Two Nights in Roses

[bourdain]

I'm leaving for Spain Friday and will be in Roses for two nights. Staying at the Almadraba Park Hotel. One day I'm having lunch at Rafa's --followed by dinner at El Bulli. Any suggestions for the other night's dinner? Maybe also a breakfast/lunch place? Interesting sites for shooting B-Roll? Gracias!

[Fat Guy]

The most outrageous, curmudgeonly, brilliant sourpuss in that region is Santi Santamaria of El-raco-de-whatever. He's not in Roses per se, but hey, Europe is small -- I'm sure it's just a couple of hours by car. Or are you really committed to Roses proper?

[bourdain]

Dude; Adria's taking me to lunch at Rafa's followed by the full treatment at El Bulli. My wife and I will have some periods of down time while Chris and Lydia shoot B-Roll. So, it's gotta be Roses--all the way.

[guajolote]

Staying at the Almadraba Park Hotel.

Great hotel. The people working there are the best. The restaurant at the hotel is good too.

[Fat Guy]

What about trying to cajole Santamaria, Arzak, et al., into coming over to Roses for an on-camera bull session like you did with all those Aussie chefs? They all speak enough English to say stuff like, "Spain kicks France's ass!"

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Dude; Adria's taking me to lunch at Rafa's followed by the full treatment at El Bulli.  My wife and I will have some periods of down time while  Chris and Lydia shoot B-Roll. So, it's gotta be Roses--all the way.

Are you going to be objective when he fires one of those 2003 gimmicks down your throat?

[bourdain]

No.

[FoodMan]

No.

????

looking forward for this "Cook's Tour".

FM

[KatieLoeb]

Dude - do as the Spaniards do. Take the early evening stroll for some tapas and sherry at the local bar. Get half tanked and then stroll a bit more. Late night dinner at wherever the locals tell you is the second best place in town. Eat, drink lots of Spanish wine, go to hotel, pass out, lather, rinse, repeat.

Gotta love the lifestyle....

[Bux]

Katie, the problem with Roses is finding a local, let alone one not connected to a bar or hotel. By and large, any local is apt to be recommending his cousin's restaurant or bar. Just the fact that most of the restaurants by the main drag running along the beach are advertising the fact they serve cryovac Paellador paella, I suspect good local cooking is hard to find. There's a Michelin one star restaurant on the opposite side of Roses from Tony's hotel, but I see their specialties include dishes with foie gras and truffles. That's just not the food that would attract me to a one star restaurant by the sea in Spain. When Adria served lunch, we were in and out of town too quickly to seek another meal. For dinner we arrived too late for anything but a snack and were out the next morning. French friends who met us for dinner at El Bulli stocked up on wine before returning. Alcohol taxes seem lower in Spain than in France. There's plenty of good wine in Catalunya and Cava is more local than sherry, but from what I've been seeing, beer is the aperitif of choice these days in Spain.

[vserna]

RE:

O noble symphony of all the colors!

O illustrious Paella!

O polychromatic dish

eaten by eyes before touching the tongue!

Array of glories where all is blended.

Divine compromise between chicken and clam.

O contradictory dish

Intriguing ditty.

Contradictory indeed.

This is a description of what we call 'una paella para turistas'.

Chicken and clams?

Pliiiizzzz..........

What have we done to deserve having such concoctions described as 'paellas'?

[MatthewB]

What have we done to deserve having such concoctions described as 'paellas'?

All your bases are belong to us!

[guajolote]

This is a description of what we call 'una paella para turistas'.

Chicken and clams?

Pliiiizzzz..........

What have we done to deserve having such concoctions described as 'paellas'?

Uh dude, I think you need some more sleep, or maybe a drink.

The poem was written by a Spaniard, I don't know if he was a tourist, though. If you could help me track down the poet I'd aprreciate it.

[vserna]

All your bases are belong to us!

????

[MsRamsey]

All your bases are belong to us!

????

http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/AYB2.swf

[vserna]

Uh dude, I think you need some more sleep, or maybe a drink.

The poem was written by a Spaniard, I don't know if he was a tourist, though. If you could help me track down the poet I'd aprreciate it.

No, man, I need a better paella than that concoction of yours.

I don't know if this was written by a Spaniard. There are Spaniards who wouldn't know the difference between a paella and a puddle. Americans, too.

[vserna]

http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/AYB2.swf

Oh. Extremely gastronomic and to the point.

[MatthewB]

http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/AYB2.swf

Oh. Extremely gastronomic and to the point.

Thanks!

Now what is an authentic paella?

[thelastsupper]

MsRamsey- that was delightful, astonishing and I don't really have any other words for it. I want to ask more about it, but I like to think it descended on me out of nowhere for some good deed I did and then forgot . . .

And I am rather confused by the choice of words in the poem too: kind of redundant. I don't know about the paella recipe, but the "poem" is certainly awful (in a good way). Whoever wrote the poem sounds like he was making fun of Jorge Guillén.

[KatieLoeb]

Bux:

Thanks - I stand corrected. I didn't know the town was so "connected" so to speak. I guess I was just waxing nostalgic over how nice the whole lifestyle in Spain is. So unhurried and relaxing, taking particular time to enjoy ones' family, friends and neighbors and some good cheer each evening. The evening cocktails and stroll and visiting. It's an institution, unlike the rituals we hold dear here like going to the drive through on the way home from work.

[Bux]

Katie, there's a bar on an the corner of an acute intersection in Sevilla where we watched "how nice the whole lifestyle in Spain is. So unhurried and relaxing, taking particular time to enjoy ones' family, friends and neighbors and some good cheer each evening. The evening cocktails and stroll and visiting. It's an institution," the lifestyle was, and perhaps it applies to the the bar as well. You can't miss it for the yellow Pedro Domeq awnings and it's prominent location on a pedestriam street. A variety of tapas nicely plated on tiny saucers with contemprary squiggles of sauce kept us there through several drinks, but we couldn't help notice how civilized it all seemed as singles and couples met their friends, had a drink and chatted and then went on about their own businesses.

Perhaps there's a back street in Roses away from the hotels and beach condos.

[dave88]

I'm leaving for Spain Friday and will be in Roses for two nights. Staying at the Almadraba Park Hotel. One day I'm having lunch at Rafa's --followed by dinner at El Bulli. Any suggestions for the other night's dinner? Maybe also a breakfast/lunch place? Interesting sites for shooting B-Roll? Gracias!

What do the FTV producers recommend?

[atomictv]

http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/AYB2.swf

All Bourdain Are Belong To Us.

[Suzi Edwards]

there is nowhere, i repeat, nowhere to eat in roses other than rafa's.

it was closed when i was there :-(

i'd book for every meal if i were you.

also, try out the crazy golf on the road up to the peninsula, i think it might be right next to the hotel you're in. they have lovely koi carp in the ponds and pipe fake toad noises.

[Ruth]

There's a Michelin one star restaurant on the opposite side of Roses from Tony's hotel, but I see their specialties include dishes with foie gras and truffles. That's just not the food that would attract me to a one star restaurant by the sea in Spain.

Bux virtually every restaurant in Spain now has foie gras on the menu, far more so than in France, and the starred restaurant in Roses - La Llar - is excellent with truly Spanish cuisine at a very high level. The only French touch is a great cheese platter. Their torta del Casar is to die for. I would recommend it to Tony .