THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Barcelona Fine European Dining

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Barcelona Fine European Dining Restaurant Review:

Houston is a food town. Katy is, well, the ’burbs. All the more reason to welcome this unlikely gem 20 miles west of the big city. Calling its cuisine European fine dining, it leans heavily on Spanish food, as the name suggests, but also blends other flavors of the Mediterranean into its menu. A wide range of tapas (small bites) includes the standard cheese, sausages and olives, as well as such savory starters as escargots in an anchovy-garlic-butter sauce, mushrooms stuffed with chorizo and cream cheese and mussels in a lemon white wine sauce. Also drawing from the depths of Spanish tradition are Barcelona’s paellas, featuring the aromatic saffron, worth more than its weight in gold. Don’t miss the house specialty with lobster, jumbo shrimp and other fresh seafood. It requires 24-hour notice, but is worth the wait. Other entrées, such as grilled quail, roasted duck, sautéed chicken and a wide range of beef, pork and veal sizzle too, thanks to the chef’s tantalizing European sauces. Try the mixed grill’s rich Cognac sauce or the pork tenderloin’s tangy mustard-sherry sauce. All of these succulent dishes are served in a romantic, yet rustic country atmosphere of stucco arches, Spanish artwork, rough wood and candles. But be sure to dress for the occasion. Barcelona enforces a European code of honor---no sneakers and no shorts.