For 25 years, I have told my friends about the indescribably delicious Calamare a la Plancha that I remember from my first visit to Barcelona in 1989. I would tell people that the little squid jumped out of the ocean onto the grill, they were so fresh, tender and delicious. And in the subsequent 25 years, with every visit, I have failed to find anything that lived up to my rose-colored gastronomic memories. Until yesterday…
A rainy fall day, drowsy wandering in search of a last minute Halloween request from Anabel, no energy or expectations of momentous discoveries. But Mindy and I decided to lunch at the Santa Caterina market for some quick easy tapas. A bit crowded at the joint where we had intended to eat, so we grabbed two seats at the bar of the next place, La Torna. A glass of tinto, some pan con tomates and the recommendations of the frenetic sole waitress who covered the entire bar area. “Fish, get fish today.” So we picked out our favorites – Esquiexade de bacalao, Bunyols, Peix Catalan and, why not, Calamare a la planxa.
It came early, after the Esqueixada, (which was good). A plate of small bodies with a nice sear and a tangle of crisp tentacles. As my fork pressed surprisingly easily through the gentle flesh, the clouds parted, rays of sunlight burst through onto the plate, and I swear music played as I took the first bite. I am NOT CRAZY. This perfectly cooked Calamare was exactly as I remember it from the summer of 1989. 
The rest of the meal was good, but couldn’t stand up to the rapture of finally recapturing my memory and realizing that the search was worth the wait.
Tapas and JAM 
Yum!
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