La Boveda (1), Palma de Mallorca

I was just at La Boveda in November 2007. This place seemed like it would be great but it was AWFUL! First of all, I understand that people smoke a lot in Spain, but this place was so smoky that my eyes were bloodshot when I left. The main issue that I have was the cleanliness of the restaurant. A female prep cook had a very very bad cold (probably bronchitis) and was coughing without covering her hand. At one point I went to the Ladies room and was waiting for the single female bathroom…I heard a flush, then a blowing of the nose, then a cough attack and then she (THE Cook!!) left the bathroom…NO WASHING OF THE HANDS!! Gross! I then watched as the guy working behind the counter continually sampled the food with his hands…then a water carrying mussels in a red sauce lost balance and the sauce spilled and covered his thumb…as a remedy he put his ENTIRE thumb into his mouth and sucked it off. This was just the stuff that I witnessed. I have to say that OUR waiter was lovely, but the rest of the crew was so dirty! The food was mediocre at best. Long wait WITH a reservation. I heard La Pinto would have been a better choice.