GASTROMONDIALE

CHEZ PANISSE: BEST RESTAURANT IN AMERICA?

Ranking: 18/20.

A friend who has a discerning palate  and who is a serious wine critique once said that the Chez Panisse philosophy is akin to the best producers of Bourgogne.  That is, some legendary wine makers try to do the least possible to influence the wine and instead let the wine make itself as much as possible.

It is true that the hallmark of Chez Panisse cooking is to spotlight the ingredients and not the chef. This is the gist of Alice Waters’ philosophy who is inarguably the most influential person shaping the course of the farm to table movement in America.

There is nothing like success that breeds its discontents.   There are basically three criticisms leveled against this Berkeley CA institution.  Some people allege that the cooking is “too simple too safe”.  Others contend that albeit Chez Panisse led the “quality of the product first” revolution,  there are now so many restaurants throughout the United States which have adapted the same motto and one can find equally good products elsewhere.  Finally there are those who claim that the restaurant is now “démodé”, that is, it is no longer a harbinger of culinary trends.

There may be some fragments of truth in all of these claims.  However, I disagree with all three.

IBAI: A STUNNING PRODUCT RESTAURANT IN DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN

RANKING:  5 STARS (Casual Category)

Date Visited: Nov. 20, 2009

Address:  C/Guetaria 15

Tel: 943 42 87 64

SUMMARY:  I admit that it is a bit bizarre to call a restaurant  “a product restaurant” , because all such establishments should utilize top notch products.  However, even in Spain, where one can find higher quality meat and fish/shellfish compared to any other country in the Western world, very few restaurants truly excel in product quality.  Those familiar with the Basque country and especially with Etxebarri should know that one eats very well in this part of the world.

Well, I would claim that, even Etxebarri, truly a great restaurant, is not in par with Ibai in terms of the sheer quality of products across the board.   I ate several times in Etxebarri  (see….) and twice in Ibai, and, IMO, Ibai is not only the best restaurant in the Basque country and in Spain, but it is one of the most consistent  and best places to eat ultra fresh vegetables and fish/shellfish anywhere in the world.  The chef-owner, (whose photo is  below, together with my friend Josep Vilella and I who made my second visit to this restaurant possible) of Ibai is a great artisan-cook and his timing and precision leaves one speechless.  Unfortunately the photos do not do justice to Ibai, since this is basically a rustic-country style restaurant and the emphasis is not placed on plating.

WINE RATING STANDARDS: AGAINST DUMBING DOWN

Professions develop their own standards.

Often these standards reflect their self-interests and hide serious flaws.

Unfortunately the wine ranking systems which are widely in use don’t  reflect the inherent qualities of the wine in question.

This is the case for both the 100 point US system and the 20 point system.

The main problem is that many mediocre wines receive at least 15 or 16.   (I believe the 100 point-system is basically a 20 pointer since no wine receives a lower grade than 80.)

The prevailing system is favorable to bad products (which should be called wine-products rather than wine), and consequently it is biased against truly great wines because it presents the gap between the two as a minor quantitative difference.  That is, the very best receives a 19.5 whereas many wines which should be dumped in the sink receive a 16 or even a 16.5.

PIAZZA DUOMO IN ALBA

RANKING:  14/20

DATE VISITED: Nov. 29, 2009

ADDRESS: p.zza risorgimento 4. Alba

TELEPHONE: 0173 366 167

SUMMARY:  Chef Enrico Crippa is one of the most highly regarded chefs today in Italy, and he was recently crowned with the second Michelin star.  While it is true that he is a promising chef, his cooking is uneven and sometimes it is too fussy and unfocused.  On the other hand, the highs are also quite high and even the failed dishes attest to the intelligence of Crippa.

The restaurant consists of only five to six tables and its decoration may not be to everybody’s taste. The service is formal and attentive, but one is surprised by the absence of a knowledgeable sommelier.  I ordered the 2005 Silex Dagueneau from the list, but the sommelier brought the 2006 and was genuinely surprised to hear that the difference mattered. He would have opened it had I not been careful.

I was also surprised by the lack of communication between the dining stuff and the chef.  One dish, spaghetti cacio e pepe, did not contain a detectable amount of the promised cacio.  I asked twice to the waiters to inquire the chef about it, but never got a response to my inquiry.

On the other hand, when the bill came, I noticed that the two glasses of Barolo we had ordered with the partridge and the cup of champagne we shared were offered by the restaurant.

This restaurant probably deserves one Michelin star and the two stars may have been a bit premature.

CAN ROCA

Ranking:  16/20

LAST VISIT:  NOV. 17, 2009

SUMMARY:   We had one very good and one great meal here in the summer of 2007.  Then, in 2008, our meal was disappointing at the time the Roca brothers were trying to find a new place for the restaurant. Now the restaurant moved to a new location in Girona, and they have recently been awarded a 3^rd Michelin star.  The new room is airy and tables are spaced, but some may call it “soulless” and too rectangular.   On the other hand, the service is attentive.  They have designed a  very nice wine cellar where, Josep Roca,  whose taste in wine is unquestionably remarkable, reigns.  The wine cellar is organized in terms of major wine regions, such as Bourgogne, Bordeaux, Priorat,  Tuscany…, and  they have created a different theme for each sub-section of the cellar to emphasize its unique terroir. I think a visit to the cellar is a must after your meal.  To my taste, the design of the restaurant makes it more appropriate for a business lunch than for a romantic dinner.

Roca’s cooking has always  technically very elaborate but also delicious.  He often subjects the same dish to multiple cooking techniques.  He is a master of sous vide, but he does not solely rely on it. He does not shy away from using rustic ingredients (offals), and he re-interprets tradition by adding one contrasting element to dishes made up of complementary ingredients.  On the most recent visit he seemed to underemphasize the delicious component of his creations in favor of aesthetics and to display technical skills.  Some dishes were not balanced or well conceived.  However, good dishes are really good.  One wishes that this hard working and talented chef moves away from trendy modern Spanish cooking and finds a better equilibrium without losing the Catalunian focus of his best dishes.

 

HISPANIA: A MUST VISIT IN CATALUNYA

Ranking:  5/5 STARS (Informal Category)

Last Visit:  Nov. 16, 2009

ADRESS:  Arenys de Mar

TELEPHONE: 937 910457

SUMMARY: This is not only a great Spanish/Catalonian restaurant but one of my favorite informal restaurants anywhere in the world.  Sisters Pequita and Lolita and son Raimun are all great cooks, and they are all passionate about ingredient quality.  I have dined there five to six times and would claim that the quality of the products in this restaurant rank well above the five Michelin three star restaurants in Spain.  Dishes may look simple but it is hard to think of any improvement on them without compromising their integrity.  Cooking is often precise but I have also noticed some overcooking of meat and vegetables on a couple of occasions.  But this is also a rare restaurant in the sense that they normally excel in fish, meat as well as vegetable preparations.  They also serve a crème catalane which should be the guidepost to compare against when ranking other crème catalanes.

CA L'ENRIC: WOODCOCK FEAST

Ranking :  18/20 (Formal Category)

Date Visited:  November 14, 2009

ADRESS:  2 kilometer east on C-26 from the small town of l’Hostalnou de Bianya

PHONE: 972 290 015

SUMMARY:  An all becada (woodcock) meal may not provide sufficient basis to evaluate a restaurant. However this is my second meal at Ca L’Enric and my ranking is the average of the two meals: 17/20 and 19/20, respectively.  This is one of the most under-rated restaurants by the Michelin guide which gives only one star.  The becada meal was outstanding, and together with the November meal at L’Ambroisie where Pacaud served his incomparable wild duck tourte with tartufi-pico magnatum (a quality not found in Alba town), I  would argue that this was one of the two most memorable meals of 2009. Please note that there is an interesting book in Spanish by Jaume Coll entitled “El Crepusculo De La Becada”. My understanding is that Joan and Isabelle Montois, brother sister team in the kitchen (photo below), relied on some of the historical recipes found in this book to prepare this meal. The eldest brother of the trio which owns the restaurant, Jordi Montois, is also the sommelier and his selections should not disappoint wine lovers. 

SIMPSON: FLAVOR EXPLOSION IN COSTA BRAVA

RANKING:  5 STARS (Informal Category)

Date Visited: 13 November, 2009

Address: Passeig de Cipsela No. 10.  Llafranca

Tel: 972 301157

SUMMARY:  This is an excellent restaurant  in its own category. It does not pretend to be an haute cuisine temple. It is rather a friendly, casual place, like a bistro or osteria. Mirabella works virtually alone in the kitchen and her husband Felix is in the living room. Mirabella has not been formally trained and she works by instinct and, not unlike the two sisters who own the great Hispania of Arenys del Mar, she concocts unique dishes with great character.  Her cooking is very light but flavorful. Both vegetables and the seafood is of outstanding quality. Indeed the restaurant receives several shipments of fresh shellfish each day from local fisherman. (SEE PHOTOS)  The langouste of this region is especially noteworthy in the sense that it is quite sweet and flavorful and not cottony.  I am impressed by the technique and ingredient quality of this place.

The clientele is primarily well off Catalonian families who have summer residences in CostaBrava.