Sitting on my bookcase is an authentic, decorated porrón from Restaurante Sole in Barcelona, Spain. This traditional glass wine pitcher, or in my case, carafe, was inherited from my mother, who used to regale me with tales of her travels, particularly Spain in the early 1950s.
She told me the restaurant gave her this porrón, which is used to drink wine without the vessel touching your lips. This invention allows everyone to drink from the same porrón, though it does require a bit of skill to avoid spilling the liquid onto clothing.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into the new Telefèric Barcelona restaurant in Fashion Island and saw several small porróns displayed next to a wall of Spanish wines. I had a feeling I was about to have an authentic experience, and I was right.
Telefèric Barcelona had invited a handful of local media outlets, including the Newport Beach Indy, to experience the restaurant’s menu and ambiance.
Brother-and-sister co-founders Xavi and Maria Padrosa, residents of Barcelona, were in town for the media event. Their flagship location is in Spain, but they then opened locations in California and Arizona, including Walnut Creek (similar demographics to Newport Beach minus the ocean), Los Angeles, Long Beach, La Jolla, and now Newport Beach. They have a total of nine restaurants in the U.S. and two in Spain.
“Years ago, when we saw this mall, we fell in love with the location, with the energy that we felt here in Newport Beach,” said Xavi Padrosa. “We felt that we were in Barcelona. Getting a place at Fashion Island was hard, but we had the opportunity, liked the location, and we’re so happy. It’s a great location.”
Xavi said the Telefèric Barcelona menu has evolved over time.
“We bring our chef from Spain, the manager is from Spain, the ownership is from Spain, so we try to keep it as authentic as we can, but you have to twist it because you’re not serving Spanish people; you’re serving Americans,” noted Xavi. “There is a diversity of culture. We keep the menu very fresh, very authentic, as if you were transported to Barcelona.”
Xavi explained that “Newport Beach immediately felt different to us. The coastal breeze, the Mediterranean light, the energy of the people and the connection to the ocean remind us so much of Barcelona. We didn’t want this restaurant to feel like simply another Telefèric location – we wanted it to feel like it truly belongs here. There’s something about Newport that feels very familiar to us. Barcelona is also a city where the beach, food, beautiful weather and social life all come together, and we feel that same energy here. This location has its own personality, and from the beginning we wanted to create something unique that reflects both Barcelona and Newport Beach.”
To make sure we all had a taste of the Telefèric Barcelona menu, we sampled a dozen dishes, from appetizers to desserts.
Among the delicious dishes: Wagyu empanadas, Iberian oysters, crab croquetas, tuna tacos, gambas al ajillo (garlic-infused prawns in olive oil), Iberian corn-fed ham, Spanish toasted bread with chorizo butter, and lobster paella with Canadian lobster, Gulf shrimp, and octopus. Oh—and a trio of sweet bites including churros, torrija and orange mousse.
If I have any favorites, they’d be the paella, the prawns, and the crab croquetas, although each dish was wonderful in its own way.
And did I mention the cocktails? They have several seasonal cocktails and five classics. My favorite was called the Fancy a Carrot? Ingredients: fig leaf-infused tequila, carrot cordial, sherry, oregano, and spicy agave. But based on the response from fellow diners, you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Telefèric Barcelona Newport Beach is located at 311 Newport Center Dr. (in the former Hopdoddy location). For more information, visit www.telefericbarcelona.com.
