Grilled Ham and Cheese

It sounds like a simple sandwich, and it's one of my favorites. Here in Spain they call them bikinis. I have no idea why. Usually the sandwich consists of white sandwich bread, ham (jamón dulce, as they call it here), and some kind of white, melty sandwich cheese. Put it in a panini press or on the grill and voilá! However, tonight I had a bikini elevated to the highest, gourmet standards of bikini-dom. The cheese was gooey and deliciously nutty, not your ordinary sandwich cheese. The ham was of the serrano variety, I believe, and impossibly tender. The bread was still some kind of white sandwich bread, probably from a bakery, though, or baked on site. What made this bikini better than all other bikinis I have tried was the addition of the tiniest bit of black truffle and what looked like some sort of wine glaze. Bikini heaven! I was skeptical when the waiter recommended it, especially because my dining companion would not be sharing since she doesn't eat ham. I thought, really? I'm going to eat a bikini at one of the hottest tapas restaurants in Barcelona? I do not regret saying yes to the waiter. In addition to the bikini, I also tried some lovely roasted and perfectly salted chunks of eggplant drizzled with honey and lime. And some of the better pan con tomate I have had here in Barcelona. I'm just sad I didn't try Tapas 24 sooner, especially considering I lived across the street from the place for a whole week in August and never went in. I will add it to the permanent rotation now that I know it's there.