92 replies to this topic

[Corinna Dunne]

Bryan, thanks so much for the energetic report and heroic level of eating! It was great to get an update and pictures of what is being served in Can Roca, as well as all of the other places.

Any chance that you will post the recipe for your variation on the Cinc Sentits maple syrup shot?

[Gavin Convery]

Bryan, One practical question I have as I am off to Can Roca in a couple of weeks - which station do you go to in Barcelona to get to Girona and what is the cost. We have a table at 1:30 too, so I guess leaving at about 11am is more than early enough, if not too early?

[Silly Disciple]

Bryan, One practical question I have as I am off to Can Roca in a couple of weeks - which station do you go to in Barcelona to get to Girona and what is the cost. We have a table at 1:30 too, so I guess leaving at about 11am is more than early enough, if not too early?

Gavin,
you need to take the 11:25 Regional from Estacio de Sants, which you can also catch at Passeig de Gracia at 11:29 or at Clot/Arago at 11:32, it puts you in Girona at 12:56.

Edited by Silly Disciple, 02 April 2007 - 05:39 AM.

[Rebecca263]

Bryan, thank you. I am still ruminating on the sea urchin... and I'm amazed that you both ate so much! I would have been overwhelmed by the myriad things at almost every meal. It's great to have YOU keep track, and inform us on everything!
Was the texture of the squid in the pea/chicken soup more chewy or silky?

[BryanZ]

Thanks so much for the wonderful trip report.  We'll be visiting Barcelona for the first time, and Paris for the somethingth time later this spring, so your report is very timely for us.  The pictures are incredible, as are your descriptions.  So tell us,  how did you eat the squid?

I have no shame so fingers were employed. It was a bit undignifying but it tasted good.

The husband and I will have with us our aspiring foodie 11-year-old son, who picked Cinq Sentits (with our concurrence) as one of the two high-end resturants we'll visit in Barcelona.  Your description sounds like a good fit for him - he'll eat anything (except maybe broccoli), but obviously doesn't have the knowledge or sophistication of an adult foodie, so simple will be better for him.  Lovely hubby, however, has said he doesn't want to be locked into a tasting menu, which is somewhat disappointing to me and the kid.  Do you know if the entire table must order the tasting menu, as is usually (always?) the case in the U.S?

I do believe they say the tasting menus are for the table. If you're crafty, and I'm sure you are, you might order tasting menus for you and your husband and tell the kitchen that you'd like to just order a couple smaller things for you son and share. He is a kid after all. Then, here's what they call the "prestige," you let your son eat your husband's dishes and let your husband eat what your son ordered. Tricky, I know.

Bryan, One practical question I have as I am off to Can Roca in a couple of weeks - which station do you go to in Barcelona to get to Girona and what is the cost. We have a table at 1:30 too, so I guess leaving at about 11am is more than early enough, if not too early?

Gavin,
you need to take the 11:25 Regional from Estacio de Sants, which you can also catch at Passeig de Gracia at 11:29 or at Clot/Arago at 11:32, it puts you in Girona at 12:56.

SD is right on. I picked up the Regional at Passeigh de Gracia at 11:29 and was about 20 min early for my lunch reso. That's the best bet though.

Bryan, thank you. I am still ruminating on the sea urchin... and I'm amazed that you both ate so much!  I would have been overwhelmed by the myriad things at almost every meal. It's great to have YOU keep track, and inform us on everything!
Was the texture of the squid in the pea/chicken soup more chewy or silky?

Kind of like a hybrid. Silky at first but large and thick enough that it did have a bit of chew. Had it been sliced into smaller peices, it would've been more silky thorough and through.

Edited by BryanZ, 02 April 2007 - 08:24 AM.

[BryanZ]

3/18/07

My last meal in Barcelona.

After so much eating over the past week or so we were able to sleep in a bit and finally take some time to relax in the morning. After packing up our things we headed to Cerveceria Catalana, a beer and platos restaurant open on Sundays, the day when most everythng else is closed. We weren't expecting a lot but were pleasantly surprised with the simplet yet tasty offerings.

They had these mini baguette sandwiches that I believe were called flautas. They were declicious and perfectly sized.

Jamon serrano, pan con tomate

Wonderful. This was a bit more expensive at maybe €5ish, perhaps a few cents more.

Chicken livers and roquefort

Something of a risky order at only like €3.25 or something but totally delicious. Not in a silky foie gras way but in a slightly cruder, more offal-like chicken liver sense.

Tortilla

My first true Spanish tortilla in Spain. It was good, though perhaps not as good as I wanted it to be. There was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't as enjoyable as or our other selections.

Cuttlefish a la plancha

Whereas yesterday's squid at the Boqueria were small and delicate, these were big and meaty. Totally delicious though, even the tentacles are pretty easy to mess up. This was like €7-8 or something, cheaper than similar offerings at the Boqueria.

With this meal we headed off to La Rambla to walk around. We got some gelato and simply killed time until we had to catch our plane.

Not wanting to put an end to our travel yet, we raced from our flight to the bus back to Ludlow and literally sprinted back to the Oxford St. dorm. From ther we threw our bags into the room and headed straight back to Marble Arch where we caught an express bus to Oxford. There was very little express about it and we found ourselves in Oxford about 1.5 hours later to catch the second half of a Bright Eyes set that happened to be going on that night. It was a rather expensive and time-consuming side excusion but those who know the g/f and I know our devotion to Conor Oberst's musical stylings runs deep. After coming right back around and getting on the bus back to London we stopped at Ranoush Juice for more shwarma and called it a night. I would fly home the next morning.

And thus concludes my first culinary trip to Europe. I have absolutely no regrets about not spending that much time looking at sites and am totally pleased with how the trip played out. I only wish there were more meals in the day (and more money in my now decimated bank account). On my next trip I would probably like to get away from the cities and eat more locally, less fancily. And to use Amex conceirges as little as possible. Definitely that.

I have no further pictures to post but would like to make at least one post reflecting in the differences between American and European fine-dining.

Edited by BryanZ, 02 April 2007 - 09:01 AM.

[ludja]

Another set of wonderfully descriptive and evocative posts, thank you, BryanZ.

It was interesting to see a few "new" New World flavors at Cinc Sentits, namely peanut butter/chocolate and maple syrup. Along with root beer many of my European friends do not appreciate peanut butter as much although maple syrup seems to be favored and I know I've seen maple syrup iincorporated into some French haute cusine dishes.

edited to add: I want one of those Jamon serrano, pan con tomate sandwiches for lunch right now!

Edited by ludja, 02 April 2007 - 09:51 AM.

[lexy]

… where we caught an express bus to Oxford.  There was very little express about it and we found ourselves in Oxford about 1.5 hours later …

Well, it's faster than walking … 90 minutes actually isn't too bad for the Express.

I didn't know Bright Eyes was in Oxford (it's Easter break, so I've been out of town for a few weeks) - was he at the Zodiac?

[BryanZ]

Brookes University? I'm not sure if that means anything to you. We met this cute girl on the bus who helped us find the venue, literally called "The Venue".

[Abra]

I'm interested in that maple cava dish. Is the salt added to maple syrup ? It reads like something that would be great on a little cheese plate with a tangy blue like Valdeon. And that pea soup is a cute idea, one I haven't thought of and will now want to riff on.

I see why you'd focus on technique, since it's all part of a process of calibrating your own cooking, as opposed to a more touristical sort of gastronomy.

[BryanZ]

Any chance that you will post the recipe for your variation on the Cinc Sentits maple syrup shot?

Thus far I've taken the maldon salt, a raspberry syrup, chai custard and cooked it almost like a creme caramel. Then topped with a dollop frozen mango mousse. Not exactly the same, but an inspiration.

I'm interested in that maple cava dish.  Is the salt added to maple syrup ?  It reads like something that would be great on a little cheese plate with a tangy blue like Valdeon.  And that pea soup is a cute idea, one I haven't thought of and will now want to riff on.

I see why you'd focus on technique, since it's all part of a process of calibrating your own cooking, as opposed to a more touristical sort of gastronomy.

The salt lies at the bottom of the glass in big flakes that Maldon is known for. The salt adds texture but in my opinion didn't do enough to counter the sweetness of the syrup. It would work better at the end of a meal, with cheese or as I served my version before cheese.

[Eatmywords]

So, was the sea urchin better than Momofuko Ssam's? ( You know someone was going to ask sooner or later)

Dude, that was some kick ass report. Really, insane. I think I speak for anyone with a tongue when I say we are so frigin envious.

Thank you for sharing.

[luizhorta]

Interesting report, indeed. I just ask you americans to change your Cinc Sentits drive to something more interesting and at the same price level, as Hisop, Sauc or even Alkimia.

[BryanZ]

So, was the sea urchin better than Momofuko Ssam's?  (  You know someone was going to ask sooner or later)

Dude, that was some kick ass report.  Really, insane.  I think I speak for anyone with a tongue when I say we are so frigin envious.

Thank you for sharing.

It's interesting because in each dish the sea urchin sort of serves as a condiment. They were too different flavorwise, however, to make an accurate comparison. I may have favored the Ssam one more if only because it was more creative with the tapioca and whipped tofu.

Interesting report, indeed. I just ask you americans to change your Cinc Sentits drive to something more interesting and at the same price level, as Hisop, Sauc or even Alkimia.

That's certainly a fair point but at that point it was the reservation we had and it didn't seem worth it change it.

[tupac17616]

just stumbled upon this thread and worked my way through the whole thing

bravo, man

hell of a spring break, i must say

looking forward to your thoughts on the differences between American and European fine-dining

[Lochina]

Bryan,

As a student currently studying abroad in Barcelona, I thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through your meal choices. My parents are coming to visit for 10 days starting on the 9th and you can bet we'll be hitting up some of these restaurants, on my parents' tab . I was wondering, which tapas stall did you choose at the Boqueria? I didn't see any name in that post. Thanks!

[Silly Disciple]

Bryan,

As a student currently studying abroad in Barcelona, I thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through your meal choices. My parents are coming to visit for 10 days starting on the 9th and you can bet we'll be hitting up some of these restaurants, on my parents' tab  . I was wondering, which tapas stall did you choose at the Boqueria? I didn't see any name in that post. Thanks!

As a participant of that meal, I can tell you that we went to Bar Central, towards the back of the market.

[BryanZ]

Finally, I would just like to take a little bit of time reflect on some of the differences surrounding food, and particularly fine dining, between the US and Europe. After this one trip I am by no means an expert, but I do think I've had sufficient experiences to get an idea of what "matters" on both sides of the pond.

The level of meals I enjoyed in Europe was unquestionably excellent. We did not have a single meal that was less than "good" and that spans all three countries. Then again, this doesn't mean that the quality of experience is necessarily explicitly better than what one can get in New York. I would venture to say that the highs are probably higher in Paris, but with the price discrepancy between Paris and New York I would've been disappointed otherwise. Barcelona actually represents a pretty good "value," even with the exchange rate, but does not really have the same big city feel, as London, Paris, and New York. I would also suggest that the "average" restaurant is better in Paris and Barcelona than in the New York, but this is more likely a result of the more prominent role food plays in France and Spain's respective cultures. I've said the same about Japan in comparison to the United States and might even find Japan's "average" eating to be even better than Europe's. That debate, however, warrants a thread all its own. To make just one blanket statement, the Japanese are among the most obsessive people in the world, and despite their ethnic homogeneity they eagerly latch onto foreign cultural imports; food clearly falls under this category. Although I did not get the opportunity to sample much, non-Western European cuisines, save for Eastern Mediterranean, seemed underrepresented in Paris and Barelona. Tokyo, on the other hand, has absolutely excellent restaurants across arguably more major cuisines.

The most striking thing about the French three-star restaurants was their ability to blend nearly perfect technical execution with a distinct soul or vision. One of my favorite NY fine-dining restaurants is Eleven Madison Park, and while its cuisine is filled with soul, it does not fit the space and lacks consistent execution. Per Se, on the other hand, is a beautifully conceived restaurant with excellent service whose food is expertly prepared but could easily be served anywhere in any "fancy" setting (and is at The French Laundry). Pierre Gagnaire and l'Astrance just seem to fit through and through. Gagnaire's room is sparsely modern yet luxuriously refined and acts as a perfect introduction to his food. Astrance, the menuless three-star upstart, feels exactly that way. The food was undeniably excellent and filled just enough character to make it distinctive, but the restaurant also defies what most people think of when they think of three-star dining.

The same idea can be extended to Abac and Can Roca, if only to a somewhat lesser degree. The overarching theme in Spain was clearly that of a country with a vibrant culinary scene unafraid to branch out into the new but with less formality than in France. I can't say if one is superior to the other; I suppose it's a matter of preference.

With all this said, based on the European restaurants I visited there was less of the extreme creativity I find very appealing. By extreme creativity I'm not talking about recycling the brilliant ideas of other chefs and using them as one's own. I'm also not talking about gimmicky uses of modern techniques. I felt like Les Magnolias did this from time to time but was saved by the fact that majority of each dish was in fact tasty. At some "modern" restaurants in the US, this is unfotunately not the case. Nevertheless, there was no work as thought provoking as Wylie's, Goldfarb's, or Jordan Kahn's. There was also not a dining concept that challenged my notions of fine-dining as Alinea does. In this way, America is less bound to tradition and stands to benefit. Unfortunately, the general eating populace is less open to this type of experimentation, I think. It's kind of a conundrum of sorts.

Obviously if I was able to eat at El Bulli, that meal alone could have nullified the entire above paragraph.

I really wish I knew French and Spanish better so that I could've conversed more with the servers, something I usually do in restaurants in the States. Generally service was very good and pacing was very even. Everyone we met in hotels, restaurants, and in shops was very friendly and helpful. If I had to pick a "worst," it actually would've been London, but that's really splitting hairs. There were only a couple times when servers seemed impatient or impolite.

All in all, a fantastic trip. Although Europe did not have the mystique I thought it would have, the food lived up to expectations. I can't wait until I can go back. The south of France and northern Italy are beckoning.

Thank you everyone who read along and added your questions and comments. Please let me know if you have any others. If you've got any questions about the restaurants in particular, feel free to PM, too.

[Pan]

Very interesting thoughts, Bryan. Maybe if there's no thread on food that "fits the space," we should have one. I'm sure architect "foodies" like Henry Lo (hhlodesign) would have plenty of thoughts on the topic, one which not all of us think about a great deal.

[Lenski]

Great post and great pics.

I am a huge fan of Can Roca and 5Sentits. However, what really makes me drool is the bocata de jamon serrano....To me that is perfection in a sandwich.

[hathor]

Bryan, you did a very thoughtful writeup and you come to some interesting conclusions.
I think it would be an intriguing project to save a copy of that post, and look at 3 or 4 years from now. To see how dining in the US has changed, or to see if London, Paris, Barcelona have stepped up to the intellectual and creative plate of the US restaurants. Or, after you have traveled more in Europe, how your perspective will have changed.
It is exciting to see how your cooking is influenced by this trip.
To have 'fresh eyes' and a 'fresh tongue' is such a gift, and you have used it well. Congratulations!

[Brian]

[quote name='BryanZ' date='Apr 2 2007, 07:32 PM']
[quote name='Corinna Dunne' date='Apr 2 2007, 07:03 AM']Any chance that you will post the recipe for your variation on the Cinc Sentits maple syrup shot?

[/quote]

Thus far I've taken the maldon salt, a raspberry syrup, chai custard and cooked it almost like a creme caramel. Then topped with a dollop frozen mango mousse. Not exactly the same, but an inspiration.

[quote name='Abra' date='Apr 2 2007, 02:42 PM']I'm interested in that maple cava dish.  Is the salt added to maple syrup ?  It reads like something that would be great on a little cheese plate with a tangy blue like Valdeon.  And that pea soup is a cute idea, one I haven't thought of and will now want to riff on.

The salt lies at the bottom of the glass in big flakes that Maldon is known for. The salt adds texture but in my opinion didn't do enough to counter the sweetness of the syrup. It would work better at the end of a meal, with cheese or as I served my version before cheese.

[/quote]

The top layer of the Cinq Sentits shot is a Cava sabayon.

I had a variation on this theme served as an amuse in Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin a few years ago. The layers, from the bottom, were: maple syrup / raw egg yolk / whipped cream. The top was seasoned with sea salt and pepper. I recall this version as being better balanced flavour wise than the Cinq Sentits one.

[Gavin Convery]

Bryan,

Not having experienced the restaurants you mention in the US which you see as being more creative or thought-provoking than the ones in Europe, I would be interested to know in what way they are different. I may need to plan a trip to the US....!

Certainly in Europe food in most countries is steeped in a long tradition (I exclude the UK to some extent, although we are rediscovering some of our history, slowly) and when something like El Bulli comes along it is maybe a jolt to those traditions, but especially I think in France, creativity is not necessarily done for its own sake but rather with one eye on the past. Their attitude to wine is similar...but they still produce the best wine in the world.....

[docsconz]

With all this said, based on the European restaurants I visited there was less of the extreme creativity I find very appealing.  By extreme creativity I'm not talking about recycling the brilliant ideas of other chefs and using them as one's own.  I'm also not talking about gimmicky uses of modern techniques.  I felt like Les Magnolias did this from time to time but was saved by the fact that majority of each dish was in fact tasty.  At some "modern" restaurants in the US, this is unfotunately not the case.  Nevertheless, there was no work as thought provoking as Wylie's, Goldfarb's, or Jordan Kahn's.  There was also not a dining concept that challenged my notions of fine-dining as Alinea does.  In this way, America is less bound to tradition and stands to benefit.  Unfortunately, the general eating populace is less open to this type of experimentation, I think.  It's kind of a conundrum of sorts.

Obviously if I was able to eat at El Bulli, that meal alone could have nullified the entire above paragraph.

I can't really agree with your conclusion Brian as I feel that your sample size of European restaurants that you visited as per your own qualified statement. Not to take anything away from the creativity of American chefs like Achatz, Dufresne, Stupak, Cantu, Goldfarb, Kahn, Mason, Talbott/Kamizawa, Andres (and crew) et al., but you barely scratched the surface of European and in particular Spanish creativity. While I am surprised that you did not consider the Rocas more highly in this regard, not having experienced the cuisine of the Adrias is to not have experienced the height of what you are describing (as you admitted). In addition though you did not experience the Basques (e.g. Aduriz), Valencians (e.g. Dacosta or Aleixandre) or the Spanish pastry wizards such as Balaguer or Torreblanca. Then there are also some pretty creative Italians like Davide Scabin as well as others from various parts of Europe. Another aspect to consider is that many of the creative techniques currently in use around the globe such as ones you yourself employ were developed by the Europeans. Seeing them in use in their restaurants now may appear to not be creative, but these people were the forerunners of these techniques. People like Gagnaire, Bras or Passard remain creative, but their creativity is built upon the foundation of their earlier much emulated work and so current creativity may not seem so evident. The European names I mentioned above are only a fraction of those cooking creatively, whereas there are only a handful of Americans who can reasonably be added to those I mentioned above as creative cooking is much more in the mainstream in Europe than it is in the US. Just to be clear, when I talk about "creative" cooking, I am talking about new concepts in cooking as well as development of new techniques and styles as opposed to new dishes well within a particular tradition.

[BryanZ]

I definitely see your points Doc, and I pretty much agree with you. The best way for me to respond would simply be to eat more broadly and get back to you. Give me some time and I'll do my best to get on that.

I guess what I was speaking about was the amount of intellectual engagement that each chef/restaurant warrants. It was unfair of me to make such a blanket statement based on such a limited sample size, but while much of the food in Europe perhaps tasted "better" it just seemed to demand less thought (than that of the chefs I previously mentioned). I would rather not get into the qualifications for "paradigm breaking" chefs and restaurants (as was debated at length in the NY forum), but it seemed to me, again based on my limited experiences, that there is more boundary pushing by the handful of American chefs than those European ones whose cuisine I was recently able to sample. Often times this doesn't always meet with stellar results--a meal at Can Roca would seem to be more consistently delicious than at meal at wd~50--but it still remains the general trend I noticed.

El Bulli and Michel Bras are, perhaps naturally, among an elite crowd that I want to visit most on my next trip to Europe.

[docsconz]

Bryan i guess I'm not really sure what boundaries you are talking about. i am quite familiar with and a big fan of the American chefs that you mentioned and adore most of their work. True they continue to push "boundaries" and with generally excellent results, but it is not my experience that they are pushing boundaries any harder than their European peers, which in my opinion vastly outnumber the Americans. i am certainly not looking to debate the individual merits of specific chefs in this regard as I think the best of the Americans are certainly up there with the Europeans. i am just quite surprised by your assessment and fail to share it. I can certainly concur with your desire for more research into your thesis though.

I will give you an example though. Much has been made by Steve Cuozzo of the new York Post (albeit in a denigrating fashion) about Jordan Kahn's use of tonka beans as an ingredient in one of his desserts. The first time I ever heard of a tonka bean was in 2004 when the group I was with had dinner at Can Roca and each person was given a tonka bean as a souvenir. Tonka beans had been used in a dessert there that evening and probably for some time before that. Unfortunately I was ill and had to miss that dinner - a situation I hope to rectify in the very near future. In addition, if Joan Roca's distillation of earth is not pushing a boundary, I don't know what is.

[tan319]

My Gawd, man! ( and woman!)
You guys indeed went wild!
I loved the detail in this, pix are fabulous of course.
You did great in France, it looks like you had some of Gagnaires greatest hits.
If you don't have it already, get a copy of his ' 'Reflections on Culinary Artistry"The "BOOK"
The cherry, white chocolate cup ( with a red current jelly in it?) and a few others are in there, Food Porn at it's best.
Also think you're right on about the influence Gagnaire has had on Chefs that have worked with him like Paul Liebrandt during the GILT days and in the chuck eats blog he mentions Ludo Lefebvre, formerly of Bastide in L.A. and another Gagnaire alum. Hell, even the Ducasse SPOON cookbook ( the BIG one) looks Gagnaire influence in the photo layouts.
Les Magnolias looked like a blast!
I wasn't aware that it was fooling around with the "forward thinking" stuff.
And then you up the ante with L'Astrance.
In the Spanish part of the blog Abac seemed like a GREAT find!
Every single dished looked and sounded amazing.
Of course Can Roca looked amazing too!
I've written about the 'Art Culinaire' # 82 issue that features the "5 days In Barcelona" article, complete with the recipes for many Can Roca dishes including the 'cigar/ mojito' dish.
I highly recommend it.
Call 1-800- SO- TASTY TO ORDER. ( pick up the Liebrandt one too, issue # 81)
Did your G/F get a parchtment type of roll with a list of the components for Anarchy?
They used to plate it slightly differently and the "decree" was given to the consumer of it according to a poster on eG quite awhile back.
Anyways, looked SOOOO good!
Did you pick up their cookbook too?

The Can Roca Cookbook
Even in Castalan it could be worthwhile.
Thanks again for such an amazing report and what a gal you must have to not have you drugged and shipped back after half of the eating you both did!
Tremendous.

[Shalmanese]

Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread until now. Congratulations on making me totally behind on the deadlines for my assignments! That was some pretty freaking amazing eating, I'm insanely jealous.

How do you think your experiences in Europe will influence your approach to food and what you'll serve at Z Kitchen?

[BryanZ]

Glad you enjoyed it, Shal. As I mentioned, the holistic approach to a great dish was made very clear to me in a few resonating instances. It was also interesting to see how each chef used his country's terroir uniquely to create a different experience and perspective on a given cuisine. This was magnified by eating across international boundaries in countries known for their pride in their respective cuisines. I feel like this kind of influence is lacking in American fine-dining.

Regarding Z Kitchen, there are some ideas I'll take back. Unfortunately, my favorite dishes were those that were executed at a level I won't easily be able recreate or relied on local produce and ingredients that I can't procure. In that way, I'm able to use ideas from eating out in NYC much more easily.

[hhlodesign]

Damn! (to paraphrase from someone else here on eG )

"That's a pretty baller trip!"