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Don't tell Miguel I told you! He'll be happy we didn't have a chance to try any of his other potential recommendations.

I just stayed at The Condes de Barcelona. While it is a lovely hotel in terms of location (perfect) and the accomodations (very comfortable), the service left a bit to be desired. My understanding is that The Majestic is the better place to stay. They also have a highly regrded restaurant on the premises - Drolma. Om is another hotel I've heard some good things about. They have the restaurant Moo run by the Rocas.

As far as wines go, I love albarinos, but on this last trip I really got turned on to the Verdejos from Rueda - great with fish and shellfish. These are crisp and clean and easy to drink with or without food. I would second the notion of not bothering to BYOB to the restaurants there. Great wine is too inexpensive and there are too many to explore to make it worthwhile to carry them. This is true for whites, reds, roses, sparklers and sweet wines.

I feel like I can smell that coffee roasting now! Good luck, Owen.

My wife and I owe Miguel Cardoso a huge debt of gratitude for showing us how good simple and traditional Portuguese food could be. Although we had an excellent New Portuguese meal at Pica No Chao and a good, albeit touristy dinner at the Fado restaurant Bacalhau de Molho in Alfama, we had been largely foundering in finding a really good traditional meal. I had actually made a reservation at one of Miguel's recommendations, Ramiro, but not speaking Portuguese, I wasn't sure how well that was going to work out. Shortly before our reservation Miguel got a hold of me on my cell phone. The man is amazing. He called the restaurant and ordered for us after he determined what would be best that day. Neither my wife nor I have ever had a better shellfish meal, although we have had specific dishes eslewhere as good as or better than what we had at Ramiro. The whole, however, is unsurpassed in our experience. We took the metro to Entendentes stop and found the restaurant on Admiral Reis. The Restaurant is Ramiro. It is a neighborhood restaurant with all its fare out in the open to inspect. We started with some small whole red shrimp with salt. We tore off the heads and ate the shrimp tails, shell and all. We ate them with a short beer before moving on to a vinho branco, called Pera Manca from the Alentejo region and the 2001 vintage. This was an excellent wine, perfect for shellfish. Next up I had a couple of huge Portuguese oysters with fresh lemon squeeze. These were amongst the largest oysters I have ever seen. While quite good, they were not particularly assertive. I prefer my oysters to be a bit brinier. The Oysters. The Loosening. The Squeeze. The Start. The Approach The Prize. followed closely by shelled shrimp with olive oil and garlic (al ajillo). This was perhaps the best dish of its kind I have ever had and the single best dish we had in Portugal. So hot it steamed my lens. That's better! Fortunately, we had plenty of great bread for the garlic oil! Clams with cilantro, white whine, garlic and olive oil followed by a huge spider crab that we had previously chosen from its live state. This was awesome and primal as we ate it with a sauce made from its organs and served in the main body shell. I have eaten some great crab, but I don’t believe I’ve eaten better. At this point some special white shrimp had arrived at the restaurant. These succulunt delights were quickly prepared for us. Miguel, where are these from? we had almost finished them before I remembereed to wipe my hands and photograph them. To finish off the main part of the meal, my wife and I split a steak sandwich, that would make a Philadelphian blush with envy. This was not an intuitive choice at this restaurant, but was yet another stellar recommendation by Miguel. We finished this meal with a split piece of chocolate cake that we had seen some neighbors eating. It too was excellent but we still wanted to save a little room for a return trip to Pasteis de Belem for some more Pasteis de nata. Miguel, I didn't get back to you since we were too full to eat again that night and needed to pack anyway. In fact the worst part of this meal was that it occurred at the end of the trip. If not, I would happily have taken Miguel's advice and returned every day.

David, Unfortunately, since it was Sunday the fish market was closed. We did, however, visit La Brecha, the market in Donostia the day before. That was the most beautiful fish market I have ever seen. The seafood was impeccably fresh and the market was absolutely immaculate. Great selection, too. More to come on this and other markets.

I've never seen one with such a view. Had we realized it was as open as it is during our meal, we all would have been out of our seats much more often during the meal and watching the preparations.

After a walking tour of the Bario Gotico we were picked up by our bus to head up to Sant Pol and Carme Ruscalleda’s Two Star Restaurant Sant Pau. The location was beautifully situated overlooking the sea and a train line that added nothing but atmosphere. The overall atmosphere was more of old world refinement than the urban chic of Abac, while the level of cooking appeared similar even if the styles were different. Highlights of the twelve course meal included hors d’ouvres such as Coca de verema with onion, eggplant, sardine and potato , salt cod with pureed smoked “Ganxet” beans and tomato crystals , “Pressec de vinya rostit de tres carns” bread cones filled with olive oil sorbet. The main course progression; ,A Terrine of "Presseed Foie Gras and Tails" with foie, pork-tail and pistachio along with a salad of watercress, shaved pumpkin, Calvados gelee and pansies Oysters heated with oliaigo, a sea-rich fish stock beautifully roasted and sweet squid stuffed with mushrooms, vegetables and little gelee cubes of squid ink, Salt Cod with paprika, garlic, parsley, mushrooms and spinach (so far the best salt cod dish on the trip) Two sauces were applied simultaneously to the plates for the cod in a novel way with a unique two-barrel push plunger “Dry” rice of wild Pigeon with sea anemone, mushrooms and peppers and the most outstanding cheese course I have ever had. It consisted of a long plate with various pairings that needed to be eaten in particular order. The opener was Barida, a creamy, raw goat’s milk cheese from the Alt Urgell along with red endive, pine nuts and lardoons. Next was Ibores, another goat cheese, this time from Caceres. This was served with a small cup of grapefruit pulp and honey. Tou Roi, a raw milk cow cheese from Sort was paired with a fig cube and drops of aged balsamic vinegar. Pata de Mulo from Leon, a raw sheep’s milk cheese from Leon, was paired with amazingly deep flavored tomato confit and basil gelee, a truly stunning combination. Lastly a perfect marriage was made with Cabrales, a goat’s milk bleu from Asturias along with a “transparency” of quince and pansies. While no dish was less than excellent, my least favorite was “Dry Rice” of Wild Dove along with subtle sea anemones, mushrooms and peppers. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I weren’t the last one served with the scrapings of the pan. Desserts were excellent though abbreviated secondary to a need to return to Barcelona for a chocolate demonstration and tasting at Cacao Sampaka. A dessert called “Refreshing and Spicy” with parsnip, pineapple, Tabasco, kiwi and coconut, Sweet corn ice cream, two chocolate sorbets, light sablee and citrics and an assortment of confections including salted bonbons of white chocolate and black sesame seeds and spicy bonbons of black chocolate with white sesame seeds, Orange and almond sponge cake watermelon and coconut brochettes, and mint and chocolate foam were amongst the highlights. The wines included a 2003 Blanco de Rueda, verdejo from Masa; 2002 Martinet Bru, a cru from the Priorato, consisting of Garnacha, carinyano, merlot, syrah and cab. Sauvignon; Augusti Torello’ Mata Cava, and a sumptuously balanced Pedro Ximenez 1927 Sherry from Alvear. Carme was charming. We toured the kitchen and back exterior afterwards before heading back to Barcelona for a chocolate demonstration and tasting at Cacao Sampaka and then dinner at Cinc Sentits (on my own).

Thanks for the compliments. I believe the veil was actually dehydrated coffee. They have a dehydrator in the lab that they use extensively. As far as the camera, I used a Canon G2 on automatic without a flash and in Macro mode for the close-ups. Unfortunately, the lighting was often a problem and is reflected in some relatively washed out colors in the photos. When they took us up to the lab and showed us the projection room, I asked if they had photos for the dishes we would be having, hoping that I would be able to use them. Elena replied that most were so new that they didn't have any yet. The lamb, I believe is an exception. other dishes maybe as well.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to compare Arzak with Martin and Mugaritz. Those will have to wait for another visit along with Akelare. I did get to compare it with Can Fabes, though. That report will be coming up soon. Both meals werre fabulous in terms of flavor. Arzak had the edge in terms of presentation and personal warmth, while Can Fabes had the more incredible space and service. It is too difficult to distinguish the taste dimensions of the various dishes between the restaurants. Another contender in all three counts was carme Ruscalleda's Sant Pau. Morre to come on that and others as well. The funny thing about the meat doneness was that they asked how I would like it. My pigeon wasn't really overcooked, I just expected it to be slightly less cooked than it was. I would have preferred that they served it as they felt was best for the preparation. Then again, maybe they did.

A short respite from a cooking demonstration preceded our short journey to Arzak, the granddaddy of Michelin Three star restaurants in Spain. The restaurant achieved this greatness under the helm of Juan-Mari Arzak. Although the restaurant is currently under the direction of his daughter Elena, Juan-Mari’s presence remains strong in the restaurant. The outside and indeed the inside of the restaurant is relatively unremarkable and unassuming for one of its caliber, although it is attractive and comfortable enough. We were led to a large table on the second floor. Though it was the largest table that we could see, the space was actually slightly cramped with the servers unable to flow freely around it. No sooner did we sit down than Elena Arzak came out to greet us and invite us to tour their laborotorio, which we quickly agreed to. We passed through the wine cellar on the way there. The cellar was remarkable with perfect temperature control and impressive size. The lab was small, but fascinating. They even have a small projection room in which they analyze photos of each dish for presentation purposes. These photos are also used to make clear to the cooks and waitstaff as to what the dishes should look like as well as how they should be presented. They also have a room kept under optimal condition devoted to storing a veritable what's what of ingredients. Following are photos of Elena and myself in the room and some product details. We returned to our seats for the onset of the real show including an initial visit from Juan-Mari Arzak himself who came to see if anyone in the group had any dietary restrictions or dislikes. We were easy. Hors D’ouvres were laid out in front of us as a dizzying display of form and color. Delights included tomato and strawberry gazpacho that tasted of the essence of Spain with the strawberries providing a subtle surprise note to the impeccable tomato gazpacho; salty melon-marinated sardine with sweet melon; taste-bud popping figs and bacon on sticks; “piquillos” with pineapple and an onion tart. The wine served with these and the next course was the same verdejo that we had at Abac, the Jose’ Pariente from Rueda. The first course on the full menu was an extraordinary mango-layer stuffed with terrine of foie-gras and tomato and served with a bitter light green lettuce. The combination was truly synergistic. “An Egg Graffitti”, that consisted of an egg cooked sous-vide and looking like a squid and served with a squid ink containing sauce, crispy rice and dried parsley powder. This was a visual and gustatory tour de force. The photos show a progression of presentation. Local tuna with blackened tuna skin (unbelievable and slightly sweet) and red peppercorns also delighted the eyes as well as the palate. Interestingly, one of our party did not finish this dish. Juan-Mari Arzak personally came out to see if there was a problem with the dish. Therer wasn't. she was just pacing herself for what was shaping up to be a meal of immense proportions in so many ways. Squid “stars” with an ink “Air” followed. This dish also had caramelized onions. The main course was a choice “Pigeon over a flowers vinaigrette” or “Roast lamb covered with a coffee veil”. My wife ordered the lamb while I had the pigeon. The latter came woth pineapple, a cinnamon stick and a laurel leaf all of which one was instructed to suck on prior to eating the pigeon. It also came with potato covered with leak ash. While the dish was delicious I didn’t really get the bit about sucking on the flavors. It made no apparent difference to me. Once again, the photos indicate the service progression of the dish as well as the meat itself, which I believe was actually cooked slightly more than we asked for because we were American. The lamb was beautifully presented with a light, diaphanous veil around it. This veil dissipated when a broth was poured over it – a spectacular dish and the better of the two. Wine was a proprietary wine labeled for Arzak and from the Rioja. The vintage was 1999. It was a deep red, rich tempranillo - a good match and eminently drinkable. I wish I knew more about it. Desserts were the best of the tour, with each one magically presented and surreally delicious. These included the humbly named but regally tasting “ugly chocolate omelet, chocolate hamburger, mystical passion fruit soup and orange loaf, black olives and apple tart, glorious baked fruits with strawberry bubbles and a fabulous dessert that somehow was not listed on the printed menus that were provided to us at the end of the meal. Once again a progression: A delightful array of mignardises including chocolate and white chocolate lollipops finished the meal. Both Juan Mari and Elena were gracious enough to sign our menus (only presented to us at the end of the meal) and pose for photos with us. During the course of our meal Elena told us that she is expecting her first child! Although some of the dishes had been presented before, according to Elena a number of them were premiered for us. The meal was generally considered by the group as the greatest of the trip. My feeling is that while the food certainly was the greatest, the overall experience of the meal and restaurant was still in fact flawed in minor ways. The space was somewhat cramped for a three-star and the décor, while pleasant and comfortable was nothing particularly special. In addition, the service, while pleasant, was less than three-star caliber as my water and wine glasses would remain low or empty for extended periods without being filled. In addition the waitstaff (very smartly dressed in black and gray dresses) were not intimately familiar with the details of the dishes including some of the older ones. In the grand scheme these were trifling details. The food was great enough in its own right to warrant three-stars and a permanent place in my memory.

Sounds as great as expected. I'm looking forward to getting there when I get back to NYC. Any pics?

Ours was but a little bit of oil and vinegar on the lettuce. I've never appreciated a salad so much in my life.

Those photos sure do look scrumptious. Wow, that porkchop sure is fearsome. I'm looking forward to the report from the SFA. The CIA is sponsoring a trip down to that neck of the woods this coming spring. Should be fun.

It would have been fun to have tried some grilled shellfish as well, although I don't know where I could have put it!

Pedro, I am sure that there are differences between the restaurants, although superficially they appear to be very similar. In all of them the greatest emphasis seems to be on simply grilled fresh fish - and rightly so. In what ways did you notice differences? Melissa, the lunch was great and a nice counterpoint to the wonderful, but very complex and involved food we had been eating. More on that to come in separate topics.

Visits completed or impending to Getaria have acome up in a few recent topics. We had the pleasure on Oct. 3 of having our last formal meal (as a manner of speaking only) of our recent Culinary Adventure with the CIA in Getaria at an outdoor restaurant called Txoko. It was situated on the promenade directly above the piers and had beautiful views. To be perfectly honest, there were also a number of other similar restaurants in the area and I'm not sure that it really makes a whole lot of difference which one one would go to. They all looked good. Before the crowds. Grill Baskets Selecting our fish. We chose a turbot (which turned out to be the best of the bunch), scorpionfish (the most disappointing), sea bream and sea bass. Preparing the fish. We had more than just grilled fish. This was an excellent tuna and potato stew. In addition we had two tomato salads - one with garlic and EVOO and the other with onions and EVOO as well as a rarity for Spain in our experience- a green salad. This was very much appreciated by all. Puttin' on the fish. The view from the table. Who cared about the seaview? The fish are on the grill! Is it true a watched fish never grills? Fortunately, no. A view from below. A view from above. Fresh sardines and sea salt Puttin 'em on. Cookin' good! Takin' them off. On the plate. My favorite dish of the day. Grilled fresh fish, EVOO and Garlic. What is better than that?

We had hoped to arrange a visit with our Catalan friends to El Bulli, but that was not to happen. Instead they invited us to lunch at Aligue, Manresa’s best restaurant with Chef Bimbe Aligue, who has worked with Ferran Adria and is well known amongst Catalan Modernist Culinary Circles. Chef Aligue provided us with a degustacion rich in variety, quality, creativity and especially flavor. The room itself was comfortable, though clearly secondary to the food. The service was efficient and competent, though details were below a three star level – details like the silverware not being replaced after every course. The food, on the other hand was simply outstanding in both taste and presentation. We were started with some sweet shrimp marinated in vinegar and olive oil. The first course presented as part of the degustacion was a warm clam with white been puree served in a cup. This is one of Chef Aligue’s original signature dishes from when he first opened the restaurant. The clam (almeja) was plump, warm and succulent with the rich blanket of velvety bean puree. We started our meal with a delicious cava from Huguet from the 2002 vintage. Next came a dish with mushrooms and lardoons that deftly combined the deep porkiness of the lardoons with the subtle local mushrooms. Outstanding! This was followed by another fine use of the local mushrooms, this time in a vegetable stock. The next course was one of the finest renditions if not the finest I’ve ever had of cold fois. This was prepared with a fig reduction. The fois was sliced thinly and curled over the reduction. The silkiness and flavor of the fois married well with the subtle sweetness of the figs with a long-lasting honeymoon between them. Our wine now shifted to a local red that unfortunately escapes my memory despite it being an excellent match. A salad with a local mushroom and a thinly sliced perfectly crisped pig trotter was next. I now understand why people enjoy trotters. This was a revelation and far superior to any I’ve had before. The scene now shifted to seafood. We had a salted cod dish served with rice that was risotto like. Interestingly, this was our friend’s favorite dish and my least favorite of the meal, though I still enjoyed it. I wonder if it is because I am not from a bacala culture in the U.S. The fish itself was expertly reconstituted, thick and firm and lacking an overt fishiness. I generally prefer fresh cod, though. Lobo del Mar, another fish followed. This one was also thick and firm, but being fresh was flakier and more to my taste. It was served with mushrooms and two sauces. One was a leek sauce and the other mushroom. Since we came from America and according to Chef Aligue, Americans are meat-eaters, he then served us distal leg of veal cooked sous vide and served with a port-wine sauce that tasted like it had maple undertones, though it had no maple in it. Magnificent and next to the fois my favorite dish in a superb meal. Veal leg cooked Sous Vide as presented to the table. Final presentation portion of veal leg served with a port-wine sauce. The veal was served with spoonfuls of the marrow that was the best preparation of its kind I have ever had and the first I ever really enjoyed. What is a great meal without dessert? We wouldn’t find out her, because the desserts came one after another. The first was a berry filled cannelono with a fruit sauce. Then we had a mascarpone cream with some maple syrup. I never did find out from where he sourced his maple syrup since it didn’t taste exactly like maple syrup from northern New York. It was a fine dessert nevertheless. To show some technique, he served a molten chocolate cake that he described as “different than Bras’” and then a molten hazelnut praline cake. Both were superb. The desserts were served with a dessert wine from Tarragona. Many of the above desserts were served with ice creams. These, while good, were the weakest part of the desserts and merely ordinary, lacking clearly defined flavors. I believe they were presented predominantly for contrast, textural, visual and temperature. As if these were not enough we had petit-fours consisting of cacao dark chocolate truffles, thin, nut wafer cookies and ice cream on a stick. Chef Aligue with my wife and I. We rolled out of the restaurant and back to our friends’ house, where we bade goodbye to Manresa before being driven back to Barcelona by our saintly friends.

For those of you who may have read about this restaurant here or elsewhere, but have been unable to travel to Saratoga to visit it, you have an opportunity to try their fare (minus their ambiance) at the James Beard House on Oct. 25th.

I was told this very story about the alleged Mahon origens of mayonnaise on my recent culinary trip. It is a good story, but yours rings more true, Victor.

The Salone del Gusto are supposed to make the Slow Food Congress Presidium of Taste seem like nothing. That was great, so you should be in for a treat. My big concern would be crowd control, although that apparently isn't too much of a problem. I too, look forward to reading some reports. I would also love to see some photos.

Of course one of the reasons for this apparent obsession for white asparagus at this time of year is the fact that fresh green asparagus are out of season. Are those canned as well? Ifso, I haven't seen them.

Looks like a fantastic itinerary, although I cannot personally attest to most of it. It should be fun. That last day leaves room for Martin Berasatagui or Mugaritz

We ate at a nice open air restaurant called Txoko. We had simple grilled fish - very good. I doubt there is much of a difference between the places.

On my current trip a number of people have discussed the asparagus, wondering why the obsession with white versus green asparagus. They feel the green is more flavorful. The texture hasn´t really been an issue. I´m bringing back a couple of cans of cojonudos 6/8, although I did see a jar with one tree of an asparagus in it.