Barcelona-Roses

[bourdain]

Just returned from shooting in Spain--a fairly relaxed 'work' schedule--so there was some downtime to just hang out and have a good time. In fact, all of the shooting was a good time--and I think that thanks entirely to Ferran and Albert Adria we got some really and truly incredible stuff on tape. They could not possibly have been nicer or more cooperative--even opening up the Taller for a day's session with their chemist and industrial designer for a day-long session to show us how they do it.

In Barcelona, revisited Boqueria first thing to see old friend Juan at Pinotxo. He buried me with early morning beer, prawns with wild asparagus, braised veal 'face', tiny, tiny baby squid (ink and guts still in with white beans and balsamic reduction, the ubiquitous and fabulous bread rubbed with tomato olive oil and garlic--and of course the famous tortilla. Marvelous as always.

To Jamonisimo for a lengthy tasting of extramadura and salammanca ham in the back of the shop(Adria says that proprietor Senor Martine's family- raised and cured Salammanca ham is the best in the world--and it appears to be). Wolfed down a bottle of Dom (better than Cava says Martine) with cans of lovely Galicean clams and fatty tuna ..

Stumbled around the old quarter eating everything in sight. A day at the beach in Sitges.

To the Taller where we spent the day watching experiments with the Adrias. Albert took us out for lunch at their favorite Japanese place--where needless to say, we got the full treatment...Albert's English is quite good. (Ferran's English is nonexistent--his Spanish diifficult even for the Spaniards. But somehow, between French, Spanish and his very expressive hand movements and facial expressions and the context, I understand nearly everything he's saying--and he seems, remarkably to understand my French).

To Roses. Checked into the Almadraba Park Hotel. Went to scout Rafa's for next day's lunch and couldn't resist eating dinner: whelks, sea cucumber (espardenyes), tiny, tiny clams (petxines), rascasse, a small sole, a small turbot, tiny squids (chipirones). When we ordered everything on the menu, Mrs. Rafa immediately warmed up. Rafa told one of our party to eat with hands--and was very pleased to see me gnawing on a fish head and sucking meat off the gums.

The next day, woke up, took a dip at the pool and bumped into old friend Juan Mari Arzak who it turned out was spending his vacation there. Big hugs and kisses and the great man promised to join us for coffee at El Bulli that night (he'd eaten there the night before). Back to Rafa's to meet Ferran. Man--he LOVES that restaurant. And he LOVES Rafa--who eats at El Bulli on the last day of every season. Ate everything in the counter--it was arriving from fishermen as we sat there. Rafa has closed down the annex next door as he can't get enough suitably fresh fish to meet demand. He insists he does NOT want any more business! But he's awful proud of what he is selling. Ferran and I ate more squid, sea cucumber, monkfish 'bouilabaise'--"the Spanish version" said Adria, then correcting himself: "No. Bouillabaise is the French version of what WE do!" Some incredible gambas and langoustines--which we naturally sucked the brains and juice right out of (Maybe Adria's favorite food--sucking the good stuff out of screamingly fresh Gamba head . It's the inspiration for a dish at El Bulli--as is the sea cucumber Rafa does). More clams--which Adria eats at whirwind pace. A bottle of Galicean white--followed by Muscat. Rafa's is as good as everyone says--and Rafa and the Mrs were very tickled to hear the title of the thread "Rafa's Rules Roses". (Rude Photos to follow).

To El Bulli. Where I ate in the kitchen with Ferran and my Spanish editor. (I think we burned her out translating for seven hours for the cameras between the mix of French, Catalan, Spanish and English)An amazing fantasy land magic act which I will unfortunately have to refrain from describing so as not to conflict with imminent journo obligations. (read all about it very soon) Suffice to say it was sensational, strange and fabulous. And did I say almost always delicious? Ferran, sitting across from me, watched every mouthful--often giving very precise instructions on when, how and in what order. He ate right along with me--if not slightly ahead of me--Thirty plates...much much Spanish wine, sherry and more sherry. Arzak arrived for coffee and dessert and the two best friends are a joy to be with together. To the patio for gin tonics till three AM. Adria decided he really liked Chris and Lydia (the shooter/producers) watching them scarf an abbreviated version of the meal standing up at a counter in the kitchen after shooting. We all left drunk, stuffed, happy and laden with books.

The next day, we were invited to join Arzak, his wife and friends at the pool for an informal lunch of wine, squid, anchovies, lobster, fish, some huge green and red tomatoes. The hotel went completely off-menu, laying on some really good, really fresh stuff. We ate with our hands, in bathing suits, family style, off family style plates. An afternoon of eating, gossip, philosophy-Arzak easily one of the nicest guys in the world--and most passionate--a complete pussycat and a great chef.

BTW, Juli says hello to the well-known- to- him egulletteers who've been to El Bulli. Two more El Bulli books--along the same lines as the first 98-2002 are in works. English translation SOUNDS like it won't be available for some time. The Wiley estimate of 12-18 months sounds about right. Juli says they are independently publishing it--but I gather others will distribute in States and elsewhere. Well worth waiting for. It IS a work of genius.

Almost everything you really need to know about Adria you get watching him taking sheer delight in the simple things: watching iberico ham fat dissolve between his fingers, sucking gamba heads, closely observing the surprise register on your face when one of his dishes unexpectedly explodes in your mouth--turns out to be something different --and more delicious--than what you expected. He loves what he does--is COMPELLED to do what he does, a driven, passionate, very nice, generous man--and an important one.

Other notes: There is no longer foam on the El Bulli menu. (an 'air' dish, yes--but NO foam) Other innovations have long ago replaced it. The fried sardine rack in shroudlike 'cotton' is one of the most wonderfully bizarre things I've ever layed eyes on--and very tasty. Wish I could go on--but that's for the article. Sorry to be so coy.

Edited July 1, 2003 by bourdain (log)

[Jinmyo]

Coy, yes, but thanks anyway Tony.

Thirty plates...

edit:

I've just looked through this again. I'd never survive such a trip. I'm glad Tony's there to do it.

Edited July 1, 2003 by Jinmyo (log)

[docsconz]

Wow. What dreams are made of!

[Matthew Grant]

Tony, where is Pinotxo in the market? I'm wondering whether its the place we were eating breakfast at in Barcelona.

When you say there were no foams on the menu at El Bulli, do you mean none at all or that they have been replaced with airs? There were an awful lot of foam/air type things on the menu when I visited

[bourdain]

Pinotxo is first one in the main entryway--slightly to the right. Very very fine--and Juan is famously a great guy.

And yeah..there WAS a bowl of orange/ tangerine "air"--and a dessert that disappeared completely in the mouth--but no foamy sauces at all. Powders, gels, hot and cold consommes, agar-agar, various substances that mimic snow and sleet and soil...and pulled cotton--but no foam in the sense we've come to know it.

[Bux]

--but no foam in the sense we've come to know it.

Of course most of us have come to know derivative second and third had versions, if we've come to know it at all other than by reading about it, and those who haven't come to know it are not likely to understand that what Adria is doing now is a generation beyond what he was doing. With luck more people will come to understand what he's doing and not just associate certain words and techniques with his cooking. With a TV show devoted to s single visit, you are going to be hampered in an attempt to show the process of the progress and not just the process of the meal you are eating. What I sense from this post is that Adria and Albert will be shown as food lovers and not as crazy scientists, or at least not just as crazy scientists. In spite of the fact that I have found some of the dishes elusive, I think Adria's love of "good food' is in his work. Those who don't find that apparent may be likely to be those who over intellectualize the food rather than those who are unsophisticated.

[Bux]

cans of lovely Galicean clams and fatty tuna

We have such disdain for "canned goods" in favor of "fresh" this country. The Spanish seem to prize quality canned goods. Some time ago, Amanda Hesser had an interesting article in the NY Times that featured a tapas bar in Barcelona that was known for its tapas that came from tins.

Albert's English is quite good.

When I met him a few years ago, he feigned the inability to speak English. Now I wonder what he and Mrs. B. talked about.

I think we're privileged to have this report here and there's no need to apologize for being coy. Assuming the worst -- that you're only posting to shill for the show or the article -- I think you did a great job. I'll make no silly pronouncement such as "Now we're going to see the real Adria," but I suspect we will see another side to the one generally portrayed by the media.

[FoodMan]

Tony-

Thanks for the sharing your experiences with us. Where/when will the article be published?? Has that been decided yet??

FM

[pixelchef]

Simply wow. You live an incredible life, Tony. I absolutely envy you. Couldn't have happened to a cooler guy, though. Next time, take me with you. I fit nicely into a large suitcase.

[tan319]

Wish I could go on--but that's for the article. Sorry to be so coy.

will you post where this article will be published when it's cool too?

Great post, thank you so much!

And can't wait to see it on TV

[coolranch]

wow...really looking forward to the article...and the show.

What endurance!

[vserna]

I think that Tony has very vividly depicted, not just what one eats in Roses - the pristine raw materials at Rafa's, the wild recreations of these same gustatory experiences at Ferran's place - but particularly the sense of excitement, fun and camaraderie that one finds these days around Spain's kitchens. It's particularly striking, how Juan Mari Arzak and Ferran Adrià have hit it off despite the 20-year age difference between them. I think Juan Mari doesn't always understand every Adrià dish, but he recognized from day one that this was the guy who would do for Spanish cuisine after 2000 what Arzak did for it in the 1970s and 1980s - make it grow by leaps and bounds. In a way, Adrià might be considered as Arzak's spiritual heir, were it not because there's already a real family heir, Elena Arzak!

I discovered the other day what one 26 year-old, Mario Sandoval, who's of course worked under both great chefs and with every other meaningful cook in Spain, is up to in an improbable location - a semi-rural, semi-industrial, bleak little town just south of Madrid. Dazzling and daring, but he never misses a beat.

Pretty exciting time for a food lover to be in (or visit) Spain. I find much of the same pumped-up buzz and creative fever that one could sense back when I was a youngster 35 years ago and my father used to take me around France to discover what a bunch of young chefs called Troisgros, Bocuse and Laporte were doing. A couple of young reporters called Henri Gault and Christian Millau were singing paeans to them and inventing the expression, 'nouvelle cuisine'. I hadn't felt something like this in Europe since then.

...

By the way, a late addition (for Spanish speakers): Ferran Adrià on what's interesting in and around Roses:

http://www.elmundo.es/mundoverano/2003/gps.html

Edited July 4, 2003 by vserna (log)

[seamdownanduprising]

viva la vie en roses ! no hay pan duro para el buen hambre .

[Elissa]

Read this when you first posted it, but these juicy bits have really stuck with me:

Ferran and I ate more squid, sea cucumber, monkfish 'bouilabaise'--"the Spanish version" said Adria, then correcting himself: "No. Bouillabaise is the French version of what WE do!" Some incredible gambas and langoustines--which we naturally sucked the brains and juice right out of (Maybe Adria's favorite food--sucking the good stuff out of screamingly fresh Gamba head . It's the inspiration for a dish at El Bulli--as is the sea cucumber Rafa does). More clams--which Adria eats at whirwind pace. A bottle of Galicean white--followed by Muscat.

...

Almost everything you really need to know about Adria you get watching him taking sheer delight in the simple things: watching iberico ham fat dissolve between his fingers, sucking gamba heads, closely observing the surprise register on your face when one of his dishes unexpectedly explodes in your mouth--turns out to be something different --and more delicious--than what you expected. He loves what he does--is COMPELLED to do what he does, a driven, passionate, very nice, generous man--and an important one.

I can taste the sea in your words; smell the mediterranean air; feel the textures of cukes and clams and gamba brains in my mouth. You also capture the vivid Catalan sense of revelry in eating well. This is a really fun post M. Bourdain: thanks. So I've been thinking: why not plan a Ferran fete when the show airs? Can't do it at my place (no tv) but if any NYers would like to plan to screen this juntos (together) let me know. I'll bring a Muscat.

If, that is, I haven't yet moved back to Spain

x

[Ruth]

I discovered the other day what one 26 year-old, Mario Sandoval, who's of course worked under both great chefs and with every other meaningful cook in Spain, is up to in an improbable location - a semi-rural, semi-industrial, bleak little town just south of Madrid. Dazzling and daring, but he never misses a beat.

We were unable to get a table at Sandoval's restaurant (El Bohio) this spring even e-mailing three weeks in advance! There is another young chef, Francis Paniego, who serves incredibly exciting food at his restaurant Echaurren in the tiny village of Escaray in Rioja. He too does not miss a beat in his twelve course tasting menu. His style is similar to that of Ferran Adria but his dishes are totally his own. Try it Tony if you get to that area. I am sure you will agree. I have said it before on this board and I repeat - Spain is currently the most inspiring food destination in Europe.

[hornet]

Does anyone know whether you have to book Rafa's? We will be in Roses for Sunday lunch.

[Matthew Grant]

Hornet, I would recommend booking, this restaurant is very simple and VERY small (think 16 - 20 settings).

For some reason it conjures up images of a beautiful sea front restaurant with lots of tables and spanking fresh seafood. Nothing cuold be further from the truth (apart from the spanking fresh seafood)

See HERE for further details.

[vserna]

[quote=vsernaJ

We were unable to get a table at Sandoval's restaurant (El Bohio) this spring even e-mailing three weeks in  advance!

Ruth:

Mario Sandoval's restaurant is called Coque, in the town of Humanes, south of Madrid. El Bohío, run by two brothers, Diego and Pepe Rodríguez, is in Illescas... slightly to the southeast of Illescas. Coque is much less well-known, not having gained any Michelin stars yet. But it's at least as good as El Bohío.

My advice: don't use e-mail to book a table in smaller, country restaurants in Spain. Many of them check their e-mail once in a blue moon. Phone ahead. They'll make an effort with their English and you can work again on your high school Spanish. I'm 100% sure you would have had a table at El Bohío. They're successful, but not wildly so - far too modern for local tastes, unfortunately.

[Bux]

They're successful, but not wildly so - far too modern for local tastes, unfortunately.

Unfortunately for Mario Sandoval perhaps, but I'm not sure local population with strong conservative, but well educated, palates isn't as helpful to the success of creative food as a market driving by diners looking for the latest fads. It may be that I've seen too many untrained cooks rise to "critical" and financial success on poorly conceived "fusion food," and that I'm less aware of unrewarded talent. I am aware that Gagnaire had to move to Paris. Provincial cites may be a tough audience for creativity and invention.

New York of course, is a wonderful place to find an audience for improvisation. Perhaps it's no coincidence that we passed a new Cuban restaurant (actually a place that seems geared to take out and halfway between a snack bar and inexpensive restaurant) that features "Create your own Paella." Trust me, you don't want to read the list of possible ingredients any more than a Neopolitan wants to know what might be found on an American "pizza."

[MobyP]

Just stopped in to Pinotxo for an unbelievable breakfast. The guy was fantastic. Seeing our confusion, he reduced life´s problems down to ¨fish or meat?¨

We said both, and from that point on, life was great.

Thanks Tony.

Has anyone tried El Asador d´Aranda? A great place on the outskirts of Barcelona that specialises in slow roasted milk-fed lamb in a big oak fired oven. Unbelievably tender. They bring you a quarter lamb to the table. I was sucking the bones until the early hours. For a starter, some home made black and red puddings, and great jamon. I´d definitely go again.

[boris]

Tony- the master of all that is hedonistic- (or anyone else),

We will be in Roses in May 2004 as part of a return trip to "you know where" , and based on your decription, Rafa's is a must go. Could you provide other specifics - is it a full-on restaurant, or more like a counter setting like Cal Pep in Barcelona. Also, when is it open? Thanks again!

PS when will your show on El Bulli air? ...hope we haven't missed it

Mark E.

Shoot!! I just realized the answer to the first part is posted above

Edited November 23, 2003 by boris (log)