and looks like a war zone, but don’t let that stop you from hitting up Barceloneta for the $35 brunch special, which includes a tasting of six items from the bistro, coffee, and dessert sections of the menu. A minimum of two people is required to partake of the feast.
What’s brunch without cocktails? Barceloneta is mixing up gazpacho bloody marys, gin-spiked white sangria with passionfruit, and the archetypal red sangria. Take your pick, try all three, or go bottomless for $25.
Esqueixada ($14) might not be your typical Miami brunch item, but in Spain, the Catalan-style ceviche is ultra-refreshing after a night of binge drinking. It usually includes bacalao, but Barceloneta is changing things up with a wahoo rendition that mixes the minced and marinated fresh seafood with pearl onions, grated tomato, and black olives.
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Pulpo a feira ($16) literally translate to “fire octopus,” which this is. The flawlessly cooked multilegged creature is submerged in fingerling potato foam with a piquillo emulsion. The dish gets a fiery kick from chorizo and pimenton de la Vera (a type of Spanish paprika), which isn’t overpowering thanks to a tomato confit that balances it out and cuts through it with pleasing acidity.
Eggs Benedict ($12) gets the Spanish treatment by way of serrano ham but has been Americanized courtesy of a potato roll instead of the quintessential English muffin.
Wagyu tartare — made with Australian Wagyu beef, herb sabayon, mustard, and crisp capers, then topped with apples — is everything you want from a tartare and then some.
Barceloneta proffers a selection of “tostas,” or flatbreads. Think the typical Catalan dish pan con tomate (on its own or with Ibérico ham) and a play on France’s claim to sandwich fame, the croque-monsieur ($10). This Spanish-French rendition tops rustic bread with serrano ham, Black Forest ham, Mahón cheese, and mornay sauce (a play on béchamel, with grated Parmesan and Gruyère worked into the mix). It oozes with goodness.
After you’ve had your run with savory, cross over to the sweet side with waffles topped with berries, maple syrup, and vanilla mascarpone cream.
Or try the torrijas ($8). The Spanish-style French toast is served with apple/maple syrup for dipping and crowned with quince butter for even more flavor.
