Barcelona maintains taste for innovation

Long a fine-dining favorite in Columbus, Barcelona Restaurant & Bar riffs on Spanish cuisine but leaves the door open for innovation.

Chef Jacob Hough, who’s been leading the kitchen for seven years, said he likes to create layers of flavor so that each bite is an adventure.

“We call ourselves Spanish fusion,” Hough said.

The Alaskan halibut ($36) is pan-seared and baked, then set atop a bed of smashed redskin potatoes. The fillet is topped with artichoke hearts and heirloom tomatoes; streaks of school-bus-yellow saffron aioli garnish the dish. What: Barcelona Restaurant & Bar Address: 263 E. Whittier St. Hours: lunch – 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays; dinner – 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Contact: 614-443-3699, www. barcelonacolumbus.com

New Zealand lamb chops ($33) are rubbed with arugula pesto and stacked over risotto flavored with idiazabal cheese, which lends a little smokiness to the dish. Oven-roasted tomatoes add color and acid.

The always-popular calamari ($13) has been augmented in recent years. Dredged in cornmeal and flour, the squid is flash-fried with shishito peppers and served with two dipping sauces: a tomato vinaigrette and a lemon-thyme aioli.

“The acidity of the tomato gives a nice balance to the calamari,” Hough said. “Then you almost get like a sweetness from the lemon and creaminess from the aioli.”

Located in German Village, Barcelona serves three types of paella, and the house-special paella ($34) is built in steps: first the rice, sofrito and saffron, followed by peas, piquillo peppers, chicken, house-made chorizo, shrimp, squid, mussels and clams.

The sea scallops ($36), an enduring customer favorite, offer a half-pound of hardseared bivalves paired with hickory-smoked bacon, dates, lima beans, a touch of chili flake and a drizzle of reduced heavy cream.

For those looking for tapas, the Spanish small plates, Hough recommends the braised short rib ($12) with a blue-cheese sauce made from the pan jus and garnished with a green-olive aioli and crispy-fried leeks.

Pastry chef Stephanie Kincaid makes all breads and desserts from scratch. For a twist on a classic dessert, the pineapple upsidedown banana-bread cake is enhanced with coconut butter and vanilla coulis and served with a scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream.

“It’s not really that heavy,” Hough said of the dessert.