Brett Emerson

Never mind. I found out the answer to my own question.

This isn't exactly a dining question, so I apologize in advance (although if anyone can recommend a good restaurant in or near Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, I'd be very appreciative). I'm looking for a good Cava producer to make and bottle a house-label Cava for my upcoming Spanish-inspired restaurant in San Francisco, Contigo. Thanks!

Does anyone know which Cava producer bottles the house-label Cava, "Cava Mono," for Casa Mono?

Of Abac, Alkimia, Hisop, Sauc, Ot, and Gresca, does anyone have an opinion which is best and not to be missed? How do they differ from one another?

I'm heading to Barcelona for a week at the end of September. It's a last minute trip before I open my Cal-Spanish restaurant, Contigo, in San Francisco. By Cal-Spanish, I mean the menu is ingredient driven. I'll be honest, I don't have too much time to read up on what's new or what's still worthwhile. I'm turning to the always trustworthy opinions of my fellow eGulleters. Basically, I'm looking for recommendations in two categories. First, informal tapas style places. Second, the small "bistronomic" chef-owned restaurants. In the first category, I'll visit old favorites, like Quimet i Quimet, Cal Pep (I know, not everyone likes it), and the various kioskos in la Boqueria (Pinotxo, Universal, and El Quim). I'm excited to try: Bar Inopia (of course) Paco Meralgo And I hope to visit less expensive joints like: Bar Tomas for patatas bravas la Cova Fumada for la bomba Mam i Teca. I'd appreciate other recommendations for other informal places not on my list (even places that are only known for one typically Catalan dish). In the second category, I'm thinking Cinc Sentits and maybe one or two other places. Possibilities I've read about before include: Hisop Abac Alkimia Sauc Ot Are the above still good? Which would you rank as the top "must visit" places? Are there any newer bistronomic restaurants not on my list? Lastly, what's the best place these days for Sunday suquet/fideus/arroces in Barceloneta? Many thanks in advance!! P.S. Can't wait to visit Pedro's and SD's Pazzta920 stall and buy mushrooms at Petras' stall! And Jamonisimo! And a blow out seafood orgy at Rias de Gallicia (if I can afford it).

I'm coming to Barcelona at the end of September and I'll be sure to drop by your stall.

This looks like my kind of place. To think the meal followed lunch at Ca Sento and breakfast at the Mercado Central... wow. Sounds like the perfect day. You're right on when you wrote: "what may have been the single best day of eating from morning to night of my entire life."

Thank you everyone for all your help! I've forwarded the information to the person who wanted to buy the salt cod tripe for the upcoming Worlds of Flavor conference. Also, thanks for teaching me the correct word for what I was asking for: callos de bacalao.

Hola Chef Andrés, every time I am in Spain I am amazed at the pristine quality of the fresh seafood. We also have great seafood in the US, especially in the Chesapeake Bay region near your restaurants. Would you be willing to share some of your sources for excellent seafood? Another specialty I miss from Spain is top quality bacalao, from the lomo to the tripa de bacalao. I am always disappointed in the quality that I find, at least here on the West Coast. If you are willing to share, I'd love to know who provides your D.C. restaurants with these difficult to find products? Thanks so much!

Thanks, Butterfly. I had a feeling it was too different. I've been trying Italian and Portuguese stores and fishmongers, but none of them seem familiar with tripa de bacalao. Where do you buy tripa de bacalao in Madrid? (If my memory serves me correctly, pretty much any bacalao specialty shop within a market also sells the "tripa.") Do you - or any Spain-based eGulleters - have any contact info for shops that may sell tripa de bacalao?

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, sharks (and rays) seem to be one of the few fish that don't have a swim bladder or maw, the inflatable bladder that enables fish to remain bouyant. As far as I can figure, most Chinese fish maws come from eel-like fish, like the conger pike. Dried maws from cod are sometimes sold at Chinese stores, too.

This is actually very helpful, Rogelio! With a few Google searches, I learned that the natatory (swimming) bladder is also called the gas bladder or fish maw. I know that some specialty Chinese stores in SF's Chinatown sell dried fish maw, some even from cod. I don't know if the Chinese product is salted first. I'm not that familiar with either product, the Chinese or the Spanish. Does anyone know if the Chinese dried fish maw could be used as a substitute for the salted tripa de bacalao of Spain? Maybe I should consider moving this to a more general food topic?

Chef Andrés, I recently bought some of the excellent chorizo ibérico de bellota from La Tienda and noticed that your name is on the package. Can you share with us the story of your involvement bringing the legendary ibérico pork products into the US?

I'd love to see calçots, too, so that we could celebrate a calçotada. I brought some piquillo pepper seeds back last year and asked a local farmer to grow them in our northern California soil. The result was fantastic (although a lot more work than the excellent canned peppers from Lodosa!). The same farmer also grows excellent pimientos de padrón. My next project is to find a farmer to grow some piel de sapo melons next year - I brought the seeds back from my latest trip in August. Chef Andrés, are there any other fruits and vegetables that you miss from Spain that you would like to see grown in the US?

Thank you for your reply. I'd love to know more about how you adapt the long cooking times in your restaurants? If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious if you only fire the dish after it is ordered or do you cook a few ahead based on experience?

The supplier for the upcoming Worlds of Flavors-Spain program at the CIA campus in Napa emailed me to see if I could help him to procure tripa de bacalao, salt cod tripe. Some of the stellar line up of superstar Spanish chefs want it for their demonstrations. Ideally, the source would be in the US or Canada. If that fails, he's interested in a source in Spain, preferably one that has a website and the ablility to cryovac it. Let me know if you have any leads or ideas! Thanks! On a side note, anyone know how to get me a ticket into the long sold out conference??

Chef Andrés, in your book you mention a few small restaurants and tapas bars that many of us here on eGullet are equally fond of, such as Quimet i Quimet in Barcelona and Rafa's in Roses. I am positive that a lot of us curious and adventurous eGulleters would love to know if you have any other equally delicious restaurants (or, better yet, hidden secret gems) in Spain that you would like to share with us.

Chef Andrés, although I have never had the good fortune of dining in any of your restaurants in the D.C. area, I have throughly enjoyed cooking through the American version of your new book "Tapas: a Taste of Spain in America." I am a chef who loves Spanish cooking and am preparing to open a little neighborhood restaurant in San Francisco (opening beginning of next year) that will feature a few Spanish-style dishes on the seasonally changing menu. I was wondering if you could share with us the story behind some of the modern and innovative techniques that a few of your recipes feature. For example, the technique of slow roasting meats at 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit and then searing them at the end, a reversal of the usual order. Also, blanching mollusks in boiling water for a few seconds, as opposed to steaming them open in a covered pan. Did you learn and develop these techniques while working with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli? Also, how do you adapt some of the techniques (especially the long cooking times of slow roasting) to the fast pace of a professional kitchen?

Granja Elena sounds fantastic, Tanya. Thanks for the recommendation and the detailed write up! Oh, how I wish I was in Barcelona right now so that I could tuck into a plate of the pork belly, pig snout & ears, scrambled eggs with salt cod tripe, mel i mato mousse ... oh really, any of it! Delicioso!

I own just about every cookbook on Spanish cuisine written in English (and about 2 dozen written in Spanish) and this is my new favorite book. If I were to recommend one Spanish cookbook, this one is it. I got it about a week ago and have read it page by page, recipe by recipe and I am loving it (still not done yet). It captures the current culinary scene in Spain perfectly with a nice mix of traditional and modern recipes. The recipes are whetting my appetite and inspiring me to cook, which is really what I want out of a cookbook. If you are planning a trip to Spain, the travel advice is spot on too. I've been to many of the same places, but not all of them. I would definitely comb through the recipes and side bars to see where Anya ate and which chefs recipes she got, because she clearly knows what she's talking about! Hopefully, I'll get around to writing a full review on my blog later this month. This is destined to become a classic. If you read this, Anya, I want to say thank you! This is the Spanish cookbook I have been waiting for. And I wish you success. Bravo!

I am completely shocked and excited! When I opened my email this morning I discovered that I just got a reservation for mid-August! Woo-hoo! It will be my first visit. I'm a little nervous about going to Spain in August, but that was the only time I could possibly go in 2006. Will other restaurants (such as Rafa's) be open?

Doc and Molto, great pictures! Between the two of you, I feel like I just ate at El Bulli! Although I'm still hungry... Anyone know when the date to make reservations for 2006 is?

Oh my God! docsconz, those are the most beautiful pictures of seafood I've ever seen. I could practically taste everything! I have always wanted to go to Rafa's (even more than El Bulli, but that's just my personal madness) and now I feel like I have visited it virtually. Whenever people ask me what is great about Spanish cuisine, I'll show them these pictures (oh, OK, I'll show them pictures of the food at El Bulli, too). May I ask what kind of camera you use?

Viking (and raisab), you mentioned that you've been to Can Majò already, but have you tried El Suquet de l'Almirall, also in Barceloneta? I had a very good arroz caldoso con bogavante there in July. I don't know what others think of this place, but I rather liked it. Also, a little further afield, I hear that the seafood at Hispania in Arenys de Mar is not to be missed, especially the escamarlans and the gambes. And I believe it's relatively accessible by train as well. raisab, I second some of Silly's advice as well. Don't miss Quimet i Quimet or Jamoníssimo and skip Commerç 24. I, however, disagree with Silly on the merits of Cal Pep. Just go during an off time to avoid the crowds. And, of course, don't miss Pinotxo when you're at la Boqueria!

Good to know, asola. Next time I get a chance to visit your beautiful city, I'll make a point of going there on a Thursday for paella. I can't think of anything I would like more!