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vserna

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Everything posted by vserna

  1. ← Ah, Rogelio, it's the surrealistic touch by a Spanish chef! What better and more Spanish way to culminate an often surrealistic debate? A couple of brief comments... We tend to say Arzak has gone down to a one-star level after just one bad experience there. Or to disqualify Santceloni as a "bad" restaurant because of the same - one single experience. We'd better refrain from such over-simplistic judgments. All restaurants, even great ones, can fool us on a single visit. Heck, some bad ones have fooled me on the positive side... The Ferran/Santi debate epitomizes the diversity, now bordering on divergence, in haute cuisine worldwide. It's healthy, and there's no way an intelligent, sensitive food lover with a decent palate can choose a clear-cut winner between the two. Speaking of these two chefs, the classic bent in Santi's cuisine can sometimes translate into 'so what?' dishes, while Ferran is also a prisoner of his own device, in his case the need to go one step further into tha avant-garde every year, to the point when a whole meal of seeds, algae and 'spherifications' can leave you befuddled. But they're both great chefs. No, Ferran is not a phony. He does show that very Catalan mixture of madness and genius, but he's made cuisine evolve worldwide. To the point where it ceases being cuisine? That's the juncture where we may find ourselves, if not now, then perhaps in the near future.
  2. An easy source is the best German supermarket in town: Fass, calle Rodríguez Marín.
  3. So - unique but less tan spectacular? You've got me confused there. And again - why should an Argentinian chef be expected to contribute to "the Catalan contemporary heritage"? Is Alain Ducasse supposed to contribute to "the American contemporary heritage"? Isn't it enough for him to cook well and with some personality?
  4. Pedro: Sorry for the slip-up - I meant 'cellular', of course. Let's see if I can make myself understood: yes, of course, water expands when it becomes ice, and then it breaks up fat cells (turning them to mush) much more quickly than it breaks up muscle and fiber cells. So anything fat (from foie gras to tuna) will last a lot less in the freezer than anything lean (from green peas to sole). See the Canadian Government's instructions on the length of time one should keep fish in the freezer: "Poisson maigre : 6 mois; poisson moyennement gras : 4 mois; poisson gras : 2 mois." Translation: "Lean fish: 6 months; mid-fatty fish, 4 months; fatty fish, 2 months."
  5. We'll soon know. The new law comes into effect tomorrow, Dec. 20.
  6. That's what I said - no jamón ibérico until next summer, as the company itself has announced.
  7. Actually, not even Fermín - as yet. From their press release last spring: "Fermin USA announced today that they will be the exclusive US importers of a gourmet Iberian ham that won USDA approval last July. The newly formed partnership which includes the “jamón Ibérico’s” Spanish producer, Embutidos Fermin, along with American-based importer/distributor Rogers International and internationally acclaimed Spanish chef Jose Ramon Andres, have already begun determining distribution partners in key markets. The first shipments of Ibérico Lomo, Chorizo and Salchichon will be available by April and should be in full distribution by later this spring. Cured Ibérico legs and shoulders, which take longer to cure, will be available in summer of 2007."
  8. Actually it's the other way around - tuna was the clear loser. The fattier a fish, the more its molecular structure will be broken up by ice.
  9. The Campsa restaurant guide, by far the best seller in Spain, will have two new restaurants in its top 'three suns' category in its 2007 edition, which was presented today in Madrid: Mugaritz, in Renteria near San Sebastian, and Drolma at Barcelona's Majestic Hotel. They join the other 13 top-rated restaurants in Spain (none of which was demoted to 'two stars' this year): El Bulli, Sant Pau, Celler de Can Roca and Can Fabes in Catalonia; Arzak, Akelarre, Martín Berasategui and Zuberoa in the Basque Country; Santceloni and Horcher in Madrid; Atrio in Cáceres (Extremadura); Las Rejas in Las Pedroñeras (Cuenca), and Ca Sento in Valencia.
  10. The one place not to miss for culinary creativity in Catalonia today is L'Esguard. An absolute must in my book.
  11. Boy, is that flimsy evidence... The news is now confirmed. The other noteworthy promotion is Quique Dacosta's El Poblet, at Dènia south of Valencia, getting the second star. Strictly no surprise here.
  12. It's been announced unofficially, but seemingly from unimpeachable sources, that when the 2007 Michelin Guide to Spain is unveiled next week, a new three-star restaurant will be in it - always important news because of the well-known stinginess of the French guide's inspectors vis-à-vis Spain (which has roughly the same number of starred restaurants as Switzerland, half of Italy's or the Benelux's total, and six times less than France...). The new top-rated place is Pedro Subijana's veteran Akelarre in San Sebastián. Akelarre and Juan Mari Arzak were founders of the 'new Basque cuisine' movement over 30 years ago. If the elevation of Akelarre is confirmed, there will be six restaurants in this category in Spain: Arzak, Akelarre, Martín Berasategui, El Bulli, Sant Pau, Can Fabes. Apparently the next two candidates in line are Can Roca (there is word that they talked with Michelin and both agreed to postpone any changes until the restaurant has moved to its new, posher premises in the next couple of months) and Santceloni.
  13. A brief report on my Amsterdam stopover. There were only two full meals (two dinners), available - in between, I was conducting a long wine tasting in Bussum, with a couple of sandwiches on the run - so we did what we tourists do: miss some brilliant places that are more like those we can find at home or in France, and concentrate on top notch 'local' offerings. (That's what happens to me when I suggest to a foreign friend a meal at Madrid's Gumbo, Europe's only quality Cajun and Creole restaurant, or maybe a cutting-edge Peruvian fusion eatery: he looks at me and replies, "I'd rather go to a Basque restaurant" or "Let's get some paella.") To me, 'local' in the Netherlands means Indonesian and seafood. As I mentioned above, I discovered rijsttafel long ago as an international law student (summer course only!) in The Hague, the most Indonesian city in Holland. During that long-ago summer (late 1960s...) I also had what I have often described as one of my gastronomic epiphanies one day on the beach boulevard at Scheveningen: right there, sitting on a bench, I had a couple of raw herrings (groene haring), purchased from a street vendor, with some rye bread, and washed it all down with a bottle of beer and a glass of my recently-discovered, favorite jonge jenever (Bokma), purchased from a bar on the boulevard. Amazing perfection! No sophisticated dish could surpass that combination of fresh tastes and textures! This time, for Indonesian I finally followed the consensus advice on Tempo Doeloe (although Tujuh Maret, which is exactly next door, looked inviting - I'll go there next time!) Good if not great. On such an occasion we went for diversity with the 25-dish rijsttafel, crowned by a lone 'terlaloe pedis' (very, very hot chili) dish, 'daging rendang', which the menu describes as "beef cooked in tasty, hot sauce with cream of coconut". Well, I pride myself on braving danger and ordering vindaloo chicken in Indian restaurants and even nibbling habanero peppers in Mexican eateries, but this was a world-beater. It took me almost 20 minutes to recover from a small bite... Totally searing. (The waitress told me they had hotter stuff if I dared. I didn't.) As for the rest, it was nice, with some very attractively spiced hot and medium-hot offerings like 'ajam roedjak' (chicken in hot sauce with cream of coconut and tjabeh) or 'sateh babi' (skewers of broiled pork with peanut sauce). But expensive, and it lacked the fastidious care to every single dish I have always remembered (my memories no doubt embellished by my young age then, and the long time that has gone by since!) from my first visit to The Hague's venerable Garoeda, then in its heyday (but, I have read, rather downtrodden now.) As for fish and seafood, it was off to an always reliable address near the Singel, Lucius. Their signature dish, the huge Dover sole, pan-fried in butter, is simply perfection and is much admired by such seafood-crazed characters as the Japanese or us Spaniards. It was as good as ever, and so were the herring with jenever (of course!), the assortment of four types of ultra-fresh oysters, and a terrific mixed grill of five different types of fish, not one of them overcooked or less than pristinely fresh. So - two good meals in two, admittedly, not-at-all-cutting-edge restaurants. Next time, I promise I'll try some of that more ambitious, Michelin-starred stuff like Ron Blauw's sea urchins with beans and cucumbers at Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. But for now it was nice getting back to my Dutch basics...
  14. I understand the brilliance of Joan Roca's 'earth' process, but to a primitive palate like mine it was rather too intellectual, John - all in all, it rather tasted like liquid dirt... In the end, it was the only thing that didn't fully convince me the other day from an unforgettable lunch at Can Roca.
  15. I've been a fan of Indonesian cuisine since my long-ago days as a student at The Hague Academy of International Law, almost 40 years ago. Back then, Indonesian was the only option available to any rather impecunious college students who wanted a reasonably good hot meal in the Netherlands... I'll be spending 48 hours in Amsterdam next week - my longest stopover in years! A good occasion to get myself up to date. So my question would be: Is there a consensus on which the best Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam currently is? I've read with attention Klary's endorsement of Djago, a few months back. I've also read good things about Tempo Doeloe, Sama Sebo, Indrapura, Radèn Mas… Thanks for any input!
  16. After five minutes, it's 1-0 Real Madrid. There goes the prediction.
  17. It's like using Expedia to book hotels in France - do it at your own risk (big risk, I dare say).
  18. Actually - no. Elvers (that's baby eels) are caught throughout the year, but specifically through the winter months. The problem is not the dates, but the ridiculously low availability and amazing prices ($350 a lb. the last time I looked) of this almost extinct, lamentably overfished delicacy. Most of the catches these days are bought by the Japanese, not for eating purposes, but to allow them to grow into adult eels.
  19. Nice pics. Just two notes, Paulo: What you describe as 'king crab' looks to me like a leg of spider crab (centollo in Spanish, santola in Portuguese, scientific name Maja squinado). Also, 'begi handi' is the Basque name for the European squid (Loligo vulgaris; calamar in Spanish).
  20. I'm a winegrower. I never trust anyone but other winegrowers when discussing harvest quality - and I don't mean their press releases, but their actual comments with no spin to them. So I can say with solid certainty: 2005 was better than 2006 in Rías Baixas.
  21. I was pretty skeptical about this optimism from the start, but I can now confirm: large quantity, lots of overripeness, low aromatric contents of grapes - the 2006 vintage will be markedly inferior to 2005 in Rías Baixas. BTW - this thread belongs on the Wine forum, not here.
  22. Go for something less well-known, to an up-and-coming place. For instance, just 10 miles from Girona, the Feliu brothers at L'Aliança d'Anglès: http://www.restaurantalianca.com/
  23. The lone, but not negligible, concern that lovers of Etxebarri in Spain have is how long Víctor Arguinzóniz can continue handling those heavy grill contraptions with a bad back that is causing him much distress. I do hope he finds a way to continue directing the orchestra while not working himself to death.
  24. That might require some painting lessons. OTOH, a good palate is developed in Spain by feeding the baby a number of home-made purées based on fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, plus some chicken, some ham and, as Zoticus rightly points out, the necessary dash of good olive oil (at that tender age, extra virgin may not be a priority, but it'll be a nice touch no doubt.)
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