Judith Gebhart
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Posts posted by Judith Gebhart
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I have never had woodcock in the US but certainly in France and Spain. And, where is Craftbar?
I know that woodcock has been a hunted game bird in the US. I am also told by bird conservationists that it is illegal. These bird conservationists are a strong, very vocal minority. Most of the woodcocks here in Illinois die, during their migration, by the hundreds when they hit the tallest glass buildings mirroring the sky. That's one theory. For some reason the woodcock is very vulnerable, more so than other birds. I don't know why the woodcock suffers this fate in such greater numbers.
I suspect that the farming of many ducks, venison, geese, pheasant et al, here in the US is far less expensive than hunting wild game. I am also told that England, France and Spain have laws restricting or outlawing the hunt of the wild. I have witnessed the results of a wild boar hunt near Fontjoncouse, France 2 years ago. I am off the thread. Judith Gebhart
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We are from Chicago and visit Vancouver, Seattle and Vancouver Island once per year. We are ecstatic about the quality, variety of both seafood, shellfish, fish and all the great vegatables and fruits available in your environs. We post on the the eGullet European section: Spain and France. We want to know how many of you have tasted Tojo's supremely creative cuisine? He ranks IMO with Australia's finest, Japanese chef Tetsuya Wakuda. Does anyone have an opinion? Rob Feenie is good. We loved Rain City Grill but Tojo is king. I would love to hear your views. Judith Gebhart
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Thanks Victor. You truly came through with the answer to my original question, where do I get angulas, percebes and sea urchins in Madrid? BTW what is Spanish for uni, sea urchins or oursins? O' Pazo IS THE ANSWER to our Madrid choice for superb fish or seafood restaurant! That's where we will go. The wild turbot sounds like a heavenly dish.Did you use wooden spoons?No: we used wooden forks, of course. Not for local color: only wooden forks will hold the little elvers; they would slide down any silver spoon, fork or any other silver utensil.
I haven't been to Etxebarri in angula season, only in summer. Or does Arguinzoniz serve them year-round? I'd really like to taste them, even if I'm a bit wary of the concept of applying the heat from embers to angulas. But I guess he knows what he's doing - he's a talented grill chef!
Rekondo is a good traditional place, and as Pedro mentions it has one of the most amazing wine lists in Spain (particularly for older Spanish and French vintages).
But it's hard to surpass the Madrid quality for raw materials - after all, many top restaurants in Spain, including those in San Sebastián, buy significant amounts of the fish they offer from Pescaderías Coruñesas, the fish emporium and 'redistribution center' in Madrid.
BTW, the other great place in Madrid for simply prepared, top-notch fish and shellfish is O'Pazo (same owners as Coruñesas). Best oven-baked wild turbot in the world, as Egon Ronay once emphatically told me. (Cooked with just a drop of vinegar and its own juices.) And the angulas are real (and fresh - no mixing with defrozen ones, a frequent scam these days.)
Chez De la Serna will happily offer reservations - for Jan. 6, 2006!
That was a long journey to get a good answer to my original question. The journey was worth the trip to have learned from everyone. Thanks again.
Forgive the spoon comment; I was thinking fork and wrote spoon. We always saved our wooden forks. About 5 years ago, it dawned on me that you couldn't eat angulas any other way.
I have the wooden forks but no fresh angulas in Chicago. So I will have to visit Chez de la Serna next January 6th and bring our wooden forks to defray the expense!? Happily answered at last, Judith Gebhart
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Dear Jesus: This information is SHOCKING. Do you know why Dani Garcia left Ronda? We loved his work. The Ronda setting is marvelous. The Marbella setting is awful, for us.You might also take into account that Dani García, former chef of Tragabuches (Ronda), works now at the Hotel Meliá Don Pepe (Marbella), not far from Estepona.Your input about this change would be helpful. We have been to that area of southern Spain and will never return. We would consider another visit to Ronda and its surrounding area. With Dani gone from the area, there is no culinary equal to replace him. That means Ronda has no major chef to attract serious diners. My head is spinning. Please give us as much information as you can. Judith Gebhart
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Bux you certainly bring back memories of times in Bordeaux that no longer exist today. We were also supporters of Amat and thought he was a stellar chef in the area. We never had the tiny eels you describe. We were illiterate about anything Spain offered at the time.Eight years ago to the month, I had pibales at the Haut St. James, where Amat used to cook across the river from Bordeaux. I believe these are the same baby eels known as angulas in Spain. I don't recall having the opportunity to have them ever again. They were always seasonal and rare. Now they are very rare even in season. Nowadays, if I see them listed, I either assume they are not the real thing or that I cannot afford them. They were not inexpensive then, but it seems as if the curve has been getting steeper each year. If you find them and can affored them, try them. They will not be cheaper next year.Amat served his in a small ramekin of warm olive oil with a bit of piment d'Espelette. He had one star at the time, having lost his second star. He eventually lost his restaurant and inn. I thought it was a pity. I thought he was under rated.
We are no longer so uninformed and every area of Spain is challenging for different reasons. For this short trip to the Basque area, Valencia, Fuentespalda, and Madrid we want to experience the best of each area. The food, culture, architecture, museums excite us and we will always be energized. I am still waiting for Casa Serna's invite but I suspect it is not forthcoming. JGebhart
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Victor I am enjoying every bite you describe. When does Casa Serna offer reservations?? The Basque country serves the real deal. Does anyone in Madrid?? That is the question??Angulas... Baby eels or elvers. A blast from the past.In the good old times (say, 25 years ago), you'd go to a basic 'tasca' like De la Riva in Madrid and have your angulas in a copious salad - cold, with some olive oil, vinegar and minced garlic. A bit expensive but not at all prohibitive - something a young journalist could easily afford several times a year on those, then, frequent trips to the quirky, idiosyncratic restaurant in its old digs.
Nowadays, Spaniards settle for 'gulas', an industrial product: angula-shaped surimi. The taste isn't bad, but the texture (which is 95% of the attraction of elvers) is obviously not there.
The Japanese gave us surimi - thanks! - and we have given them most of the angulas, which they buy at impossible prices and ship back home, alive, to become fully grown eels.
How impossible? The kilo of angulas has hit 700 euros this Christmastime in Madrid. That's almost $400 a pound.
For many years now I only have had one, fixed, yearly rendez-vous with angulas: every January 6, at home. (Then if another occasion pops up, particularly if I'm not paying, I'll take it!) It's one of the gifts brought by the three Wise Men.
So today, once again, we had them, just briefly heated (never fried or sautéed!) in individual earthenware 'terrines', with a bit of hot extra virgin olive oil (La Boella, from L'Arboç in southern Catalonia - a 100%varietal of arbosana olives), dried 'guindilla' peppers and minced garlic. Also, steamed blue European lobsters with some homemade mayonnaise and the indispensable Roscón de Reyes for dessert. We drank a 2002 albariño, Veigadares.
¡Salud!
My husband pulled up an old San Sebastien restaurant we have never visited: Rekondo, reputed to serve all these exotic sea items we adore. Maybe we will have our 'fix' of angulas, elvers, baby eels before we zoom into Madrid
at the end of the month.
Victor, if you have never tasted Etxebarri's a la brasa baby eel preparation, you have a culinary first to experience. Did you use wooden spoons today for your January 6th annual repast? You really had to rub it in to those of us who cannot enjoy the delicacy you so aptly describe. I am a little green---with envy. Judith Gebhart
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That's an easy one, Judith:
Depending on the number of meals around seafood you want to have, you may also want to consider Rafa, O'Pazo, El Pescador and quite possibly Casa d'a Troya.
Just bring plenty of cash (or credit cards...)
I thank Pedro for his referred threads about the Galician restaurant, Combarro, apparently Madrid's best Galician fare. I have to applaud both Vedat and Victor for their earlier 2003 and 2004 enlightened reports extolling the quality of Combarro's seafood offerings. This is the joy of being affiliated with eGullet. Thanks again for great options in Madrid.
I must admit our planning for this short Spanish visit began with our intention to revisit Etxebarri, Mugaritz, the Guggenheim and a few others we wanted to explore in the Basque country. Etxebarri, last year, provided us with the finest dish of baby eels we have ever experienced. His a la brasa preparation is without equal in the gastronomic world. We forgot that Etxebarri is closed on the dates we scheduled for this January visit to the Basque country. Our chance to experience this delicious Galician product is now relegated to our Madrid stay.
Thanks for your response, Luis. Unfortunately we are too well aware of the expense of these great items of the sea. The US prohibits the harvesting of any percebes and there is no market for baby eels should they be available in the US. Does anyone have an alternative argument to those Pedro mentioned? Judith Gebhart
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We would like help in finding one outstanding Madrid restaurant featuring special seafood, shellfish, sea urchins, goose barnacles, and most important baby eels. We know the eels, barnacles and sea urchins are available during January and February. Help ASAP as we understand Galicia sends it's best products to Madrid. True? We leave mid-January, '05. Thanks, Judith Gebhart
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Good memories of Claude Peyrot at Vivarois. Especially vivid was the modern, daring brown and white minimalist feel of the dining room. His cooking was superb at its best. Best dining was in the late 70's or the early '80's. Later visits to the restaurant seemed less inspired and uneven. My food memories of Vivarois have faded. I haven't heard a thing about it in years.
Pacaud was chef de cuisine at one point? Bux or Robert Brown, help me out, please. Pacaud's Place des Vosges location is ideal as was his food. I have not eaten there in the last 8 years, so I cannot attest to his current culinary efforts. Judith Gebhart
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I'm going to Toronto to eat at Perigee and then to see the Falls. After the sightseeing I'm planning to eat at Susur. Does anyone have a newer take on Susur? TIA
We ate this Fall at Susur's for the first time. The meal was very good but did not match the level of quality your original post in the February, 2004 report indicated. Mind you Susur was also totally immersed in launching his lower priced Lee restaurant next door. We visited Toronto the same weekend of the Toronto film festival for two meals at this fine dining establishment. I think his talents are uncontested but he maybe too ambitious or not up to the demands of Lee, the restaurant next door. We probably will not make a special trip to explore his new restaurant. JGebhart
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Victor, thanks for your response. I did not know about the Bellas Artes restaurant!! We have been and continue to be supporters of both Bilbao's great museums. Yes, we welcome the information about it's great restaurant. Next visit we will try it.We found the Guggenheim chef, Josean Martinez Alija to be another young chef to follow. He's another fine talent that should be a must visit when you go to Bilbao. A great museum with a great dining spot, this is a memorable Bilbao experience.There's even more to it, Judith. There is another wonderful art museum in Bilbao, just a stone's throw from the Guggenheim: the Museo de Bellas Artes, recently remodelled and one of the finest painting galleries in Spain: from Van Dyck and El Greco to Bacon and Chillida, with Gauguin and Cézanne in between. It seems that the fixation with Gehry's wonderful shiny structure sort of leaves the Bellas Artes in the dark, and that's pretty unfair IMHO. In addition, the Bellas Artes also has its own fine restaurant now! And the Bilbaínos are divided on which of the two museum restaurants is better: the Guggenheim's or the Museo de Bellas Artes' Arbola Gaña, with Aitor Basabe at the stoves.
Two great museum restaurants, now that's a rare offering in any city!
We are lovers of most European artists both old and new. We specifically treasure Spain's modern greats: Chillida, Tapies, Guinovard (sp) and an artist we found in Bilbao, Carlos Vasquez, a remarkable painter from Chile who lives with his equally talented painter wife in Madrid today.
Again your new information about the restaurant in the Bellas Artes is greatly appreciated. JGebhart
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Your post shines, in part, because of the quality of the photographs, especially those taken outside. The lighting is beautiful.
Congratulations, and thanks for such a detailed (and delicious) report!
I also agree with tanabutler about the helpful photos included in this excellent, informed report. We also have rave reviews for Extebarri. Our last meal was in October, 2004. Our October luncheon at Extebarri, was the most satisfying meal we have had to date. Victor A. with his unique a la brasa cooking technique has no equal in Spain or elswhere, in our opinion.
He is known for searching and finding the freshest, finest products available in Spain. Two years ago, we asked if we could sample the Spanish Kobe beef (raised in the Rioja area, as I recall), only to be told that he would gladly offer that, but he had a finer beef choice for us. We tried it and found it superb. (LMG 2004 guide, ranks both Etxebarri and Casa Nicolas with Santos' highest rating--8.5-- for their chuletas.) Our beef dish matched the preparation photographed at Etxebarri. Our earlier visits were exciting dining events. Often the menu was dominated by protein dishes, with too few fresh or cooked vegetable items. We sought a better, more balanced tasting menu.
We were richly rewarded this last visit. We enoyed a fois gras pate, with carmelized figs macerated in balsamic vinegar. A tiny "shrimp" like Quisquillon, gambas de Palamos and Espardenas all exquistely cooked a la brasa. We also enjoyed the deconstructed tortilla patata, shoestring potatoes scattered gently over the egg yolk and pimento. Also photographed in the above report. Our request to have local wild mushrooms cooked a la brasa throughout the menu was satisfied with an unparalled fresh boletus edulis (cepes) dish. Barely cooked, with tiny bits of fresh garlic, the mound of cepes were dressed in a foam of bolete broth. Fantastic! The final great game dish was local wild paloma served rare with chestnut puree and carmelized figs (see the fois gras pate). We ended with tiny desserts creme brulee, creme caramel and vanilla glace--all delicately cooked a la brasa. An amazing delicate hint of smoke also perfumed the last dessert: a napolean cream filled brioche with carmelized sugar topping. What a feast!
Everything is cooked a la brasa! Yes Extebarri is a marvelous destination.
We also applaud his excellent wine list, which is very reasonably priced. We tried the new gem from Vega-Sicilia's vineyard in Toro or so we were told: Pintia, 2001. THis wine has lots of promise.
Mugaritz and Etxebarri remain our favorite choices in the Basque area. We found Fagollaga a strong, very good talent and worth the trip. We found the Guggenheim chef, Josean Martinez Alija to be another young chef to follow. He's another fine talent that should be a must visit when you go to Bilbao. A great museum with a great dining spot, this is a memorable Bilbao experience.
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What a scrumptious blog, Louisa! You must be tired already of so much gratitude and, indeed, whenever you've posted lately, I feel like one of those 18th Century courtiers who, from so much bowing, walk about with a permanent hunchback - and not only that, but backwards. But I'd burst a blood vessel if I didn't thank you again. So *bowing a little lower, not without concern, since only approximately four inches now separate the tip of my nose from the shellfish and rosepetal-littered floor*, obrigado once more!
P.S. It may be a telling sign - a warning even - that I'm becoming too attached to fellow eGulleteers and eGullet but last night I had this happy dream that, for the duration of the entire Spring and Summer of 2005, Roses and all surrounding areas - whether in Catalonia or France - are entirely populated by eGullet's cool customers, bumping into each other and annoyingly brushing each other's eager fingers whenever one reaches for a "cigala", being obliged by the stern, binding rules of eGullet to cede ownership of all shellfish, however rare and tasty.
Already I've had the good luck of my mid-May reservation for El Bulli coinciding with Bux and his party's reservations - as well as a less stressful, tentative collective commando raid of Rafa's, mission being to exhaust all fresh stocks and guarantee that it will be closed on the morrow, satisfyingly disappointing many equally deserving and early-rising lunchers who, despite their indisputable sincerity and general human goodness, had the gall to appear in that sacred area without the previous imprimatur of eGullet.
I promise - even if it requires my wife stuffing a napkin or two into my mouth - I shall resist the temptation, while merrily delighting in Adrià's masterpieces, to chummily enquire "And so how is our good friend Louisa". This is an embarrassment I must spare you - and will.
Thanks too to all the other members who've shared state secrets about the surrounding areas. A dream might just be a dream but, even very early in the morning like now, I logically envisage a lot of bumping-into-each other of eGulleteers in the coming season!
:)
Just how many of eGullet members have reservations for mid-to late May, 2005? We are returning on May 26th, 2005. We are thrilled to learn that so many eGulleteers will be heading to Roses in 2005. If anyone is scheduled for the 26th of May, 2005, let me hear from you. It would be enjoyable to meet another eGullet supporter. If anyone has yet to pick a Roses hotel, I would recomend Almadraba Park H. It is right on the beach and you can watch the cars streaming down from El Bulli on the Montjoi road at 2 AM or later from your balcony.
They serve a marvelous breakfast buffet, if food interests you again the next morning. JGebhart
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Well Victor you have informed us again. We were told differently by someone in the wine industry. Bad information for a wonderfully promising vineyard.We know the Clos Agon white but Peter S. of Pingus ended his influence with Clos Agon in late 1999. All 2000 Clos Agon were no longer reflecting the Pingus fingerprints. At least that has been our experience.I'm afraid it's exactly the opposite, Judith. My revered friend Peter Sisseck, of Pingus fame, became Clos d'Agon's consulting winemaker in 2000, after a change of ownership, and has overseen the viticulture (with some important replanting and vineyard reform) and the winemaking at this small estate in the Pyrenees ever since. His 2003 white hit the market last September. Total production: just 480 cases. It's a Rhône-style blend (46% viognier, 36% roussane, 18% marsanne) that was fermented in new and used French oak barrels and aged on its lees, in the same barrels, for six months.
We adore Flor de Pingus; cannot afford Pingus. We have the greatest admiration for Peter Sisseck's contribution to the world of wine. I am absolutely thrilled that the information we received is wrong. With Sisseck contributing, for the 2000 vintage, we hope to enjoy ths marvelous white, complex, rich wine. We know his talent and his presence will guarantee a delicious treat. This is a marvelous blend and I only hope I can find it in Spain as well as in the USA. Victor, you have been invaluable for us on this forum. I hope everyone is equally appreciative of your wisdom. I thank you again. J Gebhart
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As serious cooks and very interested restaurant goers, we have eaten once this year at Green Zebra and once at Le Lan. We have yet to sample Miramar. This is a new listing? Where is it located?Let me start this off...I caught this list of Chicago's Top 10 New Restaurants at citysearch.com, earlier today.
I was delighted to see some of my favorites from this category, like Green Zebra and Miramar, make the list. I was also suprised, based on the broad consensus of bleh reviews it's received, to see Le Lan make the list at #2.
Comments? Other lists to share...perhaps one of your own?
Let's list the lists here
=R=
We were pleased with Le Lan for our first visit. We thought it very pricey, very noisey but worth a second try. Interesting that it landed a #2 spot on the 10 best restaurants this year.
Green Zebra was another matter. We are true fans of Spring. Green Zebra was less interesting dish by dish. Some items we felt were almost unpalatable. Some were tasty but not up to the caliber of Sean's menu items at Spring. We might return but I would go dragging my feet. Maybe the chef has tested and altered his initial offerings. We hope so. Our Chicago favorites are now focused on new serious chefs: Homaro Cantu, Grant Achatz and maybe the new chef at Avenues. We have yet to sample his talent. The remarks we have heard are mixed. That will not deter us. We are usually interested in France, Spain, and BC Canada. Chicago is our home and we want to protect our newest, finest talents which we feel is evidenced in Grant and Homaro. Respectfully, J Gebhart
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Victor your suggestions are truly appreciated and certainly informed. We know Remelluri but not the Blanco. We know the Mas Igneus but not the white. We know the Clos Agon white but Peter S. of Pingus ended his influence with Clos Agon in late 1999. All 2000 Clos Agon were no longer reflecting the Pingus fingerprints. At least that has been our experience.I am also attentive to your comments about the Spanish whites that could imitate the great, fatty and spicy Rhone wines of France. These options have NOT been explored."Imitation" is not a nice word... "Likeness" would be more like it. Remember that some of us have always mantained that the Rhône valley doesn't really stop at Avignon, but is prolonged by the hillside vineyards of the Languedoc, the Roussillon and Eastern Spain. We are much more southerly here, but we are also much higher up in altitude (I know a certain grenache vineyard 3,500 feet above sea level in my neck o' the woods), so one thing compensates the other...
In that sense, you already know one of those spicy, blended, Rhône-styled whites in Spain: it's one of the very favorites you mention. Viñas del Vero's Clarión is an excellent example of that syle, showing that, even if we can do better in variety and quantity terms, there are already a few good ones. Others (not easy to find, I warn you!) in that same league: Venta d'Aubert (Vino de la Tierra del Bajo Aragón), Remélluri Blanco (DOC Rioja), Clos d'Agon (DO Catalunya), Mas d'en Compte and Mas Igneus FA 104 (DO Priorat).
Your choice of Chivite 125 is also a sound one - Spain's best oak-fermented chardonnay. Close to Grand Cru quality. But pricey.
The wine from 200 year-old pre-phylloxeric wines I once mentioned was my friend Gerardo Méndez's Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas, an albariño from the Rías Baixas DO. Late-harvest, late-release wines are often the best and most complex these days in that region, led by Pazo de Señorans Selección de Añada, Albariño de Fefiñanes III Año, Fillaboa Selección Monte Alto. Also Lusco do Miño, which should be cellared for 1-2 years after release (they release it early) and then gains considerable weight.
Best Rueda verdejos currently on the market (2003 vintage) are Naia, Viña Clavidor, Señorío de Garci Grande, Prius de Moraña and Palacio de Bornos.
Your input about the many fine white options for the visiting diner is truly informative. For us, it is invaluable! My husband read your post of I think a year ago about the 200 year old wines. He was thrilled learn about them. Your list has added to our knowledge bank. THANK YOU. J Gebhart
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Dear Victor: My husband is laughing because someone more knowledgable than I has certainly made a remarkable case for understanding the limitations of Spainish geology for producing greater white wines. I am also attentive to your comment s about the Spanish whites that could imitate the great, fatty and spicy Rhone wines of France. These options have NOT been explored.the truth is for white wines, the Spanish are far more limited in choice than the French. Hopefully the Spanish will try to address this issue.It's a matter of looking at the map, Judith. Spain is where it is. The viticultural areas in this country enjoy, overall, the most hours of sunshine and the highest daytime temperature averages in the world - Australia included. This makes a large majority of those areas ill-equipped to produce top-notch white wines, which need a temperate or even cool environment to preserve delicacy and subtlety. Rheingau, Loire, Friuli or Côte-de-Beaune this ain't. And that is not going to change. Add global warming, and it may even get more pronounced.
We do have some very interesting areas - the Galician northwest, the high plateau of Rueda, some cool high-altitude sites in Navarre and Catalonia. And we can probably do better in some other, warmer areas that are conducive to fat, garrigue-infused, spicy powerful whites in the mold of the Rhône valley. But these will never be market-dominating styles, but rather niche wines for a specific set of dishes - something like well-aged Hermitage Blanc or Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc.
So if you love flinty, subtle riesling wines as I do, drink some serious dry Mosel, which many of the better Spanish restaurants carry nowadays. Don't try Spanish riesling, please. Then again, you wouldn't drink local riesling in Tuscany, would you?
OTOH, I'll be glad to give you a few names of truly top level Spanish whites if you are interested in specific areas or food pairings. I don't want this post to be like a catalog...
Finally, on Somontano reds. There is, in the wine tasting vernacular, a difference between "full bodied" and "robust". Right-bank Bordeaux is "full bodied", not "robust". Corbières, Basilicata, Sicily or Collioure reds are certrainly "robust". I would indeed compare the style of Somontano, including Blecua, with Pomerol or Saint-Emilion, thus "full bodied". Secastilla, which you mention, is a peculiar Somontano, away from the current mainstream wines in the region - it's a (single-vineyard) grenache varietal, whereas the rest of the region's reds are basically cabernet sauvignon/merlot blends. But in the world of Spanish grenache it still stands out as a high-altitude, fresher wine.
You have also educated me about the rigors of defining full-bodied vs robust reds. Your wine knowledge is impressive and I am humbled by your wisdom. I do however press my case for a decent, well-educated palate; I am duly impressed with your
remarkable insight regarding the wines of France, Spain and Italy. I am really grateful for your honest and helpful comments. I have learned from your input.
Now is this an important lesson for me, yes. For other eGullet members--they must respond. Thank you for your considered response. Thank you. Before I end my response I want to state my preferences for what I consider the best of Spain's white wines: Chivite 125, Clarion, and some of the Albarinos. You recommended in one past post, a 200 year old Albarino which was spectacular. Respectfully, J Gebhart
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Thanks vserna. You are very correct about Spanish wines in general. I would argue that your comments do not apply, IMO, to the Somotano wines, like Blecqua, a wine from Vinos del Vero. This winery also has, IMO, one of Spains's finest whites: Clarion. This was the white wine served at the recent wedding of Juan Carlos' son.We are also aware that some of the sommelier's have wine preferences that exclude some of the newer, more robust reds from Toro, Somontano or Bierzo. They instead urge the diner to try the more traditional Spanish reds. Fortunately, we haven't encountered this in our more recent travels.I would never put Bierzo or Somontano in the "robust" category myself - more in the "Atlantic-influenced" category. "Robust" would indeed apply to Toro - and to Jumilla, Yecla, Montsant, Terra Alta, Campo de Borja, Calatayud.
Fortunately, I can assure you that there is no longer a single sommelier in a serious foodie restaurant in Spain today that would urge the diner to drink "traditional reds" only.
There are fewer interesting whites than reds in Spain, yes - but still enough of them to accompany fish and fowl well.
PS I've been prodded in a couple of cases to move wine-related discussions to the wine board, which is why I mentioned this here. But I must also confess that I'm not really up-to-date on that board's discussions.
I was ticking off newer Spanish growing areas in my original post. I was careless in identifying which are robust, or full-bodied and which are not. Vega Sicilia has a new wine Pintia, 2001 which is in the Toro area. It is a robust wine, albeit rather young. This is also a recent release. There is also a new release which is full-bodied or in my terms, robust, from Somontano, the Secastilla, a 2001 Vinos del Vero in a less pricey category than Blecqua.
Enate at the top end of the line is a full- bodied wine. As you know it is also from the Somotano area.
Maybe our differences are semantic only, but maybe not. I find the younger sommelier's of late very well educated in their wine selections. I find some of them less supporters of the Spanish wines and more supporters of the French. In some cases, the wine list includes great French and great Spanish, but the truth is for white wines, the Spanish are far more limited in choice than the French. Hopefully the Spanish will try to address this issue. J Gebhart
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Thanks Pedro. We have used all the guide books Campsa, Gourmetour, LMG and of course the most stingy, as Pedro so accurately describes, Michelin. Now to add to the lamentable decisions Michelin has made is the exclusion of Etxebarri, a marvelous restaurant in Axpe, Vizcaya. The chef is Victor Arguinzoniz. His a la brasa cooking is unique and without equal anywhere! IMHO of course. He is located in a fairly remote, but beautiful mountain area, down the road from Durango. Michelin dropped the listing entirely just this year, 2004!!!
If you are a Michelin "only" guide reader, you will be missing some wonderful restaurant choices. Too bad that Gault Millau no longer reaches across the border to report on Spain's best eateries, as they once did. J Gebhart
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Well...yes I do. We have found that if we restrict our wine choices to Spanish only, we have only a few excellent whites and many excellent reds. We also rarely know the various ingredients no less the preparation of the dishes in the tasting menu. This can make wine choices difficult. Not every chef offers a pairing of wines with the dishes provided. And..in many cases when a pairing is offered, they are often not to our liking. In many instances pairing the wine with the food is a daunting, if not an impossible task. We often scrap the effort to match the wine with the food. We choose the red we find most exciting or the white and proceed with the meal.In all the most recent posts visited on eGullet, there is no mention about the wines of Spain and how the diner's use of wine enhances or diminish's the dining experience. Could we address this issue? I would welcome hearing what everyone has to say. THis means that we address both the menu of the restaurant and the wines available to the diner. Respectfully, J GebhartI think this is a potentially interesting topic, expecially given the rise of the avant-garde, which potentially makes wine pairings more difficult. I must say though that during my most recent trip to Spain in which I dined at a number of top restaurants including Arzak, Can Fabes, Sant Pau and Abac, the wine pairings (all Spanish wines) were all superb.
Judith, did you have any particular thoughts on the matter yourself?
We are also aware that some of the sommelier's have wine preferences that exclude some of the newer, more robust reds from Toro, Somontano or Bierzo. They instead urge the diner to try the more traditional Spanish reds. Fortunately, we haven't encountered this in our more recent travels. By the way, I didn't realize that this forum excluded the discussion of wine. I hadn't thought to check out the wine forum. JGebhart
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In all the most recent posts visited on eGullet, there is no mention about the wines of Spain and how the diner's use of wine enhances or diminish's the dining experience. Could we address this issue? I would welcome hearing what everyone has to say. THis means that we address both the menu of the restaurant and the wines available to the diner. Respectfully, J Gebhart
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Perhaps a more interesting question than the issue of reservations related to El Bulli is the guesswork that can go into figuring out what is in store for the diner in terms of Adria's newest compositions. Adria is quite unique in the sense that he does not repeat dishes from one year to the next and his evolution is marked more by discontinuities than continuities.
If his presentation on monday at the gastronomical congress is any guide, I can venture to state that Adria's interest in "texture" has become his overriding concern rather than an element of the larger equation. He is now interested in coming up with a comprehensive classification for all thickeners, emulsifiers and jelling agents known to mankind. He classifies these products in terms of their origin: animal based, plant based, chemical, etc. He is very much interested in textural contrasts of liquid centers and hard edges and I suspect he will push the agenda this year further away from an emphasis on ingredients and taste towards experimentation with textural contrasts. The ingredients he starts with are important to him to the extent that they do not get in the way of textural concerns. In this sense, quoting ltx about the primacy of infusions to Aduriz(Mugarritz)--she says that Aduriz often starts out with concocting an infusion and then tackles the issue of what will go best wiith it--, Adria will start out with textural contrasts and their progression and will concoct a meal around it.
Personally I do not believe that the relative historical merit of this new school--whose proponents came together in the gastronomical congress in Donostia organized by Garcia Santos--will be decided soon. To the converts, it is the most exciting thing going on in the world and if Adria is the king, Adoriz is the crown prince. The amount of applause that accompanied Adria's foray into the stage has been unknown and unheralded in history and brings to mind charismatic leaders and their followers. At the same time it is clear that Adria is a very hard worker and he works his sous chefs literally to death(a friend who interviewed Adoriz reported that, while apprenticing at El Bulli, Adoriz, when he woke could not tell for a moment whether he had finished his daily chores or whether he had just woken up from a dream about them).
It is also ironic that, perhaps unbeknownst to the converts of the new religion(actually Garcia Santos should be called the high priest), we are coming to a full circle since the days of the onset of nouvelle cuisine. That is, as the same friend who interviewed Adoriz neatly summed up, nouvelle cuisine was a reaction against oversaucing and relegating the natural product and the ingredient to the secondary status. Now, with all the textural experiments and the application of science and molecular biology to cooking and the newly acquired status of infusions, one wonders if the quality of the "ingredient" is not taking a back stage once again. But then, given all the environmental problems and the scarcity of natural products, perhaps the new phenomenon is a historical necessity even though it is not perceived by its converts in these terms.
I must admit I donnot comprehend the source of vmilor's statements about Adria's preferences for textural contrasts as primary focus of his cuisine versus an emphasis on ingredients. I must also question the similar assertion that Aduriz (Mugaritz chef) concocts an infusion, quoting ltx, and THEN tackles the issue of what will go best with it!!!! I would like lxt to defend her assertion. Hopefully it has some validity from the chef, himself. Neither remark of Adria or Aduriz rings true. I truly hope the author will help us with his or her sources about this matter. I think it would be very helpful to better comprehend the direction of both Adria in 2005 no less Aduriz. I am hopeful that this question will be addressed. J Gebhart
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I want to add my opinion that Hisop is on the uptake matching Alchimia in it's creativity. I am delighted Alchimia received it's first star. Certainly deserved. Our last meal Oct. '04 was very uneven and mildly disappointing. We found Hisop the most satisfying meal in Barcelona, also Oct. '04.
Hoffmann is a shock to us. It is a decent restaurant but we were never moved to return after our visit 4 years ago.
Now SantCeloni in Madrid continues to be excellent. We tasted Santemaria's influence. His appointed chef is doing an fine job but 2 stars!!?
We lament that Mugaritz has only one star and we feel (as does R. G. Santos) that Aduriz is far more talented warranting 3 stars given our experience. Michelin , despite 3-4 letters, is unimpressed. JGebhart
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The Pyrenées-Orientales is one of our favorite regions of France. Stunningly beautiful, it is still, amazingly enough "off the beaten track" for most tourists so you will have a really great experience traveling in this area.
We stayed in a fabulous hotel in Molitg-les-Bains, near Prades. The hotel is Chateau de Riell, a 14th century chateau completely modernized on the inside but quite enthralling on the outside. The rooms have feminine names, and the bathrooms are all copper. Pricning is actually quite reasonable for such a high end experience. Do not listen to Michelin, the restaurant is still terrific, even though they lost their star. Prades is a wonderful town nearby that dedicates a lot of itself to its native son, the cellist Pablo Casals. Casals fled here from Spain to get away from Franco.
You will love this area!!
P.S. The owner, Biche Barthélemy, is quite gracious and lovely; you will be getting a hand-made Christmas card from her every year for many years to come after your stay here!!
I would like to promote Chateau Riell with equal enthusiasm. I would also urge that you reqeust a room which overlooks Canigou (the mountain). Stay if possible in one of the main house rooms. They are preferable. Our favorite room is a soft orange pastel. Cannot remember the name but it is thrilling to awaken to the view of Canigou. The food is very satisfying. There are many wonderful areas nearby to explore. I would also urge that you spend one or two nights at Michel Bras. You will want to return again and again. The drive is now shortened by the new bypass of Millau. Maybe if you are lucky you can make it in 3-3.5 hours from Roses. I also endorse lunch in Belcastel at Vieux Pont. Great trip. J Gebhart
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in Spain & Portugal: Dining
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