Rogelio

The Week of August the 15th, 2005 Fernando Point discovers Maruzzella a new pizzeria with authentic napolitan pizzas. Top Metrópoli goes for the best rstaurants serving Ortiguillas, the deep fried sea anemones typical from the andalisian coast. Jose Carlos Capel visits El Oso an asturian restaurant in the outskirts of Madrid thet has been around for the last ten years and is still alive and kicking. Tall de Conill is a centenarian restaurant in Capellades reviewed by Cinc a Taula. Rafael García Santos discovers Arrop a promising restaurat in Gandía. Caius Apicius teaches us about the etimology of the eggs.

Sadly La Fonda closed a few years ago. It was a reliable spot of catalonian cooking in Madrid.

Curiously I was dinning in Arce last night and it was as good as ever. I tend to think that the best season in Arce is Fall because Iñaki is a master with the game and mushroom dishes, but this year I've been dinning at Arce on every sigle season and it has never failed to have mushrooms and an asortmen of suggesting dishes worth the experience. Yestarday's menu was: Starters: - Home smoked iberic pork loin - Cod cheeks brandade - Bonito over salmorejo - Rice with asorted mushrooms And as a main course I had to choose between a confited lamb, a free range Cock with mushrooms, Guinea gen with lobster, Pidgeon two ways, Duck hearts, Steak tartare and an amazing Iberic porc snout that I had. There is always a bounch of fish dishes but I'd go for the game, offal and poultry dishes. In this world of fireworks, inconsistent restaurats, and pretentious chefs it is great to have Arce as unremovable reference along all these years.

The Week of August the 8th, 2005 Food critics seem to be on holidays so this digest comes thinner this week. Fernando Point visits the new Estik a meat restaurant owned by the same people from Café Oliver. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Nachos Jose Carlos Capel discovers La Boella a promising restaurant placed in an olive oil factory near Tarragona. Caius Apicius writes about white wines for the summertime.

The Week of August the 1st, 2005 Fernando point discovers Tandoori Station a new, cheap and authentic indian restaurant in the Salamanca neighbourhood of Madrid. Álvaro Lerena writes about Taberna del Marciano a new tavern in central Madrid. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Empanada Criolla tha argentinian pasties. Jose Carlos Capel visits the renewed Saint James with a wide paella rices offer. 5 a taula have gone on holidays to Mallorca to dine at La Fonda in lovely Pollença. Rafael García Santos comes to Madrid to eat the best seafood at Rafa

Does that mean they were dead, or in that hibernation like stage? My assumption is that snails for food have to be alive, or cooked. Dead snails would rot rather quickly. ← That's a hibernation like stage. You have to clean them until they loose that lid and then keep it in water until they show the head. then boil them and they are ready to be cooked.

The proper season for snails is spring, I haven't seen them in Madrid lately but last weekend in Valencia the markets were plenty of them, though not alive but with their self created lid.

Fernando Point discovers Asiana a promising restaurant hidden in a furniture shop. Metropolí's restaurant of the week is El Mesón de Doña Filo, a charming rural restaurant in the village of Colmenar de Arrollo, near Madrid. Álvaro Lerena discovers En Boca de Goya a new concept in Tapas. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Arroz Negro the black paella rice. Jose Carlos Capel writes about Airén the malagueñian restaurant runned by Jose Carlos García, Chef at El Café de París. Inés Elexpuru writes about Ten routes around Spain for gastroturists Ovic is a new Barcelonian restaurant reviewed by 5 a Taula. Rafael García Santos revisites Estrella del Bajo Carrión in a forgotten village near Palencia. RGS also recomends the sensible La Sucursal in Valencia. Caius Apicius writes about the influence of Robert Parker on the spanish winemakers

Back from holidays this is an update of prvious weeks' reviews: Fernando Point has been busy lately visiting all this restaurants: - Kabuki is the best japanese restaurant in Spain with an innovative japo-spanish fussion style. - Colonial Norte is a promising restaurant in the old Estación del Norte comercial centre. - Horcher is now as good as ever withe their old european cooking shchool. - St James is back with their good rices and mediterranean dishes. - Casa José is the best good option in pictoresque Aranjuez. - Singha is a new and promising Panasiatic restaurant Alvaro Lerena has been eating and drinking at all this nice tapas bars and taverns: El Capricho, Chantarella Bistrot, Metbar and La Monumental. Jose Carlos Capel now available for free has been visiting: - Sacha, the charming bistro is alive and kicking. - Sua is the new restaurant runned by Aitor Elícegui in Bilbao. - Estik is a good new bistrot in Madrid. - Calle 54 is a latin jazz venue with a renewed restaurant. - And here's a list of the Best Seafood Taverns all around Spain. Rafael García Santos has been visiting La Sucursal at the IVAM museum in Valencia, Maher in Cintruénigo (Navarra) and Europa in Pamplona. Caius Apicius writes about the bestHakes the ones from Celeiro and about the Small Portions served in modern restaurants.

The other dishes were a very good red tuna and salmon sashimi and an abrahamesquian rabit with huitlacoche. Both very good but my favourites were the caldillo de perro (a fish soup with orange) and the scallop with truffle and chirivías. A wonderful meal at a nice and charming spot, I'll definitely visit them more often.

Fernando Point discovers La Restinga a promising restaurant located in a hotel in the madrileñian Gran Via. Alvaro Lerena discovers San Francisco Street a new tapas bar with a nice terrace for the hot madrileñian summer. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Red Mullets. Jose Carlos Capel revisits Can Fabes to prove that Santi Santamaría is passing an excellent moment. 5 a Taula takes a look at Visual a promissing restaurant with nice views over Barcelona. Elena Castells praises the summer season of Blue fish. Rafael García Santos visits Goizeko Wellington to see that the madrileñian bussinesmen eat properly at this basque restaurant. RGS also writes about the new asturian culinary scene that is now better than ever. Venta Casares is a renewed traditional restaurant in the outskirts of malaga reviewed by Enrique Bellver.

The Week of May the 13th, 2005 Fernando Point visits Furama, a promising asiatic restaurant located in an old station shopping mall. Vall D'arán Tapas is a tapas bar with pirenaic speciallities from the Valle de Arán reviewed by Álvaro Lerena. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Cuajada (Cloted cream) Also Metrópoli presents the listing of restaurants with terrace for this Summer of 2005 El Pais seems to have opened their site to the public so now we can read Jose Carlos capel´s critics. This week discovers Rat Pack a vegas oriented restaurant in Torrelodones, the north sierra of Madrid. 5 a Taula discovers Coloma a cozy mariners bistro with typical mariners dishes in the Masnou. And write a delicous article praising the Apricots Caius Apicius complains about the Tematic Tastings and says that the taste is in the diversity.

If I only had to choose one meal in Madrid I'd go to Viridiana and ask for the chef's menu. About tapas my actual (and always) favourites are Casa Lucas at Cava Baja street for the food and the ambience of the area and Asturianos in Chamberí area for the food, wines and fun.

The town is called Castro Urdiales in the border between Cantabria and the Basque Country.

Fernando Point tries to find the restaurant's future at La Referencia where they serve food cooked at different madrileñian caterings. Álvaro Lerena discoveres El Naranjo de Bulnes an asturian tavern. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Vietnamese Rolls 5 a Taula finds an oasis in the middle of Barcelona at La Terraza del Claris where they serve summer dishes in a nice terrace. Elena Castells writes about the different types of Onions served at the catalonian markets. Rafael García Santos crosse the border and discovers in Biarritz La Villa Eugénie where Jean-Marie Gautier cooks a very elegamt cooking. RGS also complains about the numbe of Empty Tables seen in many top notch restaurants. Limonar 40 is the long time waited restaurant at Malaga acording to Enrique Bellver. Jonathan Reynolds writes about the top Madrid chefs at the New York Times. (Hey, this is in english)

Fernando Point keeps going french in Toulouse-Lautrec a madrileñian tavern with a french heart. Planeta Birra is a beer focused tapas bar reviewed by Alvaro Lerena. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Tuna Tartare 5 a Taula goes fast food at Oli en un Llum where they prepare the best sandwiches (bocadillos) in Barcelona. Esteve Giralt writes about the great Rice Diversity in the catalonian markets. Rafael García Santos revisits Sagartoki in Vitoria, a tapas (pintxos) bar with excellent roasted meats and fishes. RGS also complains about the lack of quality that is suffering the Caviar Enrique Bellver writes about the good moment that El Café de Paris is suffering. Caius Apicius writes about Mackerel

The Week of May the 23rd, 2005 Ferando Point goes indian visiting the New Indian restaurants in Madrid , praising Nawaab and Bombay Place and the not so good Gurú. Álvaro Lerena discovers La Turuleta , a tapas bar in the old Madrid for the hungry night owls. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Hot Dogs. 5 a Taula make honor to Chez Jacques the idiosincratic andorrian restaurant where Jacques Quillacq revisits the concept of market cuisinne. Elena Castells writes about the new Design salads on her friday’s market section. Rafael García Santos visits La Huertona in Rivadesella, Asturias where Jose Manuel Viejo cooks attending to the public tastes with elegance and design. Enrique Bellver writes about La Rebaná in Málaga where Carlos Caballero is growing as chef. Caius Apicius writes about the excess ofGarlic in the spanish cooking.

The Week of May the 16th, 2005 Fernando Point goes french visiting two new French Restaurants in Madrid, the not very authentic Stendahl and the beter Le Petit Bistrot Álvaro Lerena discovers La Peonza a new tapas bar at the Cava Baja. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Cheese Flan FP, Joan Merlot and the rest of critics at Metrópoli makes a selection of the best Foreign Cuisinne Restaurants in Spain, being the winners: South America: Maskana Barcelona Finalists: La Gorda and De María (Madrid). CARIBEAN:Zara (Madrid) Finalists: Hacienda (Madrid) and Habana Vieja (Barcelona). CHINESE: Asia Gallery (Madrid). Finalists: Tsé Yang and Yuan (Madrid) . ESCANDINAVIAN: Olsen (Madrid). Finalists: El gusto (Marbella) and Café Stockolm (Barcelona). UNITED STATES: Gumbo(Madrid). Finalists: Cornucopia (Madrid) and Alfredo's Barbacoa (Madrid). FRANCE: Jean-Luc Figueras. (Barcelona). Finalists: Caleis (Barcelona) and La maison du Languedoc (Barcelona). GREEK: Helas. (Sevilla). Finalists: Milos (Madrid) and El Greco (Alicante). INDIAN: Mumbai Massala. (Madrid). Finalists: Govinda (Barcelona) and Annapurna (Madrid). ITALIAN: Ars Vivendi. (Majadahonda; Madrid) Finalists: Tramonti 1980 (Barcelona). JAPANESE:Kabuki. (Madrid). Finalists: Shunka (Barcelona) and Taro Guadalpín (Marbella). MOROQUIAN: Medina (Madrid). Finalists: Al Mounia (Madrid) and La rosa del desierto (Barcelona). MEXICAN: La Taquería del Alamillo. (Madrid). Finalists: Entre suspiro y suspiro y María Bonita (Barcelona) PORTUGUESE: Tras Os Montes (Madrid). Finalists: Lisboa antigua (Madrid) and Senhor Bacalhau (Mairena de Aljarafe, Sevilla). THAI: Thäi Gardens. (Madrid). Finalists: Buda del Mar (Sevilla) and Thäi Lounge (Barcelona). 5 a Taula revisits the classic Neichel to prove that the chef is the history and tradition of the Haute Cuisinne. Pau Echauz writes about Coca de recapte on the fridays market section. Rafael García santos goes for tapas in Seville at Casablanca. And RGS writes also about the foreign chefs cooking at the Portuguese Algarve Enrique Bellver visits the renewed La Rebaná Caius Apicius writes about Angel Muro's Pill-pill

My two cents: http://www.aquisabemosvivir.com/

Take a look at this thread and don't leave without a butifarra and a botle of spanish wine.

The Week of May the 9th, 2005 Fernando Point writes about the new Vietnam, a vietnamite restaurtant runned by the same people of the luxury chinese Yuan. Álvaro Lerena discovers Darbar, a new indian tapas bar in the hip Chueca area. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Monkfish. Casanovas is the new restaurant discovered by 5 a Taula in Barcelona, the place was formerly a chacine shop and is devoted to this products. L. Benvenuty writes about the first Nísperos AKA Mikakos. Rafael García Santos revisites Las Duelas in Haro, La Rioja. The restaurant is in the right track acording to this critic. RGS also writes about the Spring and the vegetables and possibilities that this season brings. Enrique Bellver writes about La Perla a resturant placed in Benalmádena with an accent on the souces. Caius Apicius writes about the Meat Eaters.

Thanks very much for your promptly answers, I'll definitely pay a visit to them. I know the wines and the invitation was made by their european sales manager, but was wondering if it was a far trip and if the winery was worth the visiting as I'm going with the other half and she's not as food/wine obssesive as me and can get bored of so much wine talk. But if the landscape and region are interesting we will be very pleased to spent a whole day in the wine area.

Hi, I've been invited to visit Joseph Phelps' Winery in Santa Helena and was wondering if any of you have visted it. Is it worth to make the whole trip up From San Francisco? How far is it? Thanks in advance

The Week of March the 2nd, 2005 Fernando Point is glad to see that Miguel Ansorena is back in Madrid opening the Asador Imanol with all the classical asador dishes, ie, rumpsteak, red snapper... Álvaro Lerena discovers a quijotesque tavern Venta La Hidalguía has just oponed bringing the delicatessen from La Mancha. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Tigres , the classical deep fried mussels with bechamel. 5 a taula discovers L'Auro, the transformation of an old masía into a restaurant located in Vic. 5 a Taula also writes an interesting article about Morels . Rafael García Santos is back to Rodero, to prove that their originality is bigger than ever. RGS also writes about Navarrian Pinchos , the local and original tapas. Enrique Bellver visits Victor , a classic and serious basque restaurant in San Pedro de Alcántara. Caius Apicius is glad to see the organization and level at the Canarian Cooking Championship.

The week of April the 25th, 2005 Fenando Point writes about Antojo, a promising restaurant ran by Cesar Rodriguez (formerly in Viridiana) and his wife. Álvaro Lerena discovers La taberna de Juán a familiar tapas bar founded by young and experienced people. Top Metrópoli goes for the best restaurants serving Parmesanian Style Aubergines. Masso is the sincere and talented restaurant placed at Puigcerda reviewed this week by 5 a Taula. Rafael García Santos comes back to Asturias to revisit Casa Gerardo and see that they are innovating more than ever but the traditional fabada is still there. RGS also writes about the Italian culinary stars that are surprising the world. Enrique Bellver discovers the new Tragamar in Malaga where Dani Carnero comes back to the stoves with a very enjoyable food. Caius Apicius is very fond of his Anchovies.