sergi arola

[mikeczyz]

chef sergi arola is giving a special dinner in chicago this march first. i'm considering ponying up the 350 bucks to go. what's his food like?

mike

[pedro]

I'd define it as extreme techniques and creativity applied to catalonian and spanish food. You still could trace back in most of the occasions the original dish which inspired / was the basis of the dish presented by Arola.

As you probably know, he's considered one of the main disciples of Adrià, but at the same time one who's been able to develop a style of his own. Sergi always praises Adrià and El Bulli, giving lots of credit to Adrià and acknowledging the major influence his period there plays in his cooking.

Being the only two starred restaurant in Madrid, I was dissapointed with my last dinner there back in May last year. Inconsitency has been cited as the main defect of Sergi's La Broche. A restaurant to which I'll return, though I'll let some time pass before that.

(BTW, with just some more dollars, you'd probably could travel to Madrid and dine at La Broche )

[Bux]

I'd define it as extreme techniques and creativity applied to catalonian and spanish food. You still could trace back in most of the occasions the original dish which inspired / was the basis of the dish presented by Arola.

There's an intellectual quality about some of the food of many of the avant garde chefs in Spain, or perhaps I should say there's a referential quality that that exists between the creative food and the traditional food that may be lost on many foreign diners, myself included, who are not familiar with the traditional food to which the creative food makes reference.

I had one meal at La Broche about a year ago. While I left the restaurant with great respect for the food, I was a bit disappointed and felt that I did not thoroughly get it. At the time, I believe I posted comments here to the effect that I was sorry we did not take the tasting menu as I thought it might have allowed me more insight into Arola's cuisine. I recall Vimilor having some interesting comments about Arola's food recently.

(BTW, with just some more dollars, you'd probably could travel to Madrid and dine at La Broche    )

Our dinner in Madrid ran about $200 for two people. It included a decent bottle of wine and bottled water. Mrs. B was a little under the weather and may have skipped a course, or at least dessert. The tasting menu would have been a bit more.

[vmilor]

I thougt that in some dishes Arola had sacrificed taste in favor of texture but I rather eat there than many very highly regarded New York temples. The quality of raw ingredients in Madrid is just phenomenal, both seafood and meat. Against this background Arola is trying to distinguish himself. He is a force to reckon with and although I have some qualms I will look forward to a return visit. If money is no object, I recommend that you attend the dinner in Chicago, esp. if the proceeds are going for a worthy cause, and then take a one week trip to Madrid for some of the best lamb, pig and steak and fish and shellish---and you may also visit La Broche one night. His baby duckling was phenomenal and Ms. Arola is a very charming hostess.

[vserna]

No taste deficiency in the terrific dish of braised pork jowl ('papada de cerdo' - an unusual cut outside of Spain) Sergi is serving starting next week, and which he served us as a preview (pretaste?) for lunch a couple of days ago. He made us taste some of his current stuff, and it was excellent in conception and taste definition, I thought.

The menu: sea urchin with 'pa amb tomàquet' (toast with tomato, of course); a fun 'sushisashimi', chanterelle toast with blue cheese and spinach; string bean soup with cockles and potato custard; roast sardines with crunchy fried egg; mock tapioca of pike, smoked eel and beetroot ice cream; home-made potato, sweet potato and black olive gnocchi; braised turbot with rooster crests; duck's liver 'crémant' with roast black pudding; rice pudding with mangoes; almond gubblos (?) with saffron and chocolate.

Edited February 25, 2004 by vserna (log)

[Bux]

terrific dish of braised pork jowl ('papada de cerdo' - an unusual cut outside of Spain)

Are jowls different from cheeks? In France we've had joues de porc and in the US, I'm sure we've had beef cheeks and maybe pork cheeks. I don't know if they can't be poorly cooked or if they're just a cut that only appeals to chefs who really know how to cook, but the few times we've had either, they were no less than excellent.

[pedro]

Are jowls different from cheeks?

Yes, they are. Cheeks have much more meat, in fact, is almost everything meat which gets a gelatinous texture once has been properly cooked. Jowls have clear stripes of fat which are predominant or almost predominant over the meat.

The menu: sea urchin with 'pa amb tomàquet' (toast with tomato, of course); a fun 'sushisashimi', chanterelle toast with blue cheese and spinach; string bean soup with cockles and potato custard; roast sardines with crunchy fried egg; mock tapioca of pike, smoked eel and beetroot ice cream; home-made potato, sweet potato and black olive gnocchi; braised turbot with rooster crests; duck's liver 'crémant' with roast black pudding; rice pudding with mangoes; almond gubblos (?) with saffron and chocolate.

Víctor, leaving the jowls aside, how did you find the rest of the menu?

[vserna]

Everything very good; a few things (chanterelle toast, string bean soup, sardines, turbot, pork 'papada', rice pudding) oustanding.

[pedro]

hmm. Perhaps the time to check La Broche back has arrived ...