Peter B. wrote: |> It's pretty much impossible to get "authentic" Spanish food in the States. |> What you get here is slightly modified Portugese cuisine, with a |> ridiculously heavy emphasis on beef, which is practically non-present in |> native Spanish and Portugese food. Being from Spain, I agree that I have not found "authentic" Spanish food in the US, and that includes Mallorca. However I would say that beef is quite common in native Spanish food. |> Paella is a very over-rated dish; it's essentially peasant food, |> think "stew". I don't think this is true. Paella is served in many restaurants (high and low) and eaten in many households particularly on sundays or celebrations, which is not usually the case with stews. It is the regional dish of Valencia. And it is very enjoyable to have some on a summer day at one of the chiringuitos by the beach. I have been twice to Mallorca (note the spelling!!!) and enjoyed it. Maybe very crowded, noisy and too long a wait, but that makes it even more authentically Spanish. The quality was a little bit worse the second time (a a year ago). Although the names of the dishes are very Spanish, the food itself is not that authentic. Some dishes are closer to Portuguese than Spanish, as is the way they serve them: large amounts, vegetables and fries on the side. Spanish restaurants almost never serve those large amounts. I don't think the paella is that good (it has never been one of my favourite dishes), although some of my Spanish friends liked it. The baby goat (cabrito), other meat dishes and some appetizers we ordered were quite good.
Pittsburgh, PA