Ignasi Ravell founded this gourmet shop in 1929, and kept it running through the Franco years by having faith that even in the worst of times, some people will be willing to pay for the best of things. Now Ignasi’s son Josep runs this monument to the Catalan table. There’s always been a small area in the back where Can Ravell served a few plates (pork with snails, tortilla with sautéed green peppers) with drinks. But only regular customers know about the full restaurant upstairs. You have to go through the kitchen and climb a very narrow circular stair to reach the airy room filled with solid wooden tables with marble slab tops. The menu is brief, consisting of four starters and four main dishes selected by the chef that day after a visit to the market. In the summer the chef goes wild featuring one vegetable after another—a feast of green beans one week, of tomatoes the next. In the fall, you might find lentils stewed with pig’s ear and jowls, a roast quarter lamb (for two or three diners), and the popualr side dish of mashed potatoes with foie gras. The cellar here is very extensive, and includes literally dozens of cava choices in addition to still wines.