Rogelio

The Week of November the 8th, 2004 Fernando Point comes back with a visit to Madrilia by Café Olivier an italian restaurant with a londonier style, ie, the owners of Café Olivier have been advised by Antonio carluccio. Alberto Lerena on his tapas section writes about DisTintos a very much needed wine tavern in the Argüelles area. Top Metrópoli is dedicated to the best restaurants cooking Sweet Crepes in Madrid: 1. EL VIEJO LEÓN. ALFONSO X, 6. 2. CREPERIE MA BRETAGNE. SAN VICENTE FERRER, 9. 3. BREIZH. MADERA, 36. 4. L'ART CREPERIE. MARTÍN DE LOS HEROS, 6. 5. CARIPÉN. PZA. DE LA MARINA ESPAÑOLA, 4. 6. CRONOCHEF. AVDA. EUROPA, 17 (POZUELO DE ALARCÓN). 7. CRECOTTE. AVDA. BRASIL, 26. Abraham García deals with his readers and fans on Abraham Boca , his weekly chat. 5 a Taula visits the traditional Manel, a classic restaurant in Martorell keeping the essence of the catalonian cooking traditions. Elena Castells is surprised by the big amount of Red Mullets that can be found on our markets even cheaper than last year. Enrique Bellver discovers A fuego lento a honest home food restaurant in the centre of Marbella. Caius Apicius goes crazy this week with Chicharrones and other Offal New York Times' Mark Bittmen seems to have discovered Piquillo peppers Piquillo Peppers, a secret treasure from Spain after reading the eGullet discussions.

The week of November de 1st, 2004 Joan Merlot discovers Miyama, a very good japanese restaurant with vasque influeces, the chef was working at Zuberoa. Pipo, El mundo del Vino is the rimbombant name of this new wine and tapas bar created by one of the best madrileñian wine dealer. Top Metrópoli is for the best restaurants cooking Calamares en su tinta (Squids in it’s own ink) being the winners traditional restaurants cooking the squids either vasque o castillian style: 1. LAS BATUECAS. AVENIDA REINA VICTORIA, 17. 2. TÁMARAAVENIDA DE AMÉRICA, 33. 3. CASA DOMINGO. ALCALÁ, 99. 4. CASA MANOLO. ORELLANA, 17, 5.CASA RICARDO. FERNANDO EL CATÓLICO, 31. 6. CASA CIRIACO. MAYOR, 84. Abraham García diserts about food, horses and sex at Abraham Boca , his weekly chat. 5 a Taula visites El Hogar gallego ,a traditional product based restaurant in Calella with no concessions to the avant garde cooking but to the quality and taste of the seafood. Rafael García Santos visites Rio Asón , the cantabrian restaurant runned by chef Enrique Galarreta. The quality of the product served in big portions and very well elaborated leaves the visitor willing to repeat. Also interesting is the article where RGS praises the use of the wide variety of local cheeses on every creative restaurant. Enrique Bellver revisites Med in Torremolinos realizing thet the restaurant has changed for good from an experimetal laboratory into a creative food with solid roots restaurant. Caius Apicius remembers the old sifón and compares the old tradition of drinking Vermut with soda.

The week of October the 25th, 2004 Fernando Point’s critic includes two restaurants this week: Dassa Bassa is the most promising new aperture of the year. The young cook Dario Barrio comes from Pedro Larumbe’s kitchen but here he flies free . La Cocina de Maria Luisa on the other hand is the sublimation of Sorian comfort food as it best cooked by former conservative MP Maria Luisa Banzo. Alvaro Lerena discovers Mi Pintxo a Tapas and wine bar that is born to success. Top Metrópoli goes exotic this week with the best restaurants preparing Palak Paneer . They’re obviously indians: 1. GANGES. BOLIVIA, 11. 2. MUMBAI MASSALA. RECOLETOS, 14. 3. ANNAPURNA. ZURBANO, 5. 4. DELHI. DUQUE DE OSUNA, 6. 5. TAJ. MARQUÉS DE CUBAS, 6. 6. ADRISH. SAN BERNARDINO, 1. Always ironic Abraham García pleased us on Abraham Boca Rafael García Santos revisites Zortziko the classic restaurant placed in the centre of Bilbao is changing from barroque to lighter and more product influenced dishes. On his weekly article RGS praises the new Anuario gastronómico de la Comunidad Valenciana by Antonio Vergara, a guide that includes the best restaurants in this comunity being the winners El Poblet in Denia and Ca’ Sento in Valencia and the best places acording to their specialities, ie, rices, fideuas... 5 a Taula revisites Los Pajaritos a traditional barcelonian restaurants living memory of the seveties style of cooking. Not everythig in Barcelona needs to be modernish design. Javier Ricou writes on La Vanguardia’s friday’s market section about a stall in Lérida’s market that lives selling only snails and free range eggs Enrique Bellver at El Sur visites Indarra a familiar restaurant vasque style in Marbella. Bellver highlights their love for the charming details that makes this little and familiar places so desirables. Caius Apicious complains this week about the bad Mushroom Season that we are suffering.

The Week of October the 18th, 2004 Fernando point takes a look to the oriental invasion in General Aranaz ═ a hidden street in Ciudad Lineal area. The comented restaurants are: 'Mougo' (General Aranaz, 11. Tel: 91 320 44 76) interesting and cheap corean 'Happiness' (General Aranaz, 33. Tel: 91 741 02 23).An irregular panoriental 'Sheng-Cocina AsiАtica' (General Aranaz, 65. Tel: 91 371 7183). The most ambitious with an interesting panoriental offer Alvaro Lerena writes about Bodegón Pinturero in his tapas section. Top Metrópoli es dedicated to the now very popular in tapas bars creative toasts (tostas). 1. CASA LUCAS. CAVA BAJA, 30. 2. TABERNEROS. SANTIAGO, 9. 3. PHIDELIO. DIEGO DE LEON, 13. 4. ESTAY. HERMOSILLA, 46. 5. EL OLIVAR DE AYALA. AYALA, 84. 6. CASA CAMUÑAS. JUAN DE OLMAS, 39. Abraham García keeps teaching us with his knowledge and sense of humour on his weekly chat Abraham Boca . 5 a Taula pays a visit to Marc Joly , the promising cook who is going to be the next big thing in the catalonian ampurdán. They praise the technic, product and talent of this young cook. Rafael García Santos is almost ending his adjetives with Can jubany, the restaurant runned in Calldetenes (Barcelona) by Nando Jubany who has reached the madurity enough to improve his dishes with technic, flavour and complexity. On his weekly article RGS praises the reborn of Pancenta in the spanish high gastronomy. Malagan paper El Sur includes Enrique Bellver critic to Valseca a new restaurant aspiring to be Malaga's best. The start is promising but it needs more time to have the ideas settled down. Caius Apicious writes about the link between tripes Callos and Cap i pota

The Week of October the 11th, 2004 Fernando Point visites the new opening El Olvido , a new low budget restaurant that uses the formula of including the starter in the prize of the main dishes. Food is not superb but we’re talking on low budget. Tapas section discovers La Vinoteca del Lector a non minimalistic wine bar in the centre of Madrid where the costumer can drink a glass of wine, read a book and enjoy San Sebastian alike pintxos. Top Metrópoli goes for the best Cheese tables in Madrid restaurants: 1. SANTCELONI. PASEO DE LA CASTELLA, 57 (HOTEL HESPERIA). 2. VIRIDIANA. JUAN DE MENA, 14. 3. FAISANDÉ-SANTO MAURO. ZURBANO, 36. 4. LA BROCHE. MIGUEL ÁNGEL, 29. 5. BALZAC. MORETO, 7. 6. CHAFLÁN. AVDA. PÍO XII, 34. Abraham García opens his mouth in this amazing Chat to critizise all the false taste sodomites. Rafael García Santos visits Jolastoki in Getxo, where Sabin Arana runs the kitchen of this tradicional restaurant adapting his cooking to the actual tastes. The game, stews and mushrooms are worth the visit to this classic house. On his weekly article García Santos complains about the desaparition of home made tomato sauce and sugest different ways of preparing tomato salads. El Comercio, the veteran asturian paper includes to recomendations in it’s Gastronomic pages: La Puerta Nueva in Oviedo is the restaurant where Sergio Rama, winner of the last asturian chefs championship, offices with a non regional cooking style proving his experiences in catalonian and vasque restaurants Casa Pepe “El Bueno” in Grado is a tradicional restaurant/sidrería/bar devoted to the “afuega ‘l pitu“ cheese and where the traveler can sample simple Asturias preparations Caius Apicius relates this week the story of the dinner offered by Talleyrand to Fouché and it's differents with todays menus.

The Week of September the 27th, 2004 Fernando Point is resarching between the New classicsrestaurants in Madrid, ie, typical restaurants with innovative food Being Nicolás the paradigm and La Sociedad the promising wannabe. Metrópoli’s tapas section is dedicated to La Taberna de Juán a fried fish (andalucian style) place in Ciudad Lineal Area. Top Metrópoli is dedicated to Tacos, being the winners obviously the best mexican restaurants in Madrid: 1.LAS MAÑANITAS. Fuencarral, 82 2. LA MORDIDA. Belén, 13. 3. LA PANZA ES PRIMERO. Campoamor, 2. 4. ENTRE SUSPIRO Y SUSPIRO. Caños del Peral, 3. 5.TAQUERÍA DEL ALAMILLO. Plaza del Alamillo, s/n. 6. SÍ SEÑOR. Castellana, 128. Abraham García is chating weekly with the readers of El Mundo exchanging recipes and ideas. And has written this essay about Genoma and wine 5 a taula have been visiting Cal Pere del Maset in the heart of Cava country in Sant Pau D'Ordal. Where Pere Massana and his wife Carme Ràfols founded back in 69 this classic resturant that keeps the best of the catalonian traditions. Elena Castells writes about the Strong smell cheeses that are starting to be in season this Autumn. Enrique Bellver revisites El Higuerón in Fuengirola, Málaga. The restaurant runned by Fernando Martín former chef of Asturias Trascorrales and madrileñian El Oso. Here he makes an Asturian-andalucian fussion with dishes like fabada or Tuna sirloin. Bellver also praises La Tirana a nice and popular restaurant with unexpensive stews and dishes that now is cooking marroquian food every weekend. Cius Apicius disserts about salads

Apart from Pedro's recos another good option for eating mushrooms in Madrid is El Imperio in Galileo 51, depending on the season you can have amanitas caesareas, Boletus, Chantarellas, lepiotas... apart from unpretentious dishes. And about collecting them, my choice for níscalos (lactarius deliciosus) is usually Cogolludo in Guadalajara province, about an hour from Madrid. For the more pretious boletus you have to go further and higher in that area.

The Week of September the 20th, 2004 Fernando Point visites Naomi Japonés a hiden japanese restaurant that has celebrated it’s 30th aniversary this summer. Point praises the freshnes of the fishes and the well done traditional stews. Metrópoli’s tapas section is dedicated to La Taberna de Colón a new style tavern with good beers and good wines. Top Metrópoli is for Musaka listing the main greek restaurants in Madrid. Is always a pleasure to read Abraham García. This week he’s been talking with El Mundo’s readers at This Chat 5 a Taula visites L’Ou de Reig a restaurant in the heart of Montseny where Joana presas brings back the tradition of the old french meres taking it’s roots in the tradition and product. Highly recomended. Elena Castells is surprised by the amount of Doradas de playa (beach wild dorades) that are filling our markets. Rafael García Santos has been in Barcelona visiting Moo the new restaurant supervised by the Roca brothers at the onomatopeyic Hotel Omm. Where chef Felip Lufriu tries to create his own cooking based on the Roca influences. Aturian El Comercio includes on it’s Gastronomic Pages two reviews: La Cantina in Avilés is a traditional restauranrt that cooks asturian/castillian food with daily menu and tapas bar that turns into a restaurant on weekends. Parrilla Torrontegui is a castillian asador in the village of carreño famous for it’s roasted lamb. Enrique Bellver visites Buenaventura in Marbella. The restaurant has renewed the menu, but the critic prefers the traditional dishes than the modern ones. New in Fuengirola is El Snack de Airen a wine devoted restaurant and snack bar runned by El Café de Paris’ Jose Carlos García. Caius Apicius illustrates us this week with the story of Chorizo

The Week of September the 13th, 2004. Metrópoli, El Mundo’s leisure magazine includes on his Madrid section the visit of Farnando Point to La Tasquita de Enfrente La Tasquita de Enfrente placed in the deep centre of Madrid this renewed restaurant changes very often it’s menu but the offer is always atractive enough to pay a visit. The tapas section, by Álvaro Lerena is dedicated to La cruzada La Cruzada a renewed tavern in the old Madrid with good tapas and wines conveniently placed near the opera. Top Metrópoli is for the best madrileñian restaurants cooking Sole being the winners: 1. El Pescador. José Ortega y Gasset, 75. 2. A de Alba. Dr. Fleming, 52 3. Casa Nemesio. Pº. de la Castellana, 260. 4. A´Casa de Pontevedra. Victoria, 2. 5. Tres mares. Corazón de María, 67. 6. El Barril. Goya, 86. 7. A´Casiña. Avda. del Ángel, s/n. La vanguardia, the veteran Barcelonian paper incluyes the critic of 5 a taula the gastronomic group that has visited this week Shangai the chinese restaurant placed in Barcelona and runned by the Kao family that has keeped the traditions of the chinese haute cuissine mixed with vietnamese and catalonian influences creating a festival of armonic and surprising tastes. Elena Castells, always writing about seasonal products invites us to buy grapes Grapesthis season Rafael García Santos visites Aretxondo in Galdákano to confirm that the restaurant is moving forward with chef Beñat Ormaetxea.The chef is abandoning the simple products for a more sofisticated dishes and acording to RGS this is the right direction. On his weekly article Garcías Santos writes about the Fire Works used by non talented chefs to distract the attention of the lack of quality of their products. Asturian paper El Periódico incluyes in it’s Gastronomic Pages the reviews of: Casa Valentin in Gijón where Rosa in the kitchen and Nori in the restaurant try to preserve the traditional asturian products, mainly fish and mushrooms. Sidrería Casa Angelón in Nava is a tradicional asturian cider bar with all the racial Asturias food: fabada, pote asturiano...and a big wine list. El Espacio in Lastres is a family runned restaurants worth the visit for their fishes and seafood. Malagan paper El Sur includes the visit to El Café de París El Café de París by Enrique Bellver who is amazed by the creativity and respect for the products in the best restaurant of Málaga. Caius Apicius polemizes this week about Frog Legs delicious or outrageous?

The Week of september the 6th, 2004 El Mundo’s Madrid suplement, Metrópoli includes Fernando Point’s critic about Bokado the restaurant of the new Museo del Traje (Dress Museum) runned by the Santamaría Brothers, famous for their San Sabastian’s famous tapas bar Oñatz. Acording to Point there are still a few details to amend but the start is promising. Metrópoli’s tapas section is dedicated to El Tendido in the Argüelles area and dedicated to the bullfights. Top Metrópoli is for the best cuban restaurants preparing Ropa Vieja Ropa Vieja the traditional cuban dish. Rafael García Santos has traveled to the Canary Islands to visit El Cucharón in las Palmas de Gran Canaria. A restaurant that is trying to keep the canarian traditions with a modern touch. He praises the papas arrugás and the renewed ropa vieja. In his weekly article the critic writes about Legums and recomends eating them even in summer. Barcelona’s paper La Vanguardia includes a short interview with Ferran Adrià where he talks about Bread . 5 a taula’s critic is for Arola the new restaurant of Sergi Arola in Barcelona., they praise the design, and originality of the idea,, the restaurant is a mix between a night club and a restaurant with very original dishes. In her friday’s market section Elena Castells writes about Figs now that the season is starting and they are getting better and cheaper. Enrique Bellver at El Sur reviews Da Bruno Sul Mare an italian restaurant in Malaga whose fresh pastas are worth the visit. Caius Apicius writes humouristically about the Gracian Yogurt and it’s miraculous properties

It could be, but the lady at the stall was swearing out loud in galician when I asked about their procedence

In my visit to Ferrol's fish market I was surprised by the few variety of fishes they had comparing with other coastal city's markets, the only things worth buying were the local squids and the amazing barnacles at 15€ a Kilo.

It's in the Bairro Alto, Rua de S. Pedro de Alcântara, 45 , just where the little tramway/elevator ends.

Hi, I have just come back from a holiday week in Lisbon an enchanting city that makes you wish to come back there every time you leave. I had brought a list of good eats compilled from Miguel Cardoso’s threads and my thoughts were to follow them straightly, but our friends there also wanted to take us out and we had to deal with their chosings too. So this is the summary of our lisboetian dinning. The first day we arrived from Galicia with upsetted stomachs so we needed a soft meal to recover from our galician overindulgence, we went for a walk to the Bairro Alto and ended lunching in Bota Alta, a recomendation from our lisboetian friends it turned out to be a traditional and probably a bit touristic Casa de comidas with the walls filled with old drowings, pictures and poetrys from their famous costumers; serving very honest comfort food, we asked for the soup of the day that turned to be a Caldo Verde (Green Soup) a traditional portuguese soup that we could place between a minestrone and a puree, very nice and recomforting. The dish of the day was a Pescada a marinheira a big cut of Hake with clams in an onion and tomato sauce, fresh and simple. Exactly what we needed and a bargain at 15€ each. With renewed stomachs we opted to visit the following day Búzio, in Praia das Maçãs. At the end of a sneaky road following the Cascais coast we ended in this restaurant higly recomended by Miguel Cardoso as probably the best fish restaurant in Portugal at the present time, Well I haven’t all the details to compare but is goig to be hard to beat the quality of the fish at Búzio. We went looking for a wild tourbot but they hadn’t and offered a 1kg Sea Bass that keep us almost criying when we finished it, amazing piece of fish, with strong meat plenty of flavour much better than the beach ones that I have had in Galicia four days before. With an apperitive consisting in half dozen of the bigger oysters (Crassostrea angulata) that I have had, with a not very atractive green meat they were tasteful and delicious, and half a bottle of wine it was just 70€. The following night our friends had reserved to honour us at Pap’Açorda one of the hippest lisboetian restaurants again in the Bairro Alto. This turned out to be the big disapointment of the trip. The place was very fashionable with different ambients and decorations. Very croudy and noisy. We had a nice green beens deep fried in a tempura style and simple and refreshing meckerel escabeiche that was the best of the meal. Then I had an overcooked John Dory in a buttery orange souce that killed the few remaining flavour of the fish. B opted for a cod in a corn bread that was a pastiche almast impossible to eat. Dessert was a thick chocolate mousse. At leas the bill was 35€ each. We reconforted our souls in the Solar do viho do Porto, and old fasioned bar placed in a restored palce where you can sample hundreds of ports by the glass at reasonable prices with a bit of jabugo, queijo de serra, icecream or one of the delicious pasteis de Belem. To restore the previous night disapointment on thursday we went to João Padeiro, in Guincho, another of Miguel’s sugestions to try the fried "linguado de Cascais" - an enormous Dover sole caught in Cascais, deep fried in butter and oil and served with chipped potatoes and salad – As he had written is the best fish and chips that we have had. The sole was so well fried that we ended licking the little bones and crunchy "skirts". Sadly Ramiro, the classic shellfish "cervejaria" thet we had chosen for dinner was closed so we opted for Cervejaria Ribadouro an old favourite of my father’s lisboetian times that seems to heve passed it’s best days and serves nice but not superb seafood at reasonable prices. For the last day we wanted to sample a traditional portuguese restaurant and as we couldn’t find the telephon or adress of Solar dos Leitôes we chose O Galito, in the Luz zone of Lisbon, a traditional casa de comidas with food from the Alentejo.They have a different dish of tha day every day and the regulars now them in advance. The cook, Dona Gertrudes (like the old mêres), is almost eighty and cooks every lunch and dinner, as an apperitive we sampled the farinheira (one of the Alentejan "enchidos"/cured pork sausages) a cold rabbit stew, some scramble eggs and a broad beans with sausage. The first course was an stunning pickle partridge that is going to be hard to forget. Then a paprika spiced pork with clams and coriander that wasn’t that good (or at least we didn't understood it). Again the bill was about 25€ each. Sadly we had to come back to Madrid to work but there are still a long list of remaining restaurants to visit, so Lisbon, I’ll be back.

I'd bet that you are talking about Casa Botín.

Going on holidays to Galicia has always been a matter of faith and thisAugust has been a tough one, the weather has been so awful in this Xacobeo Year that the only things you could do was eating excursions. In crowdy Santiago de Compostela, being almost impossible to get to the cathedral we advanced our lunch reservation at Casa Marcelo, a restaurant that I have been willing to visit for years. Mracelo Tejedor, chef and owner has been working before in France where he obtained a Michelin star and is the visible head of Nove a group of 9 young galician cooks including Pepe Vieira and Pepe Solla who are trying to renew the galician gastronomic scene focusing on the products more than in the new tecnichs. Eating at Casa Marcelo is an act of faith because there is no menu and you can only eat the daily changing tasting menu that at 38€ is a bargain, there is no chance to change if you don’t like a dish. Take it or leave it. The kitchen is placed in the middle of the rustic dinning room so you are watching the cooks working while you eat and some times they become improvised waiters bringing the dishes to the table as they cook them. Our menu started with a Squid’s eye that turned to be a spoon containing a puree like squid meat in a soy sauce and bread crums. Simple and delicious tasting like sushy but with a softer texture. Then a mug appeared containing a zuccini soup with beans and a razor clam. Nice and recomforting in this rainy day. Following dish was a caramelized pig’s jawl with two staemed king prawns in an annised sauce. Amazing dish simmilar to the one we had at Viridiana with Bux. Then a loin of Caleiro hake steamed at 60ºC in an Arzua Cheese, Potatoes and pumpkin purée was so good that I had to ask for another portion, delicious. Last main course was a dack breast roasted over strawberrys, that was good but far away from the previous dishes. The dessert was a cream milhojas with a pineaple ice cream.comfort food at it’s best. Tha conversation after the meal lasted until the restaurant was empty and Marcelo came to ask us if we wanted to see the rest of the kitchen and the terrace that he was preparing. He told us that he was very proud to be the first restaurant with no menu awarded with a well deserved michelin star. The total bill with cofee and three different wines was 50€ each, really amazing QPR. On the other hand and continuing Vserna’s galician post we had a magnificent Tortilla de patatas (juicy egg Betanzos style) and carne guisada (Beef stew) at La Casilla in the beatiful town of Betanzos for 20€ the couple. Highly recomended.

The Week of August the 30th, 2004 Due to the summer holidays, this is a selection af the last two week’s articles Fernando Point has been busy looking for a good haunt to eat a Fritura Andaluza in NorthEastern Madrid, ad have found that El Jamón del Abuelo (Víctor Andrés Belaúnde, 36; Teléfono 91 344 00 60), is a nice place as well as Las Cumbres (Alberto Alcocer, 32; Teléfono 91 458 76 92), but he recomends to avoid El Cortijillo (Yerma, 8, near the Pinar de Chamartín). Last week Point has focused in detailing what he funnily call the Point Stars to the best Casa de Comidas (Popular and traditional restaurants with good ingredients) being the winners: La Barraca (Reina, 29. Teléfono: 91 532 71 54). A bit touristic but their arroz con carabineros y rosexat is worth the visit Casa Lucio (Cava Baja, 35. Teléfono: 91 365 32 52). To see and be seen but apart from their huevos estrellados, the hake and the callos are superb. Támara Casa Lorenzo (Avda. de América, 33. Teléfono: 91 415 51 76). Menestra, escabeches, tortilla de patatas, lechazo pure palentian tradition. De la Riva (Cochabamba, 13. Teléfono: 91 458 89 54), insustituible castillian conservatory. Villa de Foz (Gonzalo de Córdoba, 10. Teléfono: 91 446 89 93) Galician cooking at it’s best. La Playa (Magallanes, 24. Teléfono: 91 446 06 07) is THE casa de comidas. Top Metrópoli has been dedicated to the classic Patatas Bravas and Ceviche. And El Mundo’s weekend Magazine has included an article about the spanish most topical dish La Paella 5 a Taula foun trhemselves in paradise dining at Can Boix in PERAMOLA-Alt Urgell-Lleida Rafael García Santos has been traveling to Campoamor (Alicante) where he has been tasting the great rices from Casa Alfonso praising not only the rices but the John Dory and the Lamb. And his article of the week is dedicated to the top notch restaurants placed in hotels Hotels Asturias paper El Comercio Digital's Gastronomic pages includes critics of Vinatería el Corsario and Casa del Parque in Gijón. Enrique Bellver has visited the enchanting El Relicario in San Pedro de Alcántara (Malaga) praising the eggs and seafood. Caius Apicius reveals his excepticism about the Marinated Fishes but is a converted when he talks about the new revolution of cooking at Controlled Temperatures relating his last meal at Casa Solla.

Hi, this is a list that Abraham García published in El Mundo a few years ago, but it's still useful: Ganbara San Jerónimo, 21. Deep fried asparragus, chistorra in puff pastry, lots of mushrooms. La Cepa 31 de Agosto, 9. Jabugo ham, Burgos cheese, sprats omelette. Tamboril Pescadería, 2. Musrooms, piquillo peppers with cod, shrimps. Txepetxa Pescadería, 6. Sprats in a thousand ways. Astelena Iñigo, 1. Hake cake, croquetas. Borda Berri Fermín Calbetón, 2. Duck wings, sea urchins, foie grass toast... Goiz Argi Fermín Calbetón, 4. Mushrooms puff pastry, croquetas, baby squids. Casa Senra San Francisco, 32. Guijuelo ham, cocochas, fried cod, Idiazábal cheese Aloña-Berri Berminghan, 24. cod brandada. Bergara General Arteche, 8. Ajoarriero cod, foie grass with grapes, piquillo peppers and anchoas scrumbled eggs, baby squid with onions. Oñatz Urdaneta, 22. beef cheeks, hake with vanaigrette, ox tail. La Espiga San Marcial, 48. Jabugo ham.

Manzanilla en Rama Barbadillo is avery delicate product issued four times a year (every season) the current one is the summer cask (saca de verano) and you should drink it during the summer, otherwise it gets oxidixed (remontada). It is quite cheap about 5€ the half bottle, but worth every cent. The main problem apart from the storage is the traveling, they say that it taste different out of Sanlucar (and sometimes they're right) but without a hard trip it can last 2-3 months in your cellar.

The Week of August the 9th, 2004 Fernando Point visits Cosa mia a new and good italian reastaurant in Arturo Soria whose kitchen is under the supervisation of Adriana Murari chef of the well known Adriana. The restaurant includes magician gigs on weekends and the food is worth the visit but the wine list lacks of interest. Top Metrópoli is dedicated to Baked under salt fishes , a very popular way of cooking in Spain. Madrid’s best are: 1. La Dorada. Orense, 64. 2. Alborán. Ponzano, 39-41. 3. La lonja de Pozuelo. Avda. de las dos castillas, 9 (Pozuelo). 4. Telégrafo. Padre Damián, 44 5. Taberna del Puerto. Diego de León, 58. 6. La Giralda. Claudio Coello, 24. 7. La Alpujarra. Pza. Perú, 4-5. Rafael García Santos travels to Ezcaray at La Rioja to verify that Francis Paniego at Echaurren is growing as a cook by his own and away from his mother’s (good) influences. This week’s article is dedicated to jellys as they are becoming more and more popular in modern restaurants. 5 a Taula, the gastronomic group have travelled to the beatiful village of Cadaqués almost in France to eat at Es baluard the traditional seafood restaurant where they tasted the fishes from the few fishing boats in Cadaqués. They praise the suquet (when available) and the rare fish spices comming from the bay. And they also visit El racó d'en Canela a reasonable restaurant in the village of Piera where Francesc Miralles Canela has renewed his restaurant with very clear ideas. Always teaching, Caius Apicious writes about the deasaparing of the realFrench Fries and the lack of quality in our new trendy restaurants. Note: This digest will be off for the next two weeks, and will be back on the 1st of September. Have a nice and foody Summer.

Even if you a great fan of sherrys, it will probably be hard for you to find fresh bottles, it is even in Spain, but Lavinia have now Manzanilla en Rama Barbadillo (Saca de Verano, summer's cask), meaninig en rama non stabilized, ie you have to drink it in the same season that you buy it and belive me because it is something else. Also worth buying Fino La janda, a new wine by Alvaro Domeq.

The Week of August the 9th, 2004 Fernado point’s critic at Metropoli is about Selfaya a small libaneese restaurant out of the international fashionists but with authentic tabuleh, kibbe and original fish dishes . Top Metrópoli is dedicated to dishes with Melon as the main ingredient, The top nine are: 1. Santo Mauro. Sea bass Tartare with melon and lime soup 2. Soroa. Melon with clams, tomatoe infusión 3. Hakkasan. Melon cream with eggs and minced beef. 4. Casa de Ormaza, Melon Carpaccio with jabugo, 5. Viuda Blanca. 6. De Lecea. Cold melon soup with ibérico 7. Neo. Melon gazpacho. 8. La Gamella. Melon soup 9. Arabia. Melon with cheese El Correo Digital includes Rafael García Santos review of Hispania the best Casa de comidas or traditional house food in the world as he writes in his caracteristic style about this restaurant placed in Arenys de Mar, Catalonia. Where the Reixach sisters serve the best products available very simply cooked. While in his article of the week RGS complains about the lack of new dishes with chipirón Chipirón (Baby squid) It’s curious to see a similar article at La vanguardia where 5 a Taula writes this week about Squids and praises the ones at Hispania. Asturian paper El Comercio Digital in it's Canal Gastronomía includes a critic of restaurant Mirador de Toró, a classic in the village of Llanes where they have the freshest seafood from the market. And introduces the new restaurant Koldo Miranda a promissing chef with a wide background that has settle down in the village of Illas and has very high aspirations. Caius Apicius has been to Cambados in the Alabriño fest and writes thid week about this Wine from the sea

You're right, Jerez (fino) and manzanilla are both quite enjoyable with food, mainly with boiled seafood, fried fish and with jabugo where they really enhance each others flavour. And I find them very suitable pairing modern tasting menus. The main problem, even in Spain, is to find fresh bottles because they loose easyly their enchant and most of the times they become remontadas ie they get oxidized. Some of them like Osborne's Fino Quinta have an expiry date at their back. The other problem is that having 15º of alcohol and as they are very easy to drink, you can have a problem by the end of the meal

Indeed, thats the manzanilla that we had for the starters, IMHO Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana is the best of it's kind, it's a 12 years biologic crianza that makes a wine placed between a traditional Manzanilla and an Amontillado. It was superb with the starters reaching the climax with the bocadillo de ibérico, this is the perfect match. And it was the best wine of the evening. Then we were sugested a Maconnaise that was terrific, but not all the courses where idoneous for the wine, and at last the mistake, the sommelier offered a powerful australian with a hint of brett so we changed it for a Langedoc-Rousillon very good but not suitable for the food, if I knew what was comming next I would have chosen another white. For the desserts we had a delicious MR, a moscatel from Malaga's Axarquía.

Hi, I have just come back from the first part of my holidays, and from my second visit to El Bulli, the first was back in 99. So this are my impressions: The service was perfect, playing a very important part in the preparation and presentation of the dishes. And in the food it seems like Adrià has tried to be impressive and crazy (sometimes ridiculous) in the aperitives while the main courses can reach the excellence. I was glad to see the Jabugo ham as a link between some of the dishes giving the overall impression of a whole menu, and as a reivindication of Spain’s best product. Being the surprise a very important part of the El Bulli’s menu I hadn’t read much about this year’s as I didn’t wanted to be influenced, but now that I have read the previous posts I realize that the menu is changing with the season and there are very few repeated dishes from the ones that Nerd Girl or Digijam had back in april. As we came in we were invited to visit the kitchen that was starting to work, but hadn’t reach the rush hour, eventhough it was impressive to see 45 cooks working sincronized at the same time. So we sat at our table and our waitar came to offer an aperitive that was going to be the first dish of the menu that followed: Cipirinha-Nitro con concentrado de estragón The tarragon concentrated had to be aeten leaving your tonge numb and your mouth plenty of tarragon aroma while the waiter started to mix the ingredients of a traditional Caipirinha: Cachaza and Lemon juice with the frozen nitrogen conforming a sorbet that was filled in a frozen lemon skin. It was good but more circus alike than delicious. Lazo de remolacha con Polvo de vinagre Like eating a plastic beet that melts in your mouth with a twist of vinegar at the end. funny Empanadilla transparente de eucalipto y grosella A blackcurrat with a plastic envelop. Can’t hardly remember Macarrones de Pórex y mantequilla de coco Kadaif a las aromáticas A little nest of herbs and germinated peas, nice and original Falsa “espardenya” con sisho, sésamo y yuzu Like a crunchy snack with fishy flavour Leche eléctrica “Sechuan Button” This was a bad joke, a milk toast with sechun pepper flowers almost tasteles that leaved my tonge like if i had liked a battery. The (delicious) manzanilla pasada that I was drinking revealed all it’s salty taste. Nube de palomita The sugar cottons that you eat in the fairs but with a pop corn taste Bocadillo de ibérico An empty bread with a thin slice of jabugo ham knife cutted. Nothing surprising but delicious anyway Caviar de melón Originaly presented in an iranian caviar tin, it was amazing but it needed a few mango seeds to give the melon a touch of complexity. Very good. Trufa de Pistacho Delicious bonbon like pistaccio tartufo with a liquid inner. Sférico de té con granizado de limón Surprising jelly like ravioli containing cold tea and frozen lemon inside. Very good and refreshing. Pan de queso con muesli de frutas y frutos The new frozen air presented in a polexpan box. It tasted like parmessan cheese with strong flavour but no texture. Original. Sopa de aceite con cítricos y aceituna verde This was a bit ridiculous, the waiter gave us a balloon and cuted it’s ending so we felt the azahar (orange blossom?) flower air from the olive tree land, and then we had an olive oil soup and grapefruit. Nothing to talk about. Gnoccis de patata con su jugo y raviolis de mantequilla Simple, original and delicious, potatoes gnocchi with juice. The gnocchi’s were gelatin like and exploded when you ate them finding a potato puree in it’s interior. It was like eating potatoes with potatoes puree and a potatoes juice but all in all delicious. Great “Ajo blanco” 2004 A very well resolved Ajoblanco almost solid almost liquid. Delicious anyway. Ostras con cinta ibérica, sopa montada con su grasa y emulsión de pistacho This was a haute cuissine dish that would be envy by any other chef. Three big oysters envolved with melted smoked jabugo fat in an oyster soup and a pistaccio souce. Simply great Huevo de espárragos al falso tartufo Surprisingly cooked egg that seemed to be an egg without it’s rind that once broken formed a sauce with the asparragus and summer trouffle. Good . Curry de tripas de bacalao Delicious, haute cuissine again with the jelly cod guts planty of falvor and a hint of curry enhancing the overall impression . Great Mollejas de conejo, alquenquejes “Trinxats” y aire de regaliz Original rabbit sweetbreads with liquorice air. Good. “Espardenyes” al jamón, gelee de yogur, chicharrones de jamón Who said that Adrià didn’t use top products?. This sea cucumbers are as delicious as a lobster and the jabugo fat gave them complexity. A great contrast pairing. The yogurt geleed didn’t match very weell IMHO Lomo de cabrito con cous-cous, spray de azafrán Good milk feeded goat with cous-cous around it and a hint of safron spray. Very good. Gelee de tomatillo con melocotón y eucalipto A frozen mix of tomato, peach and eucaliptus prepared in front of us. Very refreshing. Tortilla de leche – nueva omelette surprise A milk creppe envolving a liquid inner containing cinnamon and milk. Surprisinly good “Gran creu negra” homenaje a Tápies A black sunflower seed liying forming a big black cross over the dish with a cake and a vainilla icecream on top. Better as a picture than as a dessert. Morphings We decided to have them at the tarrace with a nice and hot summer night and the sound of the crickets around us it was the perfect ending of an enchanting dinner. A little bottle containing baileys and coffy, and a thin slice of bread with black chocolate, salt and olive oil. Both better than surprising. The overall impressiong is that El Bulli is an experience worth the trip, the service makes you feel like a prince, the food is challenging and delicious eventhug it seem like trying to be epatant with the aperitives, the main courses are great in every aspect. And I’m willing to go back in a year or two.