went to this restaurant last night with fiona as my date. found it in my restaurantes de barcelona book. i had heard of a nice italian in this neighborhood, so i figured we would try it. well, the location leaves something to be desired. i ended up driving around looking for parking and then showed up 25 minutes late for the reservation. they were not too pleased. sat upstairs in the back room. crowd was a nice 30 something with money lot. the menu has a nice mixture of italian greats. delicious carnes and pastas seem to be the speciality.

decided on a simple rucola and parmesan with balsamic salad. they even added a nice little pear on top (which fiona ate). then for the second course. TAGLIATA DI FILETTO ALL´ACETO BALSAMICO. oh my. i wasn’t expecting this to be so fantastic. the meat was tender and perfectly seared with just enough blood in the middle to melt in your mouth. topped off with balsamic vinegar and a side of roasted potatoes and green beans. very simple plate of food, but probably one of the best pieces of meat i have had in spain. i was so convinced by this course that i even opted for a dessert (which i never do). we tried the tiramisu. another course of creamy perfection!

the staff was friendly and helpful (and did i mention the cute waiter). a bit confusing when they were speaking italian, spanish, and english to us, but that is our stupid fault…

the only thing that is less desirable than the location is the bill at tramonti 1980. trust me, you end up paying for such a mouthwatering meal. but if you live by my motto - if you have, spend it - then you won’t be disappointed.

visit the tramonti 1980 website.