Silly Disciple

But of course you are not a nationalist, my dear. Be it as it may, for some reason, economics dictate that someone thought 800k was not enough, and decided to buy some of those 15k as well. Whether they process them, burn them or save them for a rainy day, it's beyond what I know today. And yes, sometimes one needs to be Silly.

Please tell us more! That would be earth-shattering news! (Spain is the largest olive oil producer in the world and supplies Italy with a large chunk of the mid-level oil that is bottled there.) ← Maybe my remark wasn't clear enough. Part of the Argie olive production is sold to Spanish companies. Victor, I didn't mean to imply your precious olive oil comes from anywhere else but the proud fields of Spain!

Hey Viking, I've just moved to Gracia, so this is intriguing me. I think I've heard of this place but haven't sought it out yet. Is it (whisper) La Mar de Gracia? I need to befriend a fishmonger! Cheers K ← I second the request on this vital piece of information!!!!

No need to get on the defense. If you read my post twice, you'll realize I said "we", implying I am an Argie too. Moreover, I wasn't comparing the relative quality of the Spanish oil vs. the Argie one, as a matter of fact it is my understanding that several large Spanish oil brands get their olives in Argentina. I would like to think it was more like a humorous post, pointing to the fact the general bad quality of olive oil sold in Argentina, this coming both from my observations and from a reputed source in the local business. But since we are on the subject, many recipes that call for olive oil in the mediterranean region use butter elsewhere. The reason is obvious, the historical local availability of one product over the other.

we'd better do, given the crap you get in Buenos Aires posing as olive oil.

I've mostly visited the old quarter and the old city walls, which might be enough to cover your morning, assuming you go for lunch at Can Roca. I suggest you take a look at the city council's website, they have plenty of tourist information available in several languages. I guess I would try Hisop, Alkimia or Comerç 24, in that order (at this point I think it is pretty clear I greatly prefer the former over the latter).

I forgot to mention, one of the other "big" names in pastry here is Escribá. They have a shop on Gran via, and a lovely coffee shop on the ramblas. Both are good places to rest after a day walking, have good coffee and great sweets.

That's pretty much my opinion too, adding that I don't really like being served poorly cleaned, oversalted shelfish, or tortilla I didn't order at 12 euros a dish. And I have sat across from Pep in more than one of the ocasions I ate there. We even hit the place several times, since I was really expecting a great experience. Cal Pep is a few steps away from the Hofmann cooking school, so we've managed to be there early, several times, and during the off-season as well. I have visited it with catalonian friends, who have ordered in catalan, and we still had the same average to poor results. Buying fresh product (which he clearly does) doesn't guarantee good food if you don't care about manipulating it properly. I think you would expect at least that the stuff is properly cleaned. Bottom line, I am sure this place has seen better times when it was less well known, but in my opinion it has turned into not much more than a tourist trap.

raisa, these are a few of the local places I occasionally hit with the family, I think you'll find information about most of them in other threads: - La Paradeta (for fish and seafood) - La Bella Napoli (decent pizza, both locations) - Arroceria Xativa (for good rice at decent prices) - Yamadory, on the same block as Cinc Sentits (for sushi and japanese food) - Paco Meralgo (for neatly executed tapas) - Origens 99.9% (the one on Enric Granados st, which has a lovely terrace, not the one in the Born) I'm not a big fan of this place, but the wife loves it. They also sell Enric Rovira's chocolate rajoles. - Cremeria Toscana (across Paco Meralgo, for great ice cream)

Unless you must go to Monserrat for other reasons, I would suggest instead spending a day in Girona, which is a lovely city (you can also go there by train) with an extremely old quarter and lots of things to see, and having lunch at Can Roca. Also, lately I have heard a few so-so reports about Abac (I haven't been there myself yet), so you might want to consider other options instead. As for Cacao Sampaka, by all means go ahead and check it out, we can compare opinions later. I understand what Doc says in that it is a different concept not likely to be something you have already experienced. In my opinion, nothing I've tasted from them is up to the hype. I find Enric Rovira's chocolate much better. I haven't had anything by Balaguer, so I can't comment on his work.

10 things/places I wouldn't miss if visiting Barcelona: 1. El Celler de Can Roca. 2. Tapas at Quimet i Quimet. 3. Cinc Sentits. 4. hand cut Jamon Iberico de Bellota at Jamonisimo. 5. Hisop. 6. 70% chocolate rajoles from Enric Rovira. 7. Colibri. 8. Early morning visit to La Boqueria. 9. Montadito and Cava at La Champanyeria, where it not packed with tourists. 10. fresh ice cream at Cremeria Toscana 6 things/places I think are over-hyped: 1. Cal Pep 2. Comerç 24 3. Estrella de Plata 4. Cata 181 5. machine cut ham at La Boqueria 6. Cacao Sampaka wanted to go all the way up to 10, but can't think of more right now.

You mean from the joves cuiners, or from another reference?

I've been to Biblioteca twice, a friend used to work in the kitchen. Let's just say I'm not a huge fan of the place. Since you're willing to leave Barcelona, why not try one of the "new wave" of young cooks? I haven't been to any of these places, but I've heard good things about the group, more precisely the ones in L'Escala. Jordi Jacas , “El Molí de L’Escala” Jordi Sabadí, “El Roser 2” Vicens Lavado, “La Gruta” A place that in my opinion fits the "authentic and with a philosophy throughout the meal" is Xavi Sagrista's one-star Mas Pau, just outside of Figueres. Disclaimer though: I've just finised a stage there, so my opinion might be biased.

If I'm not mistaken, frango no churrasco means literally grilled chicken, or barbequed chicken, no?

A friend of mine (a cook from Brazil) recommended me Alex Atala's book. see here.

The spheriphied olive was for me an eye-opener. I agree with Pedro in that some of the latter dishes were a bit disappointing (I think it was the “senderuelas con dashi” I plain didn’t like), and moreover I had seen a demo with Albert Adria explaining the dish a week before I tasted it. But once I had eaten it, it reminded me of the concept of Platonic ideals. I seriously thought it was the ideal of an olive, the essence of it, the way all olives were intended to taste. It’s not what we found the original olive lacking, but rather it was like finding what all olives were made after, what the original model would have been. The fact that he makes it look like the real deal is anecdotic, a game he plays with the people who eat there, a gimmick if you want to surprise them. This doesn’t diminish the fact that his olive tastes indeed like the essence of the olive, and I think you could have it as a shot and still be amazed by its pure taste. If this is the outcome, if a cook can process a product and get there, then I definitely think is worth it. I asked Adria if he thought he was subject to a different pressure other three-star restaurants were, i.e. people like Santamaria for instance are known for their utmost care and respect for the product, while he was in the spotlight for his creativity. His answer was that he thought he had double the pressure, i.e. he was held to serve only the best ingredients with the same care and respect, and on top of it, he had to come up with new ideas every year. Whether this is true or not, I guess we will find out if/when he runs out of ideas. But my point is that he still feels wherever his ideas take him, he still has to serve the best ingredients, with the same care and respect more “traditional” restaurants do.

I second Pedro's comments, they are usually prompt and it is definitely worth it. If you want, PM me and I can try to call locally. SD

Rafa is open Monday night as well, but during the month of August ONLY. sd

Interestingly enough, I've noted this trend at the Boqueria too. More and more stalls are creeping with as you call it "made things". Almost every fruit stall towards the front of the market now offers ready-cut fruits, and there are several fresh juice vendors as well. Other additions are the fancy wine place towards the back (this has been there for a while actually), but also a tea stall (why would one buy tea at the Boqueria is beyond me), and a posh kitchen gadgets stall has opened right across from Petras, the mushroom guy. You can also find a ready made japanese food/sushi place and a organic food stall towards the back as well. I guess as these markets grow as tourist destinations, the economics tend to favor the overpriced value added aimed at tourists rather than the original raw goods business. oh well, at least Barcelona has another 41 markets where one can shop SD

So does Lonja de Tapas, in the Born. I've talked about this place in the value thread. SD

I second Bux on the Cinc Sentits recommendation. Also, Hisop has an excellent and fairly cheap degustation menu. SD

While I agree with your overall philosophy, I would think that if you're cooking sous vide for someone who might react negatively to the new texture or appearance of the dish served AND he's paying for it, you might be in a tough spot. Of course you give Ducasse a chance, but what happens when the old bar around the corner starts serving burgers sous vide? How would the clientele react? If however the external appearance is that of the usual seared meat but the flavor is greatly improved, it seems to me that you are clearly getting something out of your troubles cooking sous vide. Are you cooking sous vide at home? would you mind describing your setup? I've been toying around with the idea of testing it at home, but it seems like the initial setup is a bit complex/expensive. I ask the same question. I've been trying for the last few days to get hold of the book here in Barcelona to take a good look before deciding to buy it, however it seems to be sold out/on special order on most bookstores here. SD

I am curious, is this a stated fact, or a similarity you personally found between the two sauces?

right, however logistics in your explanation are tightly linked to a restaurant type of service. I was thinking more about other situations, such as maybe catering, where you might not be able to finish 500 sous-vide cooked steaks. I guess in this case you would have them seared and finish them in ovens? I guess my question is, "will a sous-vide cooked meat (any meat) cut always need finishing for it to be estethically / texturally pleasing, or is there a way to skip one step and go from bag to plate (with previous heating, of course)?". Again, this is out of curiosity and from a beginners point of view, maybe I'm terribly wrong. SD

Good seafood (and this is relative, of course) is hard to find in Buenos Aires. If you're looking for the freshest stuff you need to get out of Buenos Aires and travel either south to Mar del Plata (basically a holiday destination), or north to Rosario in the Santa Fe province.They are both known for their fresh fish (former coming from the sea, latter coming from the river if I'm not mistaken), but in my opinion neither are particularly interesting destinations. If you can't get out of Buenos Aires, you could visit either the Vasco Frances or Vasco Fermin (french-basque restaurants), which have good quality and decent preparations. I've also heard of a few peruvian restaurants that make killer ceviche (citrus-marinated fish), but I have to look those recs up. Moreover, fresh fish can be bought in Buenos Aires' Chinatown, but that's assuming you'll cook it yourself. Also, high-end restaurants like La Bourgogne, Agraz, Nectarine, etc. have excellent fish dishes, as they get their fish regularly from fishing ports like Mar del Plata or further down south, and have properly trained cooks to handle it. SD