There seems to be a buzz around Spanish cuisine today. From television shows to local Spanish tapas restaurants the world has finally realized that Spanish cuisine is just as extraordinary as Italian or French cuisine...perhaps even better.

Of course, I am pretty biased. Spain has an extra special place in my heart! I spent a semester living in Seville, Spain. And let me tell you...I fell in love with the cuisine and the culture. I remember fondly my Spanish Madre, Lola, taking extra special care of me. She would often cook these simple- yet elegant dishes. Some of my favorite dishes and ingredients included Spanish olive oil, paella, tortilla de patata, sangria and jamon iberico! Let me tell you- she fed me better than my own mother!

Recently, I have longed for Spanish food more than ever. Perhaps its because I have been watching he show"Spain- On The Road Again". The show- which airs on PBS- is a culinary tour de Espana with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, Mark Bittman and Claudia Bassols. These lucky individuals get to travel across the different regions of Spain and taste the different dishes from the specific regions. As you can imagine, watching this makes me want to get on a plane and fly to Spain. Unfortunately, this is not a reality.

So, when I heard that Carnivale, located at 702 W. Fulton Market, was doing a "Tour of Spain", I nearly jumped out of my seat to make a reservation. Now, let me just reiterate, as mentioned above, there is almost no food as decadent, as savory and as delicious as Spanish cuisine. So, rather than being too jealous of Paltrow, Batalia and crew, I decided to head to Carnivale for my own Spanish food fix.

Now I know what you are thinking- Carnivale is known from its "Latin-inspired cuisine"...how can Chef Mark Mendez possibly deliver on Spanish cuisine? Well let me tell you...he delivered. Instead of just offering some of the most common Spanish dishes, Chef Mendez had a few choice ingredients on this menu.

I would recommend ordering the Pata Negra, which is a thinly sliced 36-month cured ham. If you like Jamon Iberico you will like this ham. These acorn-fed, free-range pigs stick to a strict diet,with proper excercise, to ensure an extremely delicious cut of meat. You can enjoy this ham, along with cranberries and marcona almonds as Carnivale tours the Extramadura region.

For one of the few times in my life...I actually skipped the dessert so that I could try some spanish artisinal cheeses. They were absolutely amazing! They come on a wooden platter, as pictured below, and offer a great mix of popular - Spanish Manchego- and somewhat unique -Blue Goat- cheeses.

If you are interested in some of the more traditional Spanish dishes, Carnivale offers those as well. In addition, we also had an opportunity to sample some of their Latin inspired appetizers. My husband's favorite bite of the night was the Ropa Vieja, which was a braised beef appetizer with sweet plantains, spicy mayo, and queso fresco.  It was so tender.

If you are interested in checking out the "Tour of Spain" at Carnivale, here is information on the culinary tour and the remaining dates:

Cataluna & Valencia - Week of 12/15/08

Madrid & Castilla La Mancha- Week of 1/12/09

Extramadura & Andalucia- Week of 2/19/09

Buen Provecho!