43 replies to this topic

[vserna]

It's been announced unofficially, but seemingly from unimpeachable sources, that when the 2007 Michelin Guide to Spain is unveiled next week, a new three-star restaurant will be in it - always important news because of the well-known stinginess of the French guide's inspectors vis-à-vis Spain (which has roughly the same number of starred restaurants as Switzerland, half of Italy's or the Benelux's total, and six times less than France...).

The new top-rated place is Pedro Subijana's veteran Akelarre in San Sebastián. Akelarre and Juan Mari Arzak were founders of the 'new Basque cuisine' movement over 30 years ago. If the elevation of Akelarre is confirmed, there will be six restaurants in this category in Spain: Arzak, Akelarre, Martín Berasategui, El Bulli, Sant Pau, Can Fabes.

Apparently the next two candidates in line are Can Roca (there is word that they talked with Michelin and both agreed to postpone any changes until the restaurant has moved to its new, posher premises in the next couple of months) and Santceloni.

[Lenski]

It's been announced unofficially, but seemingly from unimpeachable sources, that when the 2007 Michelin Guide to Spain is unveiled next week, a new three-star restaurant will be in it - always important news because of the well-known stinginess of the French guide's inspectors vis-à-vis Spain (which has roughly the same number of starred restaurants as Switzerland, half of Italy's or the Benelux's total, and six times less than France...).

The new top-rated place is Pedro Subijana's veteran Akelarre in San Sebastián. Akelarre and Juan Mari Arzak were founders of the 'new Basque cuisine' movement over 30 years ago. If the elevation of Akelarre is confirmed, there will be six restaurants in this category in Spain: Arzak, Akelarre, Martín Berasategui, El Bulli, Sant Pau, Can Fabes.

Apparently the next two candidates in line are Can Roca (there is word that they talked with Michelin and both agreed to postpone any changes until the restaurant has moved to its new, posher premises in the next couple of months) and Santceloni.

Congratulations are in order. I will go there again this summer for sure. Also, it will be interesting to see which restaurants geo one or two stars.

THanks for the info.

[Zoticus]

The new top-rated place is Pedro Subijana's veteran Akelarre in San Sebastián. Akelarre and Juan Mari Arzak were founders of the 'new Basque cuisine' movement over 30 years ago. If the elevation of Akelarre is confirmed, there will be six restaurants in this category in Spain: Arzak, Akelarre, Martín Berasategui, El Bulli, Sant Pau, Can Fabes.

Based on one visit two years ago, I wouldn't say it even merits two stars. Mind you I'd say the same about Berasategui and Sant Pau.

[vserna]

Based on one visit two years ago, I wouldn't say it even merits two stars. Mind you I'd say the same about Berasategui and Sant Pau.

Boy, is that flimsy evidence...

The news is now confirmed. The other noteworthy promotion is Quique Dacosta's El Poblet, at Dènia south of Valencia, getting the second star. Strictly no surprise here.

Edited by vserna, 20 November 2006 - 10:43 AM.

[ginger chef]

what are the full changes please. as we are going to bcn in january.

[Silly Disciple]

what are the full changes please. as we are going to bcn in january.

The rest of this year's changes are as follows:

As Victor pointed out, Quique Dacosta of El Poblet in Denia gets his second star.

Lasarte (Martin Berasategui, Barcelona), Evo (Santi Santamaria, L'Hospitalet), Saüc (Xavier Franco, Barcelona), Miramar (Llanća), El Rebost d´en Pere (Banyoles), Koldo Miranda (Avilés), La Finca (Elx), Gallery Art and Food (Gijón), Los Avellanos (Torrelavega), Zaranda (Madrid) and Mesana (Marbella) all get their first star.

Río Asón (Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria) and Tubal (Tafalla, Navarra) loose their stars.

[ginger chef]

fantastic thankyou. lasarte was on our list.

[Silly Disciple]

fantastic thankyou. lasarte was on our list.

What other places are you planning on visiting?

[ginger chef]

sant pau. moo , espai sucre, commerc 24. most other places are closed in the first two weeks of jan. any other suggestions would be appreciated. we are a bunch of chefs on a gastro weekender.

[Silly Disciple]

sant pau.    moo , espai sucre, commerc 24.  most other places are closed in the first two weeks of jan.  any other suggestions would be appreciated.  we are a bunch of chefs on a gastro weekender.

Hispania for sea product.
Coure for consistency and excellent technique.
Els Casals for traditional cuisine with a modern touch, using fresh products from their own farm.
Quimet i Quimet if you want to try canned products of the highest quality.

Also, you're going both to Lasarte and Moo, which one could say are "branches" of other big name restaurants. Why not try to go to Can Roca instead of Moo, for instance?
I'm not a big fan of Sant Pau. Excellent execution, great product, but IMHO nothing to write home about.

[Lenski]

sant pau.    moo , espai sucre, commerc 24.  most other places are closed in the first two weeks of jan.  any other suggestions would be appreciated.  we are a bunch of chefs on a gastro weekender.

Hispania for sea product.
Coure for consistency and excellent technique.
Els Casals for traditional cuisine with a modern touch, using fresh products from their own farm.
Quimet i Quimet if you want to try canned products of the highest quality.

Also, you're going both to Lasarte and Moo, which one could say are "branches" of other big name restaurants. Why not try to go to Can Roca instead of Moo, for instance?
I'm not a big fan of Sant Pau. Excellent execution, great product, but IMHO nothing to write home about.

I am a litlle surprised that Saüc (Xavier Franco, Barcelona) gets one star. I have eaten there twice and it is good but, let's say, that I am surprised. It seems a little bit casual (vs. a little pretentious, which Alkimia, IMHO, is) to merit one star. I thought that "Cinc sentits" might get one star this year. Every time that I have eaten there is pretty much flawless.
I must admit that I have heard good things for Miramar (Llanca), but I had never heard of El Rebost d´en Pere (Banyoles). Good for them.

[luizhorta]

I am personally very glad for Xavi Franco, I think Sauc deserved his star since the last two years. Happy to see spanish stars rising.

[luizhorta]

And the Roca's Brothers are like Borges with the Nobel Prize, eternal candidates for a 3rd.

[ginger chef]

i have been to can roca but not sant pau and i need to complete the spanish 3 stars i have already done akelarre. lasarte is because i know the chef. will read up on the other suggestions thankyou. what is sauc like the website will not open.

[docsconz]

i have been to can roca but not sant pau and i need to complete the spanish 3 stars i have already done akelarre.  lasarte is because i know the chef. will read up on the other suggestions thankyou. what is sauc like the website will not open.

FWIW I loved Sant Pau and thinks Ruscalleda definitely deserved her third star. I say go for it. Another place that you might consider for january given that game should still be in season is Aligue in Manresa. Llorenz Petras, the mushroom man in La Boqueria told me that he and a number of chefs love to go up there during game season as that is something that Bembi Aligue apparently does particularly well. I dined there during late August. While game was not in season, I had a marvelous meal nevertheless.

[ginger chef]

thankyou for your suggestions. one place i am interested in but cant find info is drolma (fermi puig) . and is espai sucre worth it as i can not see any recent reports. simon

[pedro]

Drolma is located at the hotel Majestic. Its cuisine has been described as the best bourgeoise cuisine of the country while others were not so enthusiastic about it. Expensive, though.

[vserna]

The one place not to miss for culinary creativity in Catalonia today is L'Esguard. An absolute must in my book.

[docsconz]

The one place not to miss for culinary creativity in Catalonia today is L'Esguard. An absolute must in my book.

Isn't the chef there a neurologist? Funny thing is that I heard of him even before I had heard about Ferran Adria and then I initially confused the two. I haven't heard much lately though and assumed that he had fallen into the background. Just out of curiosity, does he have any Michelin stars? How difficult is it to get a reservation there?

[pedro]

He is a neurologist, John. It's not particularly difficult to get a reservation there, specially at lunch time and the restaurant currently holds a Michelin star, if I'm not mistaken.

That said, I had lunch there two months ago and I found the featuring of micri in almost every single dish --amuses and petit fours included-- a little too redundant. It's worth noticing that they were starting holidays the following day and that the chef had already anticipated them a couple of days. From a visual composition perspective, the dishes are without any doubt the best I've ever came across. Absolutely outstanding.

Edited by pedro, 21 November 2006 - 12:19 PM.

[Lenski]

There is a very funny interview with Subijana in today's El Pais (link below). The title is "I sin as much as I can." Among his new dishes "truffle with kuzu and yolk" and "Distilled lobster."

Also he mentions that Harrison Ford's son was a stagier there.


http://www.elpais.co...elpepiult_1/Tes

[detlefchef]

sant pau.    moo , espai sucre, commerc 24.  most other places are closed in the first two weeks of jan.  any other suggestions would be appreciated.  we are a bunch of chefs on a gastro weekender.

I'm not a big fan of Sant Pau. Excellent execution, great product, but IMHO nothing to write home about.

Wow, must be tough to please. I've never seen "excellent execution" and "great product" used to describe a restaurant that doesn't merit a positive review.

[Silly Disciple]

sant pau.    moo , espai sucre, commerc 24.  most other places are closed in the first two weeks of jan.  any other suggestions would be appreciated.  we are a bunch of chefs on a gastro weekender.

I'm not a big fan of Sant Pau. Excellent execution, great product, but IMHO nothing to write home about.

Wow, must be tough to please. I've never seen "excellent execution" and "great product" used to describe a restaurant that doesn't merit a positive review.

You're misinterpreting me. For a three star, excellent execution and great product is (or should be) a given. When I go to a place like this, I expect to be "wow-ed", so to speak. I want to remember several, or at least one of the dishes I've had for several weeks if not months. This is not the case with Ruscalleda's cooking.

[Lenski]

sant pau.    moo , espai sucre, commerc 24.  most other places are closed in the first two weeks of jan.  any other suggestions would be appreciated.  we are a bunch of chefs on a gastro weekender.

I'm not a big fan of Sant Pau. Excellent execution, great product, but IMHO nothing to write home about.

Wow, must be tough to please. I've never seen "excellent execution" and "great product" used to describe a restaurant that doesn't merit a positive review.

You're misinterpreting me. For a three star, excellent execution and great product is (or should be) a given. When I go to a place like this, I expect to be "wow-ed", so to speak. I want to remember several, or at least one of the dishes I've had for several weeks if not months. This is not the case with Ruscalleda's cooking.

I am surprised, it has been over a month since I was there and I can still remember every single thing. I did not do a top ten meals but I think Sant Pau would be on the top of my list. I was wowed big time

[Silly Disciple]

I am surprised, it has been over a month since I was there and I can still remember every single thing.  I did not do a top ten meals but I think Sant Pau would be on the top of my list.  I was wowed big time

You are luckier than we were. Mind you this was about a year ago, but the person having dinner with me shared my reaction.

[Lenski]

I am surprised, it has been over a month since I was there and I can still remember every single thing.  I did not do a top ten meals but I think Sant Pau would be on the top of my list.  I was wowed big time

You are luckier than we were. Mind you this was about a year ago, but the person having dinner with me shared my reaction.

I think that enjoying restaurants (we are talking top restaurants) depends very much on too many factors both from the restaurant's and the diner's side. I had a glorious time at Sant Pau and so did my companions. However, I think that luck has a lot to do with it. How else could you explain the wide range of opinions on this board? It is also a highly subjective game. I found, on my last visit to Barcelona, Sant Pau and C24 the only restaurants worth mentioning, and I went to 10. I only talked about those two and "Akelarre" (that was such a bad experience for us, one of the worst of the year, I think,given the expectations).

[Silly Disciple]

I think that enjoying restaurants (we are talking top restaurants) depends very much on too many factors both from the restaurant's and the diner's side. I had a glorious time at Sant Pau and so did my companions.  However, I think that luck has a lot to do with it.  How else could you explain the wide range of opinions on this board?  It is also a highly subjective game.  I found, on my last visit to Barcelona, Sant Pau and C24 the only restaurants worth mentioning, and I went to 10. I only talked about those two and "Akelarre" (that was such a bad experience for us, one of the worst of the year, I think,given the expectations).

Indeed, restaurants and patrons operate on a time continuum with many fluctuations on both sides of the equation. I operate under the assumption that a great restaurant is one which will maintain the "worth mentioning" status over several meals and over a relatively long period of time.
However, given scarcity of time and funding, I am not inclined to give a second chance to a restaurant which doesn't wow me the first time, be this the case because of the kitchen or the staff or the purveyors or what-have-you having a bad day. Too many restaurants, not enough time.

What other places did you visit in Barcelona this last trip?

[Lenski]

I think that enjoying restaurants (we are talking top restaurants) depends very much on too many factors both from the restaurant's and the diner's side. I had a glorious time at Sant Pau and so did my companions.  However, I think that luck has a lot to do with it.  How else could you explain the wide range of opinions on this board?  It is also a highly subjective game.  I found, on my last visit to Barcelona, Sant Pau and C24 the only restaurants worth mentioning, and I went to 10. I only talked about those two and "Akelarre" (that was such a bad experience for us, one of the worst of the year, I think,given the expectations).

Indeed, restaurants and patrons operate on a time continuum with many fluctuations on both sides of the equation. I operate under the assumption that a great restaurant is one which will maintain the "worth mentioning" status over several meals and over a relatively long period of time.
However, given scarcity of time and funding, I am not inclined to give a second chance to a restaurant which doesn't wow me the first time, be this the case because of the kitchen or the staff or the purveyors or what-have-you having a bad day. Too many restaurants, not enough time.

What other places did you visit in Barcelona this last trip?

Since my experiences were not very good, email me, and I will tell you.

[vmilor]

There is a very funny interview with Subijana in today's El Pais (link below).  The title is "I sin as much as I can."  Among his new dishes "truffle with kuzu and yolk" and "Distilled lobster."

Also he mentions that Harrison Ford's son was a stagier there.


http://www.elpais.co...elpepiult_1/Tes

I actually had the "distilled lobster" dish.

it is interesting to note that if you pour very hot water on raw lobster you will get the same result.

This somehow is the epitome of Subiyana'a cooking: many of his inventions are pointless. Some are even value detracting in the sense that the sum is less than the quality of ingredients used.

I would actually have expected him to lose a star actually....

But he is a very nice fellow, a true humanist with a big heart and smile. Besides if the idea is to reckon with the culinary heritage of the Basque region, why not ??? They deserve it. Late recognition. But let's call a spade a spade. Akelare should not be a 3 star restaurant.

[Txacoli]

Couldn´t possibly disagree more. We actually like it better than Arzak, though they both made us cry.

I thought the food was beautifully presented.....sometimes super technical, sometimes playful, sometimes just simple and perfect.

The end result showed me a lot of invention, a lot of care, and an insane amount of work and supervision.

The staff was great as well......like a family, unafraid to actually communicate with the guests. We talked politics with the gorgeous Chilean mesera, and got a sweet tutorial on modern Spanish white wines from the wine steward.

Like Arzak, they google their guest list......so the chef greeted us BEFORE the meal.

We actually cried at one point.....EVERYTHING was perfect.

"La diferencia entre ´llorando´ et ´orando´ es muy pequeña!"

Eight abrazos on the way out from the manager....it felt like we were family after only three hours.

We hated to leave and are trying not to go right back....

And, bye the bye.......Arzak was the bomb as well. I read disses in this forum before we came....."too old school....over the hill.....not worth three stars....." and was worried.

We arrived an hour late and soaked in sweat for our lunch on St. Sebastian day.....couldn´t drive out of the city, and no taxis, so we had to run! No problem...they saved us a great table upstairs by the window. We all had a good laugh at our experience.......and a comped glass of cava to calm us down.

The food was great....pop rocks, some explosions and fuming....the perfect egg.

The staff was beyond perfect. The much maligned winesteward read my mind at one point. I stared at my foie, wishing I had a glass of sauternes (Amanda doesn´t drink white wine much). He appeared at my elbow with a Spanish muscat while the thoughts were forming in my head.....and a sweet red that were perfect. No charge. The trainee wine steward broke the cork of the ´81 red we ordered. No worries, no problems.....nicely decanted. And we all had a small laugh at his expense. Like family.

In the middle of lunch, one of the bands that prowl the town on the feast day stopped traffic on the amazingly busy street out front and played a few songs in their chef uniforms. Everyone gathered around the windows and cheered and clapped. Arzak sent out beers and food for all the kids......who kept the traffic stopped while they ate and drank! Big smiles all around on every face, inside and out.

I give Arzak all three stars and two tears as well.

We took the bus back.....the 13 goes right to Guzpikoa Plaza. The 16 goes right out to Akelare as well......if you can get your head around riding the bus to a $400 lunch!

Edited by Txacoli, 26 January 2007 - 03:07 AM.