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Girona Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations


pedro

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Can Fabes is well worth the trip, particularly if you have been unlucky with the others. Just be sure to get in training if you intend to have their tasting menu as the servings are extremely generous. I was just thinking today about their crayfish on diced saffron potatoes in light bouillebaisse... and the baby octapus dish... really.

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I'm still alive Bux, but don't think that I didn't see the crime in this, albeit without personal injury :laugh:

We will check out the place across from Rafi's for sure and report back like good little egulleteers.

I've now researched the two restaurants that docsconze recommended, but I'm hesitant in making a reservation because I am a foodie and Hans (the SO) is not.

Don't get me wrong, he loves spouting the fact that he has his own personal chef and eating really well, but to have to drive 2 and a half hours there and back, it may be a hard sell (although, I would drive that and more for these two suggestions)!

I have the info printed just in case!

Thanks docsconze....and how's that Kaffir Balinese chicken coming along on the BBQ? Does it still need sugar?

Even the "a couple of them felt sick the next day" does not faze me as it could have been one in a million things, from the guy who opened the cervasa to etc, etc.

Thanks again Bux, docsconze and Corrina.

frances

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Thanks docsconze....and how's that Kaffir Balinese chicken coming along on the BBQ? Does it still need sugar?

Thanks for reminding me! I still have some leaves in the freezer I need to use.

Even if I did get sick from there, the meal was worth it!:wink:

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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Thanks docsconze....and how's that Kaffir Balinese chicken coming along on the BBQ? Does it still need sugar?

Thanks for reminding me! I still have some leaves in the freezer I need to use.

Even if I did get sick from there, the meal was worth it!:wink:

Hey, when you're in a foreign country, everything can make you sick because it's different bacteria, be it water, vegetables etc.

For a meal like that, I think I'd take the risk. :laugh:

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I've now researched the two restaurants that docsconze recommended, but I'm hesitant in making a reservation because I am a foodie and Hans (the SO) is not.

Don't get me wrong, he loves spouting the fact that he has his own personal chef and eating really well, but to have to drive 2 and a half hours there and back, it may be a hard sell (although, I would drive that and more for these two suggestions)!

Frances, this may appear to be quite a distance on the map, but actually it will only take about an hour to get there. It's mostly moterway. The food in Can Fabes is extremely accessible (and their icecream is the best I think I've ever had), so a non foodie shouldn't be too daunted. Also, they have a shorter lunch menu in case your pal isn't up for the marathon task of the tasting menu.

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I can't imagine driving an hour and a half after a Spanish dinner that's likely to end well after midnight, but consider a nice afternoon's drive. Admittedly, we have been known to snooze in the car on occasion after a big lunch. At the same time, with the knowledge that we've had pretty good luck in Catalunya, my guess is that there are already some worthwhile, if unstarred, restaurant closer to Roses that have already been mentioned in this forum. Campsa and Michelin are both useful in this regard. They don't know just the stars and Michelin tends to under rate Spanish restaurants.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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There is an amazing restaurant just north of Cadaques, it is called Cap d´Creus. It is in the middle of the Natural Park and is right on the sea. I go there every Tuesday as it is my only day off. The sardines and red mullet are amazing and about a quarter of the price of Rafa´s. There is an Indian chef there as well and makes a very nice curry. I will post the address and phone number soon. Also if you find yourself craving pizza in Roses, Tramonti is one of the pizzeria´s I have been to. But don´t take my word for it, the Italians I go with say the same.

"Only the tougne tells the truth..."-F.A.

revallo@gmail.com

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A very interesting choice indeed. I will have to keep this in mind for my upcoming trip. It looks like a fantastic spot for lunch. How busy does it get? Are reservations necessary or even useful?

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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There is an amazing restaurant just north of Cadaques,  it is called Cap d´Creus.  It is in the middle of the Natural Park and is right on the sea. I go there every Tuesday as it is my only day off.  The sardines and red mullet are amazing and about a quarter of the price of Rafa´s.  There is an Indian chef there as well and makes a very nice curry.  I will post the address and phone number soon.  Also if you find yourself craving pizza in Roses, Tramonti is one of the pizzeria´s I have been to.  But don´t take my word for it, the Italians I go with say the same.

Thanks. This appears to be a very interesting and useful recommendation. From the web site, it appears to be a rather mundane looking place that might be catering to tourists and one I might easily pass up were it not for a personal recommendation. It's web page even reinforces that appearance by calling attention to it's ability to cater to groups. Of course the casual visitor to Roses might easily give a Rafa a pass were it not for the word of mouth. Of course Rafa now has a cult following and very few tables. It would come as no surprise that there are better values in off beat places.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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I did a short stage at el bulli in may. And I was told that they will be opening the terrasse in july. Then ther is a smal possybility to get a reservation for the same night if somebody chooses to eat outside.

That my be the only way to get a reservation this time.

Good luck.

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I did a short stage at el bulli in may. And I was told that they will be opening the terrasse in july. Then ther is a smal possybility to get a reservation for the same night if somebody chooses to eat outside.

That my be the only way to get a reservation this time.

Good luck.

Mumin, that is a nice piece of information. Thanks and welcome to eGullet!

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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I did a short stage at el bulli in may. And I was told that they will be opening the terrasse in july. Then ther is a smal possybility to get a reservation for the same night if somebody chooses to eat outside.

That my be the only way to get a reservation this time.

Good luck.

Excellent. Thanks you Mumin!

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On a nice evening I would think this would be an excellent alternative as the setting for the restaurant is extraordinarily beautiful.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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It might be a good idea to send an email to the restaurant telling them when you will be in the area and that you would be happy to dine on the terrace or in the restaurant, wherever space opens up. Let them know the dates and how they can get hold of you. With any luck and some flexibility, you never know!

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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Our recent May-June trip to Catalonia included two good restaurants very new to us. Both restaurants have few eGullet reports. Both are within driving distance from Roses: Ca l'Enric, which is outside of Olot in La Vall de Gianya, is a 1 star Michelin, Gourmetour and Campsa rated restaurant. The other is Les Cols, also rated as highly by Michelin, Campsa and Gourmetour. It is located in Olot. Both are worthy of your attention. I will offer a more lengthy, comprehensive assessment in a later post.

Rafa's suggestion of la LLar should be heeded; we had a memorable esperdanyes dish for one luncheon. This Catalunya specialty was harvested near Roses we were told.

We would also echo the wisdom of enjoying El Raco can Fabes which Corinne endorsed. I guess it is dubbed Can Fabes these days. Spend the small fortune and enjoy a remarkable meal.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Our recent May-June trip to Catalonia included two good restaurants very new to us. Both restaurants have few eGullet reports. Both are within driving distance from Roses: Ca l'Enric, which is outside of Olot in La Vall de Gianya, is a 1 star Michelin, Gourmetour and Campsa rated restaurant. The other is Les Cols, also rated as highly by Michelin, Campsa and Gourmetour. It is located in Olot. Both are worthy of your attention. I will offer a more lengthy, comprehensive assessment  in a later post.

Judith, I would love to hear more about these restaurants. Please fill us in. I am looking to fill in our visit to Roses at the end of the summer.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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  • 1 month later...
. . . .

So far I have failed to get reservations at Michel Bras, El Bulli and El Celler de can Roca (closed for the first two weeks of July).

. . . .

Reviewing this thread, I can't help but notice that after Chef Metcalf posted that Can Roca was closed and therefore not a consideration for him, nothing else was said about the restaurant. I fear that may send the wrong impression to anyone doing a search on Girona while looking for a good restaurant. There are only a few reasons why anyone in, or near, Girona would not be eating at Can Roca. Foremost of course, is simply that it's closed. Next would be that one can't get a reservation. Both of those are good reasons, but I'd certainly consider rearranging my visit in either case if possible. The only other reason I can think of would have to be that the person in question just didn't want to eat in a great restaurant, though it's a position that's hard for me to understand. Can Roca is a great restaurant. In my humble opinion, but an opinion shared by others in this forum, it's under rated by Michelin with two stars. I'd say it offers as good a meal as you can get in terms of food, service and general pleasure. In terms of ambience, there are some more opulent settings, some marble halls in Paris for example, but there's truly nothing lacking in the way of sophistication or refinement in the design of the interior, which I found surprisingly urbane the first time we were there.

A thread on El Celler de Can Roca is here.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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I do wish that Can Roca would bother to reply to reservation requests though. I have been phoning, e-mailing, faxing over the past 3 weeks with no response. From what I have read in the guides they are not closed in August but the impression is that nobody is at home. I will try for one more week but am wondering if it really is worth all the hassle,This may be a reason why people don't visit.

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i know that they had closed for a couple of days for a fiesta semenal at the beginning of sept.,

that could be one of the reasons for the delay...

they are usually quite prompt, but i also have been trying to make a res. for a week or so and i haven't had any reply either...

hopefully it is a temporary glitch.

but do keep trying nimzo-- it is most certainly worth it.

t.

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This is strange. Other than calling on Sunday and Monday, when they're closed, they've always answered promptly my calls.

But it's worth the effort, so insist.

PedroEspinosa (aka pedro)

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