By SANDRA GUZMAN
Last updated: 2:41 pm
August 11, 2008
Posted: 12:00 am
August 6, 2008
Spain is unquestionably having its moment. Javier Bardem nabbed an Oscar earlier this spring, the country's national team won the Euro Cup last month and most recently, Rafael Nadal took home the Wimbledon crown.
This month, the onslaught of all things España continues as New York-centric director Woody Allen's latest movie, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," hits theaters.
The dramedy, which explores love and sex in neurotic Allen style against the backdrop of the gorgeous and elegant city of Barcelona, will leave you craving for the regal town's sensual and tasteful streets, its masterful Gaudi-esque architecture and its formidable wine and cuisine.
If you can't fly across the Atlantic, we've got you covered. Here's a taste of the magnificent capital city of Catalunya found right here in the Big Apple.
Wear
Walk into the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's SoHo boutique and you'll feel like you've been teleported to fashionable La Rambla del Raval. If Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró had a daughter in the fashion business, we suspect she'd make clothes just like this Barcelona native. De la Prada creates vibrant, fun, quirky and very wearable fashions for men, women and kids. Her fanciful fans - a must in Spain all year round- are to die for.
135 Wooster St. at Prince Street, (212) 598-4078.
Eat
Macondo, a new eatery on a hipster pocket of Houston Street, celebrates comida de la calle, Latin American street food. But here, it's gone gourmet and the result is delicioso. While the theme at this dreamy little spot focuses on staple plates from all over South and Central America and the Caribbean, the use of the porrón for communal drinking is unmistakably españa. Olé! This sensual carafe is the wine version of a hookah or bong. Fill it with your choice from the well-stocked natural fruit juice, wine or liquor bar, chug and pass to your tablemates. Since you don't touch the tip - if done expertly, that is - you can drink happily and bond Barcelona-style without freaking out about catching a disease.
Macondo, 157 Houston St., between Allen and Eldridge streets, (212) 473-9900.
Drink
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