Combarro & Viridiana

[robert brown]

For several years now, Madrid has played second fiddle to Barcelona as Spain’s leading restaurant city. But can this truly be so? My wife and I had two magnificent meals that exceeded any we have had so far in Barcelona. Combarro, the Gallician seafood restaurant, has seafood as pristine as we have ever had. The cigales del mar were even better than those at Rafa’s. I also ordered some percebes or barnacles that I adored, acquired taste that they may be for many people. The other diners had baked turbot that they couldn’t stop talking about while my sea bass served with olives and potatoes was delectable. Only Susan’s giant crab, good as it was, failed to be judged by us as in the top category, but hardly because of any lack of freshness. There are two locations for dining at Combarro. We chose the more upscale one on Ortega y Gasset. The food is rather expensive and the atmosphere solidly comfortable with the trappings and self-promotional accoutrements typical of large luxury restaurants that have been well-established for decades.

Situated on a quiet residential street between the Banco de Espana and the Museo del Prado, Viridiana is appropriately an exercise in the art of eating that won’t break the bank. The moment I laid eyes on the amply-girthed, middle-aged chef who greeted us and eGullet forum host Pedro Espinosa at the door of Viridiana, I suspect something quite good was about to unfold.. It was comforting to look at Abraham Garcia since I had the notion, false as it turned out, that we might be in for one of those meals with lots of one-bite samplings of nonsensical food. Instead, Abraham was my kind of chef: a somewhat aloof, dogmatic and devoted artisan without pretense and apparently uninterested in what the culinary media thinks about him. Without a Michelin star (although it used to have one), Viridiana has to be one of the more overlooked and underrated restaurants in the world. In fact, what he cooked made me think of Pierre Gagnaire when he was in St. Etienne in the 1980s and Claude Peyrot of the defunct three-star Le Vivarois in Paris. “Crazy cooking” is what they called it back then, but the passing of time has made it closer to the traditional. Abraham offered it up in a chef’s tasting menu, but like the one tasting menu at da Vittorio in Bergamo, this meant nearly a la carte portions. Just to give you a scintilla of an idea where his cooking is at, we began with the best gazpacho of my life; intense, a bit creamy and opaque. Meatballs of boar in lentils flavored with cinnamon was delightful, while a duck foie gras served on vanilla-flavored toast with a tomato chutney and wild grapes was as good as one would find virtually anywhere. A dozen snails, each served with garlic, green peppers and herbs; a fried egg with a mushroom puree along side; and sensational pre-sale lamb from the Pyrenees rounded out the part of the meal that wasn’t seafood. There we found Garcia’s two fish dishes somewhat less exciting, Desserts, however, ended the meal with a flourish: “Los helados y sorbets con su Aguardiente (brandy) and a brochette of grilled tropical fruits

Viridiana is a theme restaurant in its décor; a homage to the famous 1961 Luis Bunuel film of the same name. The room is decorated with stills from the film while the overall feel is that of a personalized thoughtfully-put-together idiosyncratic bistro. Also like da Vittorio, Viridiana is a throw-back to the days when chefs cared about the gastronomic enlightenment and well-being of its clientele. Da Vittorio was my personal discovery of 2004 and, so far, Virdinia is the one this year. Thanks again, Pedro.

[vserna]

Very interesting report! Tough luck that the 'fish' part of the menu at Viridiana wasn't at the same level - he usually does better. By the way, the secret of his gazpacho is that it combines tomatoes with strawberries! Strawberry-based gazpachos are now invading Spain. Abraham, in this as in many other things, was a pioneer. After all, he opened his first Viridiana back in 1978 - Spain's culinary revolution slghtly predates Ferran!

[pedro]

You're welcome, Robert. I don't remember which fish dishes we had at Viridiana, Robert. Would you please refresh my memory?

Certainly, the pre-salé lamb cooked in two different ways was a remarkable dish by all accounts.

PD: This time, Abraham served us a classical gazpacho with no strawberries.

[Bux]

That Viridiana desn't have a Michelin star is a travesty, or at least further evidence that Michelin isn't a good reference for Spain. It does have two soles from Campsa and I suspect it's accurate to say that the restaurant is overlooked internationally, but I suspect it is well known by Madrileños. Garcia's food struck me as both personal and creative, but not what one would call avant garde. I think it would satisfy the most discriminating demands of sophisticated diners, but also appeal to a wide range of diners in spite of the very personal style. I too enjoyed it more than some Michelin starred restaurants, although I am a fan of the samll tasting menu. In fact, if I had a complaint, it would be that the portions are too large and that my appetite began to wane before Garcia stopped sending out dishes, each as enticing, if not more so, than the last. I'll add that the dishes were enticing enough to overcome any ack of physical appetite. Although we arrived at the early hour of nine pm -- early in Madrid -- it was close to three in the morning when we walked back to our hotel. I was glad we were within walking distance. I was just as happy not to ride in a car with such a full stomach, but an even longer walk would have been appreciated.

The most interesting aspect here is, as you mention, the inequity of Madrid playing second fiddle to Barcelona in terms of Gastronomy. I worry less about being unfair to Madrid, than I do about misleading the gastrotourist who has much to discover in Madrid. I have long felt that Madrid is a good city in which to live, but that Barcelona has more to offer tourists, while those who live in Madrid argue that Madrid had more to offer than Barcelona. I am willing to consider that true, especially in terms of gastronomy, but that doesn't change my mind that it's less inviting to foreign gastronomes simply because there's not much published in English that can serve as a guide. I have been eating increasingly better in Madrid the more I rely on friends in that city than on guides. Perhaps that's generally true in most large cities including Barcelona, Paris and NY. It just seems more apparent in Madrid. My image of Madrid food has been of overcooked heavy food, (except when it's undercooked braised meat and vegetables) yet I've had the most impressingly flavorful peas in my life not long ago at Arce, (one sol, no stars. The rest of the meal was also impressive.

[vserna]

if I had a complaint, it would be that the portions are too large and that my appetite began to wane before Garcia stopped sending out dishes

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Welcome to the (quite numerous) club, Bux!

[Brett Emerson]

A great post, Robert. Unfortunately, I haven't eaten at either restaurant. But I will agree with you that the dining scene in Madrid is underrated compared to Barcelona. Which is odd, because it's widely agreed that Madrid gets the best of the best fish and seafood from all over Spain, better than Barcelona.

I was in Madrid last summer and absolutely adored my meal at a smaller, more rustic Gallician restaurant that has one Michelin star and one Campsa solé, Casa d'a Troya. The seafood was incredibly fresh and perfectly prepared. Until my dinner the other night at Ca' Sento in Valencia (I'll post about soon, I promise), my meal there was only surpassed by Le Bernadin for best seafood meals. (Now, however, there's no contest. Ca' Sento's seafood tasting menu is the best meal I've ever had in any category).