BARCELONA - LAST STOP IN SPAIN

Upon deciding to revisit Spain after a 28-year period, Barcelona was foremost on the list of cities to visit. After just a few days in this vibrant city on the Mediterranean, it is clear what the attraction is for so many -- both inhabitants and tourists alike. For sure the thing I am delighted about is NOT having a rental car during our stay. After needing the car to make the approximately one-hour drive to Girona for our much-anticipated dinner at El Cellar de Can Roca, I couldn't wait to have the hotel take care of returning the car to Hertz.  Not only is this a city with excellent public transportation, but it is likewise full of "loco" drivers and tons of motorbikes weaving in and out of not-clearly-marked lanes.  Add in the buses, pedestrians, and the like, and I'll gladly opt out of driving for once. About that dinner around which our itinerary in Spain was planned, it definitely lived up to all the extraordinary reviews and Michelin stars, but in a most wonderful, fun, and not stuffy way.  There are three brothers Roca -- Josep handles all the wine together with the four sommeliers for each seating (two seatings per day, Tues-Sat) and he greets every table; Joan is the head chef; baby brother Jordi is the pastry chef.  They must really get along because not only do they work closely, but they are rarely separated and all live near one another. Doing justice to what was eaten is virtually impossible. As with the astonishing restaurants in San Sebastian (see previous post), a menu was provided at the meal's end with course descriptions (to which I repeatedly referred in order to write this). We asked for and got a peek into the kitchen and a brief chat with all three brothers. More than one person inquired as to how we were going to be able to drive after the meal, but that wasn't a problem. We were in the minority of guests -- only 20% -- who do NOT go with the wine pairing.  Thus a glass of champagne and sharing a half bottle of wine in no way impaired the drive back, especially after a good bit of food and a four-hour experience.  By the way, their wine pairing includes 14 different pourings, which we were told amount to 750ml -- i.e., a full bottle per person. Following are photos and details: Each table is set with just 3 rocks (for the brothers) Clockwise from top left:  Live olive tree bonsai style with stuff olives attached to the branches; the hubby with one of three immense wine books on a rolling cart; sea bream foam and ceviche; pine nut duo The above arrived closed (shown right) and then opened to reveal tastes of the globe, from Mexico/Turkey/China/Morocco/Korea. Then it was local bar food a la Roca (complete with small cut-outs of the brothers): the red ball is filled with Campari which dissolved in the mouth. From top left: Spring vegetable stock;mushroom bonbon and brioche; favorite: 3-corn ice cream Fish, clockwise from top left: Skate with mustard; Mackerel; Oyster with anemone; Cuttlefish with peas; Surf & Turf - sardine with pork jowl; Prawn Savories (clockwise from top left):  Crispy pig with garlic; Veal shin; Goose; Pidgeon. NO, I didn't try everything!   And then there were the sweets. Top row, l-r: Milk/Lime combo; Chocolate "anarchy"; Orange "Colourology" - frozen balls of all different orange flavors. Left: Amazing rolling dessert cart. Right: The offerings.  The vertical cylinders are apple.  Ridiculous. At the end (close to 1am):  Top is Josep - front of the house; the gleaming and enormous stove; head chef Joan (l) and pastry chef Jordi (r) After returning to the hotel at nearly 2 a.m., hindsight would have been experiencing the meal at lunch en route to Barcelona.  This became abundantly clear after sleeping 'til noon!  Alas, small note to self in an otherwise spectacular experience.  We then explored the city on foot followed by Flamenco tickets in the evening. The waterfront area is beautiful with a long walk between two prominent hotels: The Barcelona Arts and the W. In spite of rather cool and cloudy weather, many people still enjoyed a dip in the Mediterranean.  Finally, when in Barcelona -- Spain to be sure -- how can one not seek out the best paella? Our hotel sent us to La Salada Mar for the delicious dish and it did not disappoint.    Above at the Hotel Arts (vacant) pool.  Frank Gehry's "Goldfish" can been seen from everywhere on the waterfront.  Below is the seafood paella ..   An entirely different and terrific meal was at Dos Pallilos, whose owner and chef once worked at the now-shuttered El Bulli, long at the top of the world's great restaurants.   Clockwise from top left: sauteed vegetables; "hamburger"; mushroom caps w/ garlic; seafood potstickers The chef's jacket from El Bulli is on display outside his new "home" -- he is shown above (on the left) together with his crew making "raviolis" for the evening's dinner seating. After eight wonderful and certainly gastronomic days in Spain, we say adios and gracias for a lovely stay in this country.  It is a shame the country is not better managed -- the unemployment rate is a whopping 23% -- for we wish the people here greater success and encourage all to visit this beautiful destination.   Next stop: Milan.

Eating in Spain: "Basqueing" in the Glow of San Sebastian

After the wonderful stay in Madrid written about the in previous post, we acquired our rental car and drove north some four hours to San Sebastian in Spain's Basque region. I now know the reason this area is so unique and so concentrated with remarkable restaurants. 

The answer was provided by a fellow patron at Arzak, ranked #8 on the World's Best List and featured in a wonderful documentary entitled Three Stars (well worth watching).  The aforementioned gentleman was making copious notes of each course. He told me he had been coming to the restaurant for years, but this time he was writing a review for a regional paper.  He is also a vintner from the Bordeaux region of France -- about two or so hours north of San Sebastian.  This area has everything going for it to be a culinary dream-come-true:  Great purveyors of fresh produce, basically on the sea for fresh fish and remarkable cattle ranchers.  Then there's the wine and olive oils. Put all those elements together and this is a foodie's paradise.

We hadn't even provided our name as we entered, but the hostess knew who we were. Likewise at the end, our car was delivered without so much as asking for or producing a ticket (none was given).  And the final touch was receiving the printed menu given to each and every guest with the listing of all their unique courses and wine.  This is a good thing because I could never remember so many complicated presentations.  The photos are a trip down memory lane. Suffice it to say, hand's down the thing I will never forget was a presentation of sea bass. First an I-pad type of device was placed in front of me playing a video of crashing waves, and then the see-through glass plate was placed on top so one is reminded of the food's origins.  Really?  Who thinks of these things?  Another memory was watching a napkin being refolded in the patron's absence deftly using only spoons -- no touching allowed.  Wow.

Underneath the sea bass and visible through the glass was a video playing of crashing waves.	A delicious (and reasonable) bordeaux; top is a crab "rock"; bottom is apple and beetroot
Top:  lamb with lotus; bottom:  amazing beef cheeks	Top:  "Searching for Hazelnuts" Bottom: "Lunar Chocolate Square Moon"

Top:  "Factory Arzak" -- all edible chocolate tools and hardware; with Chef/Owner Juan Mari Arzak, now 80 years old -- his daughter Elena is really in charge day-to-day.

The Hotel Maria Cristina is a beautiful, beaux-arts type of structure -- indeed it was once inhabited by Spanish royalty.  It is a few short blocks to the historic area of this seaside town, with narrow streets filled with lively bars offering pinxtos, the actual name of tapas.  Try as we might, we still couldn't figure out the system of ordering/paying.  Everything looked fresh and appetizing, to be accompanied by a beer or glass of wine while watching ubiquitous soccer games. 

View from our wrap-around balcony

A great and impressive site is the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, a short one-hour drive from San Sebastian.  To my mind, the art is appreciated as much for it's scale as anything else -- massive installations are typical.  But it was the building that was breathtaking and absolutely worth the journey. The Jeff Koons flowering dog in the front of the facility defies description as well ... 

Continuing our gastronomic extravaganza in the region, we dined at Martin Berastagui, again for a lunch lasting more than two hours.  The chef/owner/proprietor obviously is committed to his craft, as he "lives above the store."  And some kind of store it is, to be sure.  We were greeted before even making it up the steps by a lovely woman who took our photo in front of the bronze name plate.  Once inside the spacious and elegantly appointed room, the service was serious but not stuffy with everything "as you wish." The hubby perused the extensive wine list and selected an excellent French red for $50 Euros, a good price considering the surroundings and offerings.  

View from the table above -- the restaurant's "back yard"

Clockwise from top left: Sea urchin foam; kumquat with anchovy; sea crunch tempura; smoked eel/foie-gras/onion/apple

Top is the enormous wine book; The words above talk about the culture of this restaurant; how everything in nature is incorporated and the dishes would be destroyed if the portions were larger ... some not exactly bite-size!

Salad ... or work of art?

Top:  Wild Rabbit; Bottom:  Lamb

Top: Baked Chocolate -- garnished with green beans (about the only way the hubby has ever consumed them); Bottom: Apple tarte -- hand's down best ever.

Sweets at the end and the most gorgeous hydrangeas on display. One more to go in this amazing Spanish trifecta of renown restaurants .... to be continued in the next post.