Monastrell

[docsconz]

One of the main reasons for our visit to Spain this year was to visit some of the restaurants and foods that we discovered at The CIA's World of Flavors Conference on Spain and the World table this past November. One of the chefs and restaurants we encountered that piqued our interest was Maria Jose San Roman and her restaurant Monastrell in Alicante. We made it to the restaurant on Wednesday evening May 2nd for a 10PM reservation where we met up with eGullet Society member Kathleen Berger (bergerka), a friend from NYC and an American expat currently living in Madrid.

I will start by saying that that dinner culminated what may have been the single best day of eating from morning to night of my entire life. We started that morning at a little kiosk in the Mercado Central of Valencia, where I had the most perfect tortilla I ever had. A bit later we followed with lunch at Ca Sento and then dinner here.

We met up at Monastrell at our appointed hour and said hello to Chef San Roman. I notified her that my wife and I would like to eat light that evening as we had a big lunch that day. The question was which of her restaurants should we dine at - the more formal (though hardly "formal") Monastrell or her traditional Taberna del Gourmet located a couple of doors down the street.

Chef San Roman solved our dilemma by inviting us to check out the Taberna and have a few nibbles over there before returning for a light dinner at Monastrell.

The main prep area of Taberna.

A refrigerated holding area for mariscos.

Maria Jose San Roman is on the right. In addition to being a superb chef, she speaks perfect English.

This really intrigued me. I have never seen anything like this array of dried seafood items before. Unfortunately I didn't really pay attention to it too closely until I looked at my photos. There is a fish, skate, octopus and I'm not sure what else in there. If anyone has any insight into how these are used I would appreciate reading it.

A nice collection of jamones.

Delicious chorizo de bellota with a little hot pimenton bite.

Chef pouring a little Jerez for us. We could have stayed here for awhile, but it was time to return next door.

to be continued...

[docsconz]

We moved back over to Monastrell where Chef San Roman delivered on her promise of a light, yet interesting and delicious meal.

Cream of Pumpkin with Saffron and Croqueta of Chorizo Iberico. Delightful and delicious - we were off to a good start. The croqueta was crisp on the outside and soft and creamy inside. San Roman has a particular reputation as a master of saffron. It showed in the crema.

The wine selected for us by the sommelier. It was crisp, light and delicious working perfectly with the food.

Oysters with Cucumber in Saffron and Lemon Soup. The flavors in this dish were fresh and vibrant without overpowering the essential elements of the oyster - excellent.

Mixed Spring Greens with Black Truffle. The truffle was amongst the last of the season. This beautiful and colorful dish resonated of the spring.

Squid Sandwich with All i Oli of Ink and Onion Sofrito. This was phenomenal - one of the top three or four dishes of our trip for sure. The squid, tender, sweet and juicy lay between two perfectly crisp and flavorful slivers of bread. Deceptively simple appearing, but simply perfect.

Ragu of Veal Sweetbreads with Morels and Red Shrimp. This dish was given to my wife. Of course I tasted it. It was an inspired and delicious version of mar y montaña.

Pig Trotters with Foie, Black truffle and Pistachios. I would have been very disappointed to have come to Northeastern Spain and not have a single dish of trotters. This delicious dish did not disappoint.

Orange, Coconut and Saffron Ice Creams. Tasty and of course, creamy. These are all representative of the region.

Merlot grape and Monastrell wine with Crumbs. This was a novel and tasty dessert.

Gianduja, Baba with Coffee and Hennesy Foam. Delicious.

Coconut and Saffron Marshmallows. A nice way to finish a great meal that re-invigorated our taste buds and stomachs. Chef San Roman absolutely delivered on her promise as the food was all delicious, yet not too heavy or too much.

Monastrell should be a destination for anyone interested in food in Alicante.

[molto e]

Doc,

The lighting in both her restaurants gave the photos a nice tone. Her food looked absolutely delicious. When will you start offering tours of Spain with Docsconz?

Molto E

[docsconz]

Doc,

        The lighting in both her restaurants gave the photos a nice tone. Her food looked absolutely delicious. When will you start offering tours of Spain with Docsconz?

Molto E

←

Both restaurants are indeed very charming. The location within Alicante is superb as they sit within a block of the esplanade in the heart of town.

That would be fun! Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon, but I do know of at least two culinary tours to Spain that are excellent. One is the CIA/Viking World of Flavors Travel Program Tour to Spain led by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Another is led by eGullet Society Member Gerry Dawes, who gave me some great feedback and input into my own trip.

[docsconz]

Here is an article from today's NYT by Peter Kaminsky on Maria José San Roman and her use of saffron. Like my visit to Monastrell, this article was borne from the CIA Conference this past November on "Spain and the World Table."

But amid the clouds of garden soil foam (no lie) and quivering plates of clam jelly, what captured my attention was the sweetly pungent perfume that wafted from the food station of María José San Román, chef of Monastrell in Alicante. It was the aroma of the dried crimson stigma of the purple crocus sativus linnaeus — saffron.

[Stevarino]

Docsconz,

I prefer "old school" fundamentals in cooking, and I find the look of petrified sea monster decor very charming! When I was very young, I lived in Thailand, and the marketplace was loaded with stinky dried fish. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to eat that! That opinion has changed.

I was in NYC a few weeks back, and we went to Korea Town on 32nd St. They always bring out these little dishes of kimchee & such. One of the dishes contained cuttlefish, previously dried, cut into fine strips, and dressed with something sweet, and spicy. Of all the things I tasted on the table that night, I remember this one.

As with the jamon, the flavor is intensified by drying, and if in the right hands, I'm sure is very instrumental in creating some incredible, and unforgettable, dishes.

I can't speak from experience, because I've never been to Spain, but I would love to know how they work with these products as well.

Awesome post, I work with saffron occasionally, and it can definitely be overpowering. I need to go there to learn how it is suppose to taste in the proper context.

Thanks for sharing.

[Brett Emerson]

This looks like my kind of place. To think the meal followed lunch at Ca Sento and breakfast at the Mercado Central... wow. Sounds like the perfect day. You're right on when you wrote: "what may have been the single best day of eating from morning to night of my entire life."

[bergerka]

Just found this thread and all I really have to add is that both the company AND the food were more than worth the 9 hour drive from Asturias (where I'd been visiting a friend and, well, eating a ton of amazing food, I swear I gain three kilos when I cross the border into Asturias) to Alicante. I'm a HUGE fan of more "traditional" food/recipes done, well, perfectly, and this was one of the best examples of that style of food I've ever experienced. The croqueta, simple and traditional though it was (and I've now eaten croquetas in approximately ummm 50 cities in Spain), was so incredibly perfectly delicious it nearly brought tears to my eyes. It was also my first experience with trotters and the next one is going to have to go a long way to beat them...the thought of this dinner, several weeks later, makes me rub my hands together in anticipation of my next visit to Alicante, which will be in early July.

K