anyavon

Commerc 24 had been getting pretty bad rap in town for being so overpriced and not worth it--deservedly so--hopefully Abellan can redeem his reputation a bit with the new place. Were people talking about futbol Pero when you went? After voting for independance, wonder if Catalans are rooting for the national team, given how many Barca player are on it. I know I know...not food related but couldn't helpt it. GO SPAIN!!! They've been looking so damn amazing so far.

What would be a good source on the history of Madrid dining--I have all of Lorenzo's books, plus books from Manuel Martinez Llopis that he gave me way back (what a wonderful charcater he was). Is there anything lucid and brief and reliable to use as reference?

Thank you Victor. So it was only in the 19th century that tabernas began serving food--before that they were strictly drinking houses? From reading Lorenzo Diaz and talking to him I was under the impression that the practice dates back earlier... What would Botin be, a meson or a fonda? And is it true that Manchegos were mainly in charge of the taberna trade and that the region's cuisine defined Madrid's popular dining early on? (Again, this was what Diaz had told me). What would be some of the dishes you'd eat in a 19th century Madrid taberna?

What is the difference between taberna, tasca and meson?

I've spent the last three years trying to replicate Spanish dishes at home for my cookbook. Yes, it's much easier that it was several years ago. I've just come back from a 25-city tour of America promoting the same book and cooking on TV and getting stuff like marcona almonds, pimenton, piquillos, or Arbequina oil have not been a porblem, even in the deepest Midwest. That said, on some, almost existential level, nothing tastes the same. Forget something as exalted as lechazo...take a simple revuleto or a tortilla de patatas.No matter how much you'll spend on boutique organic eggs here, it just won't taste the way it does in Spain. Vegetables were another porblem...those Mallorcan red peppers and eggplants in season you need for a proper Tumbet, for instance. Top grade bacalao, baby squid, fresh anchovies just off the boat, all the Iberico porkstuffs, the beans and the garbanzos, no you don't get them here. Yes, you can make a very nice cocido or fabada or paella with what''s available here but no, it won't compare with the ones prepared in the right places in Spain. Despite the wider availibility of French and Italian products here, the problem remains the same--you just can't have a "proper" bouillabaisse without rascasse. The problem with replicating Spanish dishes is that the producto-driven cuisine at good restaurants there is very minimalist & transparent, so without the producto you don't really have a recipe & there's nothing even to fake (the more conceptual "chefy" Spanish dishes are actually easier to play with). This isn't to say that Spanish ingredients are uniformally superior--go to a supermarket in Spain and you'll see the same flavorfless Chilean fruit. Yet at good producto restaurants, there's a refinement and rigour and sourcing that's absolutely crucial to the overall flavor of the cuisine. I've written five ethnic cookbooks and have to say that Spain has been the hardest to capture, particularly the simplest dishes. Which probably explains why there isn't a single truly authentic Spanish restaurant in the US. Then again, even in New England, I can count on my fingers the restaurants that do chowder with quahog clams.

slkinsey, if you are in NY, Despana Brand Foods, a Spanish food store based in Queens just opened a branch downtown in Manhattan. They carry dried Asturian faves (expensive but worth it) and very decent chorizo and morcilla. I make fabada all the time with their products--there is a recipe in my book, The New Spanish Table--and it comes out just fine. If you don't want dish to be greasy, you can blanch the sausages in boiling water first for a couple of minutes.

Real Café Bernabeu...is that instead of or in addition to Puerta 57?

The inclusion of St. John is actually one of the redeeming qualities of this list (tho not placed as it was below Berasategui). That and seeing more Spanish restos, though again Mugartiz # 10 and Celler de Can Roca at 21? WHY? And no Carme Ruscalleda? The top ten make sense--well, almost--and then the list just degenerates into random chaos. Bocuse!?....And nada in Tokyo probably the world's greaest restaurant capital not just for Japanese but for Western food as well. Oh well..

I don't think Simon claims any serious expertise (he hasn't been to Spain all that much) and had any particular restrictions other than time constraints. (Valencia is a quick side trip from BNA) But it's great that the French are coming... And...just curious, what "group" then has an in-depth knowledge of Spain?I meet food reporters from all over, both in Spain, at Lo Mejor and MadridFusion, and abroad and they seem to all talk about the same restaurants too. 9If they talk about Spain at all) Maybe the Japanese? There is one Tokyo journalist, Maki Kimura who's been absolutely everywhere and written about it, and she doesn't even speak a word of Spanish!

Pedro, I didn't suggest that they were the absolute exclusive focus. However, just from a cursory glance at the first couple of pages of this site, Madrid, Basque Country and Catalonia seem to dominate in a pretty big way. (The asado thread you site is from 2004) There really doesn't seem to be a million posts about, say, Quique Dacosta or Dani Garcia who--at least in my opinion--deserve every bit as much discussion as Andoni. I'm not critisizing the choice of topics....I'm merely suggesting that Simon's choices of regions and restaurants reflects a general and a rather obvious trend...

Well, if you're a busy guy like Simon, have 5-6 days and want a crash course in new Spanish cuisine, where would you go? Sanse and Catalunya seem like the obvious places, with the biggest concentration of talked-about restaurants and great traditional food cultures. Besides, as a service journalist, he wants touristy regions close to the border where his reader will actually go. Seems pretty logical. On this post, where are all the threads about Manolo de la Osa--who will actually schlep to Las Pedroneras?--and his acolytes in la Mancha? About Raul Aleixandre, Quique Dacosta, Tono Perez and Francis Paniego, about new-wave chefs in Aragon or Asturias. About the rice culture in the Valencian hinterlands or the asados of Castille--just to throw off some random examples.People seem to go to Madrid, Guipuzcoa and Catalonia and talk about Ferran, Andoni, Arzak and Santi.It's odd...not even Martin or Ruscalleda get a lot of chat. A "picture of Spain? in 5 days? You can have amazing food all over the country, both new and traditional but for a quick immersion, Arzak, Mugartiz, Rocas, Ca'Sento and Elkano isn't bad. Guess you can do Madrid--as a microcosm of Spain--but if you are a critic eating anonymously (like Simon does) and don't have insiders guiding you around, it can be tricky...

Voila, another Frenchman, Francois Simon from Le Figaro, framing his impressions of a recent eating trip to Spain as "10 lessons from Spain to France" Very amusing... http://www.madamefigaro.fr/cuisine/20060320.MAD0002.html

But one can't really compare Madrid with London, Berlin, Amsterdam, or even Paris, immirgant cities where foriegn cuisines have long stopped being considered "exotic" and firmly entered the culinary mainstream. Or Brussels where you can completely immerse yourself in an African neighborhood. Isn't Zapatero pursuing a more open immigration policy? Curious to see how it might play out in the food world...I might be completely wrong but immigrants always seem much more integrated and less ghettoized in Spain than elswhere in Europe. Are there actual immigrant enclaves in Madrid aside from a bit in Lavapies? Barcelona seems a bit more globalized...

The spinach with chick peas was actually really hard to reproduce in an American kitchen--a simple dish but took me like seven attempts to capture the authentic savor. Glad you enjoyed it. If you like Sevillian tapas, do try the Sevillian marinated carrots, inspired by a version from Las Golondrinas tapas bar. It's super easy but full of flavor. And thank you Brett for the kind words, thrilled that you like the book.

Victor, if you define critical influence in terms of the number of paying guests it brings to a restaurant, yes, Rafa's is marginal (though Pais Vasco isn't exactly a culinary wasteland) However, if one looks at his role in rallying young Spanish chefs together into a movement, pushing them to experiment, organizing a venue where they can exchange ideas--plus the impact of all of this internationally--then a different picture emerges. And hey, who else in Europe publishes a guide that so relentlessly--and often absurdly--privileges innovation? As for European press, Gault, Millau, nouvelle cuisine, yes this was thirty five years ago. I write about restaurants around the world for a living, maintain regular contact with critics in many countries, and read international food press on a weekly basis. And I stand by my assertion that the systematic critical support that experimental cuisine has enjoyed in Spain is unique. If I had time, I could go down the list, country by country, city by city, paper by paper...But I'm off to Paris today--with a brief stop in Madrid--to work with Francois Simon of Le Figaro on a piece. He certainly doesn't seem believe that there is much critical support for innovation in France. By your definition, Michelin is certainly an "influential" publication in Europe. Would you seriously characterize their taste as "progressive"?

Sorry Victor, I didn't mean to slight your contribution or those of the others you mention some of whom are good friends. What I've merely been trying to say is that the Spanish avant-garde movement has enjoyed a rare and extraordinary critical support, which has allowed it flourish in a way it might not have done elswhere. It has also led to acceptance of experminetal cuisine in other parts of the world. Italians might not make an important customer base in Spain but both Italian food critics and public have been very resistant to innovative cooking. If this is changing, that's in no small way thanks to Spain. (Obviously, Ferran is the main protagnist in all of this.) Anyway, I'm not a fan of RSG and won't say another word in his defense...

The assertion that RSG's influence is only felt in the Basque Country isn't entirly accurate though. As I mentioned in my previous post, he is a big hero these days to the Italian avant-garde--for instance. Identita Golosa started organizing their own good congress in Milan, a direct response to RSG's Lo Mejor. Last year he opened that congress and got a standing ovation, even though he spoke in Spanish without translation and nobody understood a word (which was probably for the better). Yes, Gault Millaut, of course! But I was thinking of more recent times. While the situation is slowly changing, in many ways thanks to Spain, institutional restaurant critics tend to be hostile to experimental cuisine. RSG, Capel are the happy exceptions.

Mugaritz, as far as I know, isn't doing all that well financially, neither with locals nor with visitors. Much of their income comes from catering banquettes because there simply isn't the market for this kind of introverted avant-garde cooking (Ferran being an exception). Plus Mugaritz has been financed by Martin's group, though from what I hear Martin either aleady did or is about to pull the plug. On the early stages RSG was certainly very influential in advancing Andoni's career, at least within the narrow confines of the Spanish food world--even if his guide isn't a mass-market proposition either. Now RSG turned on him, which is what he tends to do with the chefs he elevates. NYT didn't give Andoni much attention--Gourmet did a small piece on him and I've written about him quite a lot for various magazines. But that's not enough to fill a restaurant. Andoni is an incredibly talented chef and one hopes that his second star will help him achieve a wider recognition. Most of us food critics are exhasperated by Michelin ratings--all I seem to do with my colleagues in Europe is moan and complain. Yet in some cases, stars do bring people to a restaurant and this one's is certainly worth it. Ditto Ruscalleda. As for Luiz's remark about Spanish food critics, I completely disagree. They did a huge deal to promote new-style cuisine. Nowhere else in the world have critics been more influential in creating a movement. Elsewhere, they are usually hostile to ground-breaking cuisine and if that's changing, it is thanks to the Spaniards. RSG, for instance is a huge hero in Italy and Identita Golosa started a chef's congres in Milan a la San Sebastian.

Hello everyone, I wanted to introduce my new cookbook, The New Spanish Table, just out from Workman Publishing. I've been covering Spain for the last ten years for publications like Food&Wine, Travel+Leisure, and Los Angeles Times. The New Spanish Table is packed with 300 recipes ranging from traditional to the avant-garde, color photos, and essays on regional ingrdients, interesting chefs, history, and traditions. There are recipes from chefs like Arzak, Adria, Dani Garcia, and Carles Abellan, as well as from more traditional tabernas and tapas bars--all tested and retested and adapted to the American home kitchen. Provecho!

If dining alone, places where you can sit (or stand) at the counter are great, you always end up meeting people and having fun. Quimet i Quimet definitely, Cal Pep, Paco Meralgo (which is open on Sundays), Commerc 24, Cata 1.81, Pinocho and Quim de la Boqueria at the Boqueria market.

In Asturias in Arriondas, there is Casa Marcial run by a very creative chef, Nacho Manzano. Also in Arriondas is El Corral del Indianu with another creative chef. I had some incredible meals at Corral but I'm hearing it's gone downhill. Has anyone been lately? There is also a seafood place called Eutimio in Lastres,a very pretty village just above the coast. We had a nice folksy meal there not long ago. Great boquerones and seafood rice. On Cantabrian coast, there is a place called Meson Marinero but I can't remember the town, it's right on a beach. Not great but fun, locals really seem to like it. Pedro, for 150 euros p.p. at O'Pazo, we had some cigalas, some gambas de Palamos, almejas de Carril, maybe one other thing, and rodoballo. Which is what one orders there. There were 10 of us so portions came our rather small. Jamon was on the house because Juli Soler was with us. No dessert, nada. And a nice but not fancy wine. It was all fine but breathtaking, no. Certainly not compared to what you'd eat at Ca Sento in Valencia or Etxebarri for less. My feeling about these upmarket Galician marisquerias is that they pretend to be simple and no-frills but many are pretencious in the end. I'm not saying you should alway go to a creative place for seafood but if you're going to pay as much as you would at O Pazo or Botafumeiro or Rias de Galicia in BNA, you might as well... Agree about Elkano myself but travelers seem to prefer Kaia for the view and the atmosphere.

Carme Ruscalleda at Sant Pau does absolutely spectacular seafood. I've spoken about her on the other post. Not explicitly a seafood establishment but certainly leaning that way, and with a sea view. Botafumeiro can be blah, and SO expensive. Ditto O'Pazo in Madrid where I recently had a not quite perfect and very minimalist meal for about 150 euros per person. Rias de Galicia in Barcelona is a bit better than Botafumeiro (they do great octopus) but same problem as with these other upmarket Galician marisquerias. My feeling? If you're paying that much, might as well go with a virtuoso modern chef, like Ruscalleda. Getaria, Elkano has slightly better food than Kaia but no view & less atmosphere. Both are great. And Extebarri is not-to-be-missed though you'll want to have meat too. And bacalao on the grill. Hispania, near Barcelona, too. You can have a few great seafood dishes, plus those incredible tomatoes and beans. For me, the SINGLE BEST seafood restaurant in Spain is Ca' Sento in Valencia. Foodies from Barcelona take a train down to eat there, book way ahead, it's only 8 tables. Raul, the chef, trained with Adria but surrenders his ego to the ingredients. Their salt-grilled cigalas will make you cry. That whole Valencia-Alicante region is probably the best for seafood. La Sirena in Elda in Alicante is also fantastic, she's one of the best woman chefs in Spain. Problem with Galicia is, unless you go to a modern place like Pepe Viera, they still overcook seafood. Chefs in Catalonia and Basque Country and El Levante tend to be more skillful.

Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mar is not to be missed. I"m surprised how little people talk about Carme Ruscalleda, the chef. I've eaten at some 30 places on my last trip to Spain, including all the obvious ones where i check in several times a year. This was the single best meal I had. Luminous food. And you don't need a car to get there, the train ride is about 1 hour and lovely, along the coast. Go for a long lunch with a sea view.

I believe the actual meal cost is 155 €. Wine is additional, as is mineral water and coffee. A couple can get out for perhaps 200 € a head if you don't drink much. There are plenty of wines for under 30 €. Silly Disciple negleted to mention that plenty of people sent in a reservation request the same day the reservations were opened, yet didn't get a reservation. If you have to ask when to book at elBulli, you're not going to get a reservation. By milk fed lamb, I believe you're more accurately speaking about suckling lamb, which I believe is cordero lechal (Expect Pedro to arrive with the correct spelling any minute. I will continue to let him embarrass me by exposing my illiteracy in Spanish. Hell, I'll let him correct my English as well as long as he continues to introduce me to Madrid's less known, but exceptional worthy restaurants.) Milk fed lamb might suggest older lamb that's been fed a milk diet. These are exceptionally young lambs that are still suckling. Think of veal or suckling piglets. Barcelona is not particularly a place known for such a dish, though I suspect it may be available at one of the asadors, restaurants that specialize in roast meats. Silly Disciple give lie to his name with his good suggestions. Much of the information you want is already in the forum. Members are more likely to post information that is fresh in their mind than to rehash what they've already posted. You can eat espensively or inexpensively in Barcelona and you can eat poorly or well all along the range. Tapas are inexpensive, but dining on tapas can be deceptively expensive if your appetite is large. I think guides such as those of Michelin and Campsa are often more useful at the low end than at the high end. It often seems as if everyone knows the great restaurants. It's the local neighborhood restaurant recommendations that are often most useful from Michelin and Campsa. A good guide for the tourist is to avoid most places that are in the areas you're likely to be in. They are often tourist traps, and the best restaurants in these parts of town are those that cater to the well heeled gastronome. Restaurants generally (always by law?) post a menu outside of the restaurant. If you speak Catalan, look for a restaurant that doesn't post menus for tourists. Barring that, if you speak Spanish, look for a restaurant that offers a Spanish menu for tourist use. A restaurant with an English menu is more likely to be catering to tourists at the low end. At the high end, it's a different story as the very best multistarred restaurants all cater to international gastrotourism and will have menus in English and waiters who speak English. English is the lingua franca of both business and gastronomy in Europe. The Germans and Japanese order in English along with the Americans and British. ← I think the tasting menu at Alkimia is only 40 euros pp. Commerc 24 can get way expensive and not really worth it in the end. It's really gone downhill. Sauc has a v. reasonable lunch menu, like under 20 euros. There is a bistro near the Boqueria called La Murgula which has a really yummy cheap lunch menu. It's where all the vendors go. Also at Boqueria, try Quim de la Boqueria breakfast/lunch counter. It's amazing. Suckling lamb is called lechazo, it's a specialty of Castille. I'm sure there are places in Barcelona doing it. Roast lamb places are called "asador"...there might be one called Asador de Aranda but I might be mistaken. Most places are closed Sun. and many Mond. A good place that's open on Sunday is Paco Meralgo, try to sit at the bar.