Let’s take some of the highlights of the trip. Where else on earth can one taste some of the
deepest, sweetest, richest flavor that a certain “pig” is capable of
delivering? I am referring here to the ham made from acorn fed Iberian pig. In
this particular instance, the pleasure one derives from savoring the subtle
flavors of the pig coming from the CARRASCO Estate in Guijuelo is such that one
can close one’s eyes and thank the eternity. But in this particular instance,
we, i.e myself, my wife, and a good friend, did thank Josep Vilella, gourmet
extaordinaire, who made the private tasting possible. The tasting was for the
four of us, plus the importer of the species to Barcelona, Signor Xavier. We literally finished
half of the pig’s leg for breakfast in the boutique hotel Neri in the Barri
Gothic.
What we don’t have in gastroville is a system to rate
individual products and specialty restaurants.
It is pointless to compare, say Mannix with its amazing suckling lamb,
and lamb only, with Arzak or Can Roca! One classification that makes sense is
to give stars. Five stars should be reserved for the best example of a
category, four for a great example, three for good example, two for average and
one for poor. If this makes sense, I should say that the IBERIAN HAM from
Carrasco should be awarded five stars. Don’t miss it when you find it.
I would say the same about the PAELLA we had at PACO in the
small village of PINOSO
which is about a two hours drive from Valencia in the interior.
Admittedly it would not have been easy to find the place and without our
friend, Rogelio, and we could have failed to go there without his help. But,
IMO this “middle of nowhere” place run by a not so charming man and his
charming wife, who is the cook, is a destination restaurant. Cooked in the
traditional style over vine branches, each single grain of the rice is a
revelation. More interestingly, as your rice sits on the paella (the shallow
cast iron/aluminium pan where paella cooks), it continues to develop deeper
flavors, and it is a sacrilege to stir it to make eating easier. If you go
there, I recommend that you try the traditional version with wild rabbit and
mountain snails. You will see each grain you eat as the rice comes before you
in one layer, and in this sense it is very different than any other rice dish I
have had anywhere. There is a crusty
layer of toasted rice that forms at the edges, called “socorrat” and it is also
delightful. Would I consider a visit to Spain to eat paella at this level?
Absolutely. I don’t think you can find something in the same league anywhere
else.
Paco ranking: 5 stars
If you go that far, it is not a bad idea to have dinner
(paella is for lunch only) in PETRER, a town nearby, at the one star Michelin
restaurant called LA SIRENA. But don’t
try the creative dishes there. The nice lady, Mari Carmen Velez, who is
chef/owner is overreaching when she makes dishes complicated. Some dishes suffer either from poor
conceptualization or poor execution (such as a casserole of chipirones). In
return, classical dishes, especially the “suquet” is beyond reproach. But,
above all, this is a place to savor one of the delicacies of the marine world,
the incomparable GAMBAS OF DENIA. They come from an even deeper sea than the
celebrated Palomas prawns, and they equal the equally sweet and subtle Gamberi
di San Remo. At
La Sirena they are cooked perfectly (a la plancha) and are extremely fresh.
La Sirena ranking: 13/20
The celebrated CA’SENTO restaurant in Valencia is
another seafood place where the young chef Raul Alexandre tries to combine the
traditional cuisine that he inherited from his parents with new ideas he
learned from Feran Adria and company.
Presentations are more elaborate than La Sirena and plating is very
modern. So is the ambience and decoration.
I have some mixed feelings about Raul. There is no doubt that his
ingredients are top notch even by (very high) Spanish standards. There are
products, such as “datiles del
Mar” or sea dates, or Denia prawns (picture below) which are hard to get
elsewhere. He is great with the salt crusting technique, and his big Cigalas
cooked in a salt crust were outstanding (picture below). His traditional
seafood “fideua”, thin noodles crusted a la plancha (like a crepe) and mixed
with cuttlefish, squid, galera (like small langoustines) and a side aioli and
squid ink, is outstanding. If this is a take on a traditional dish, this is the
way Raul should evolve. On the other hand, he is more likely to evolve in the “creative”
dimension favored by the apostles of the avant garde, like Rafael Garcia
Santos, and unfortunately, the Guide Michelin, which now distributes stars like
lollipops and follows, rather than guides, popular tendencies. At any rate, the
modern dishes at Ca’Sento are a mixed bag. They range from beautiful, but
insubstantial (soft egg, ham gelee and caviar), to misconceived (gorgonzola
ravioli with low quality truffles), to pointless (steamed oyster topped by
dried seaweed which sticks to your gum).
On the other hand, a modern dessert, coconut sorbet, marinated excellent
strawberries, and a strawberry mousse is also outstanding and an apt harbinger
of the Spring weather to come.
Ca’Sento ranking: 15.5/20
There are, of course, seafood temples in Catalunya which,
though much less celebrated than the Valencian Ca’Sento, offer products which
are at least on par with Ca’Sento and cheaper, or much cheaper. A case in point
for the former category is JOAN GATELL in CAMBRILS, where the great chef Joan
Pedrell reigns. Everything is of outstanding quality. He has the “datiles del mar” which taste
more subtle than clams and more creamy than mussels (picture below). They are
harvested from the rocks even though their harvest has been banned. Pedrell
also serves fried tiny fish (“Chanquetes”) and “espardenyes” without any trace
of oil. His baked cigalas, finished like a “crepe Suzette” (by flambéing with
cognac) is good, if unorthodox. But one of the “piece de resistance” dishes is
the traditional ‘caldereta” of langouste, which is langouste cooked in
casserole with potatoes. I am especially fond of the sweet langouste, which,
disproving my fear, was not overcooked. I inquired about the provenance and
learned that it was caught in the Islas Columbretes, near the city of Castello, not far from Valencia. I was equally dumbfounded by the captivating
and tiny purple baby octopus (“Polpetta”) which is highly prized in the Spring
Season. I had three wonderful examples of this unique seafood dish (the other
examples being at Hogar Gallego and Con Fabes), and they were all
outstanding. The version at Joan Gatell,
grilled on wild rosemary skewers and splashed with “arbequina” olive oil and a
dash of freshly ground black pepper, became the standard bearer for me to
compare the other examples (picture below).
Talking about Gatell, one should be crazy to go all the way
to Cambrils and not literally lick the dish in which he serves his zesty
“romesco” sauce. We asked for a second actually!
Desserts are fair.
Joan Gatell ranking: 17/20
The other seafood temple that I have alluded too, and which
is cheaper than Ca’Sento and Pedrell, is a Galician stronghold in the
nondescript seaside town of CALELLA (one hour
from Barcelona)
called HOGAR GALLEGO. There, encouraged by the status and knowledge and
appetite of our friend Josep, the three of us went out whole hog and consumed
the following: local mussels, “oysters” from Galicia (good), “clams” from
Galicia (good), “sea urchins” from Galicia (outstanding), 1.9 kg “centollo” crab
from Galicia (outstanding +), 200 gram steamed Galician “percebes” (great),
super tender and juicy “razor clams” from Galicia a la planxa (picture
below), grilled “baby scallops” in the
shell (“zamburonas”) that are the sweetest imagineable and served with the roe
attached, local “espardenyes” which remind me of chipirones in taste but
perhaps with a more lingering aftertaste and a different, more chewy yet crisp
texture (picture below), sautéed “polpetta”, which I believe to be the pinnacle
of the octopus species, some Palamos “gambas” cooked under a salt crust, very
fresh and with feelers intact (had I not had the ones from Denia I would have
said unbelievable—maybe we become too spoilt), “coquinhas” (tallarines) which
are more subtle than clams in taste, and, to conclude, a thick piece of “ wild
turbot”, roasted on the bone, and served with wild asparagus (very good). Of
course we had some Galician cheese from raw cow’s milk, but went easy on
desserts. We washed all these down with my favorite Galician whites: 2001 Pazo
Senorans Seleccion, 2002 Pazo Senorans Seleccion and a vigorous if too young
2005 Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas. All were very good matches with the food and
serious wines, in their own right.
Hogar Gallego is a gem.
Hogar Gallego ranking: 17/20
While one can eat regal seafood in pristine condition in
Catalunya, it is also possible to have game and rustic meat dishes that one can
never find in the US and,
rarely, in France and Italy. When I
think of “no nonsense” sturdy cooking, imaginative yet steeped in tradition, my
favorite is a Michelin one star restaurant located in the mountain range close
to the town of Vic: CAN JUBANY in Calldetenes. Run by the
passionate chef Nando Jubany and his charming wife, this place which is a one
hour drive from Barcelona, is heads and
shoulders above the level of many Michelin one star restaurants located in Barcelona. Last November (2006), at the height of the
game season, we had the best “becada” (woodcock) of our trip at Can Jubany, so
expertly prepared that, had I closed my eyes, I would have guessed that I was
transported to the manicured village of Satigny near Geneve where hunter/chef
Chevrier at Chateauvieux concocts some of the best game preparations known to
me. I was equally impressed by the “lievre a la royale” at Can Jubany, even
though it was hard to savor its richness after becasse.
Chef Nando, unlike most other chefs, does not pay lip
service to the quality of ingredients. He means it. He refuses to serve “wild
mushrooms” not picked in the close mountain range the very morning he serves
them; his limited seafood offerings are always wild and line-caught; his game
has never been frozen, etc… In
mid-March, he delighted my wife and I, and our friend Mariano, with his truffle
dishes, especially the whole truffle in papillotte with potato and pancetta.
The quality of the truffle (from Teruel) was above-average, his preparations
wholesome and delightful. Even though we were critical of his “millefeuille of
truffe with caramelized apple and foie gras” (it was served too cold, apples
were raw, and the foie gras was tasteless), we licked our lips wolfing down the
“calcots”, a local marvel (tastes like a cross between a spring onion and a
leek, perhaps reminiscent of zucchini flowers, too, in its delicacy), grilled
on vine branches first and then finished on a hot tile. It was served with
precious local red gambas and, of course, romesco sauce (picture below).
Nando also excels in traditional “mountain and the sea” type
dishes, and he is a deft roaster. His, baked to order, “baby goat” with
artichokes, spring onions, broccoli flower, garlic and crumbles of butifarra
sausage, has been anchored in my memory as the equal of the great Cesare’s
version in Albaretto della Torre (near Alba). Equally delightful was his stew
of langoustines and various cuts from a pig’s head (ears, tongue, crane),
enriched by remarkable quality (thin shell) local beans (both pictures below).
And, I assure you, that Nando makes good desserts. If you are lucky, the artisanal Brie de Meau
like cheese from Lleida that he serves with truffles, truffle ice cream and
membrilla, will be available when you go there.
Can Jubany ranking: 17/20
It is possible that, when you are in Barcelona, you may wish to eat baby “churra”
breed lamb from Ribera. Don’t go to the Asadors mentioned in Michelin where you
will taste imported lamb (probably from New Zealand). The right address is
the restaurant ALAMBI at the Hotel Hesperia in Sant Jus Desvern where they
serve the three weeks old local lamb, and they expertly cook it in a wood-fired
oven. They also carry excellent Morcilla from Burgos. Perhaps this is not Mannix at
Campaspero, but it is very good.
Alambi ranking: 4 stars.
One “no miss” in Barcelona
is breakfast at the bar Pinotxo in Mercado where you can taste the tastiest
doughnuts in this planet called XuXo. The problem is that, you have to wake up
early enough to be there before 9 AM, if not 8 AM. Admittedly, I am an anathema to Admiral Nelson
who admonishes late risers, even though I admire the man’s dalliance with “My
Fair Lady” Emma. At any rate, the best is to have an elegant and gracious
friend who will get there on time and hang two XuXo on the door of your hotel
room so that you can have them when you wake up, but unfortunately, with lousy
coffee. (When will the Spanish learn to make good coffee?)
One thing to miss in Barcelona
is a visit to CA L’ISIDRE. It is possible that this pretentious bistro may have
seen better days. Presently, there are about 100 bistros in Paris, which are better and cheaper. Still,
they make a fine “foie gras ravioli” and “lamb brain” with caper vinaigrette.
But they re-heat the baby goat leg (dried out), and their bacalao is so so.
Desserts are fair. Prices are too high for the level. You can eat much better,
and cheaper, at the newer COURE, where the young team which came from
restaurant Neichel is preparing some fine dishes.
Ca L’Isidre ranking: 10/20
But there is no need to be concerned about having great food
in Barcelona,
as some of the best restaurants are about a 45 minutes drive away. Of these, we
had extolled the virtues of two of these before in Gastroville: HISPANIA in Arenys de Mar and CAN ROCA in Girona. We have repeated them head to head, on
March 21 and March 22, respectively.
I stand behind my ranking of HISPANIA. It is the
quintessential eatery if you want to understand what Catalunyan home cooking—at
its absolute best—is all about. If you don’t like Hispania, you don’t like
Catalunyan food, period. Notice the two pictures below from the recent trip:
fava beans with home made morcilla (blood sausage), and fresh peas with home
made botifurra sausage, simple but ethereal.
One rarely encounters, and I am afraid our descendents will not encounter,
vegetables of this quality, in the modern age.
Unfortunately, I can no longer stand behind my ranking of
Can Roca, and I have to re-consider it. My last meal there, before the March 22
dinner, was good, albeit not as otherworldly as the first two. But this very
last meal proved that there are some problems. Possibly, Chef Joan Roca is
overstrechted, overextended. What made him unique in the past was that he was a
master of finding complimentary tastes, while also introducing a contrasting
and interesting element in his dishes. He did this by respecting the integrity
and quality of ingredients. In the past, his search for aesthetic perfection
did not detract from deliciousness.
Unfortunately, although these qualities are still in
evidence in some dishes, such as “baby pigeon (from Northern
Italy) infused with subtle spices and served with red fruits and
agrumes coulis,” half of his current dishes have been plagued by various
problems. One type of problem is that some new creations consist of a pointless
take on a familiar theme, such as “oysters with solid cava,” a version of the
classic, “huitre au champagne”. Here,
the solid cava poured from the magnum is a jelly made from an emulsifier, the
so called “xantham gum” and the result is an utterly bitter, unsubtle taste.
Also too much is going on in this dish (cumin, curry, crumbles of pain d’epice,
caramelized apple) as if the chef could not make up his mind about what to
include and what to leave out.
There are also dishes which are pretty to look at, but
marred by extreme sweetness, such as “bonbon de langoustine,” where even a top
notch veloute of crustaceans could not balance the sweetness of the
sugar-caramel coating of the langoustine.
Similarly his “morue” with pumpkin and passion fruit suffers from an
average quality ingredient (pumpkin), and a fake pil pil sauce made by an
industrial stabilizer lacks the depth of the original. The dish is sweet and
shallow at the same time.
The worst, however, is when a dish is flavored by so many
flavors and aromas that our taste buds feel confused and overwhelmed. Such has
been the case with “moules avec Riesling” where six oysters are flavored,
respectively, with bergamot cream, apple and jasmin, lemon and cardamon and
coriander, peach and rose, distilled earth, and, white truffle oil. Some are
OK, but others end up leaving unsavory and artificial tastes (the last two). It
is as if Joan wanted to pull out all of his tricks at once. Or, rather, it is
as if his younger brother Jordi, who concocts interesting, if a bit corny
desserts, has mistranslated his ideas to savory courses. See his interesting
dessert which ended the meal, called Anarchy 2007, composed of 40 flavors, and
compare it with the mussel dish. Well, some “anarchy” on the plate is
refreshing, but too much of it is not necessarily in good taste. (The picture
of the mussel dish and the new dessert, which have a common conceptual base,
are below.)
Despite all that has been said about Can Roca, I should add
that for a wine lover like me, the brother Josep remains the best sommelier in Spain,
and one of the best that I have met. His matching of several wines for his
brother’s cooking was nothing but brillant. Joan also embarassed all of us,
upon our departure, by his lovely gift of his recent cookbook. I cross my
fingers that he will return back to good form and that I will be able to
proclaim, once again, that his cooking is inspired and delicious.
Can Roca ranking: 14/20
Well, it seems like fate, and Josep Vilella conspired to
save the best for the last. I am talking about CAN FABES, of course. I will not
go out on a limb and claim that my meal there was typical. Josep is a friend of
the house and is a most respected gastronome in Catalunya, and even though he
was not with us during the meal due to a last minute tragedy involving a
friend’s son, his involvment with the reservation should have made a big
difference. Also, that day, the great chef Santi was in the kitchen. If
HISPANIA is THE example of Catalunyan everyday cuisine, than, I guess, one can
say that CAN FABES is how the Catalunyan royalty must have eaten or what the
Catalunyan Haute Cuisine is all about.
To sum it up, Santi is a great saucier; he has an unfailing
sense of balance; he is a master of different techniques; and he has achieved
the level of perfection which is very rare. That is, this level of perfection
is achieved when the chef is able to make dishes look “extremely simple” while
the simplicity is actually deceptive, because it hides the laborous thought
process which underlies the creations.
And, Santi, is ingredient driven. Go there in winter and you
will have best mushrooms and game. In late Spring, try the local lamb.
How about mid-Spring? We had a symphony of clean and precise
flavors, which, like a crescendo, evolved from the zesty and sweet to more complex
and deep and earthy flavors. An “assortemen of amuses mostly based on
shellfish”, “local crab”, “bay scallops with gnocchi and truffles”, “pea tart with clams’, “angulas pil pil”, “pulpitos with fava
beans”, “cigalas”, “grilled duck liver with pear”, “butifarra with truffle and
perigourdine sauce” and “wild venison in pastilla”. Then came the best cheese
course in Spain,
followed by good desserts: a variation on agrumes and little chocolate filled
beignets (bunuelos). Needless to say,
one should finish with aged Armagnac and
coffee even though no room may be left for the petit fours.
Such a summary does not do justice to Santi’s greatness of
course. It is not a single dish that is most memorable (we ended up starring
half of them); it is the totality and the geniality of the progression. We have not encountered any single element in
a dish which was sub-par or not well thought out (with the exception of
re-heated pastilla). The Spanish truffles were clearly Melanosporum, and very
ripe and smokey at the end of the season. Some of the dishes contained an
interesting contrasting touch hidden in the dish (such as the crunchy pork skin
or chicarron with Cigalas or large langoustines). These contrasts were
memorable in terms of the restraint with which they were included in the dish
and served the role of calibrating our palate to appreciate the main
ingredient, rather than stealing the show. This is the hallmark of a great
chef. Other dishes, such as the tart and flan of peas with clams, struck me as
a teaching lesson, showing that one may introduce different textures and
temperature variations in a dish, NOT AS AN END IN ITSELF TO WOW, but as a
means to titillate taste buds and bring out all the complexities inherent in an
ingredient (in this case the peas, pictured below, whose taste was further
enhanced by the sweet clams which married beatifully).
I should add that there were dishes, such as angulas
(picture below) and the great baby octopus, pulpitos or polpets, where chef
Santi, unlike most young so called “celebrity chefs” understood that the
greatness was in retiring himself from the picture, while adding just a touch
of something which separates this level of cooking from, say, the a great Hogar
Gallego. And what a touch! The best olive oil and fresh garlic in pil pil sauce
combined with refreshing parsley that one can not buy from the local market.
Outstanding fava beans (same level as Hispania) and sprigs of fresh dill came
with polpets.
Finally, Santi is a great saucier. Both the perigourdine
sauce and the Burgundian winey sauce with the venison reminded me of the long
gone days where, instead of squirting colorful but sterile liquids misleadingly
called “sauce” from plastic bottles, chefs knew how to make a sauce and did not
take shortcuts. Well, I will not describe in length the butifarra sausage dish
which showcased a beautiful marriage between Melanosporum and the first
artichokes of the season, but I will say that if a rustic dish can be elevated
to a regal level, this must be it!
CAN FABES ranking: 18.5/20
Vedat Milor. April
2007
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