La Gabinoteca

Ok, so Dave and I follow Anthony Bourdain...a LOT! I have had a mini-crush on him since the publishing of Kitchen Confidential. Dave tried to clear out some of my books awhile back and this one was not going anywhere. When Travel Channel announced the inception of his show, "No Reservations," I nearly wept for joy. So it seems natural that when the Madrid show aired, conveniently a few weeks before our trip, that at least one (but in our case two) spot made my list.

La Gabinoteca is a cool place. Its one of those spots where you feel kind of awesome for finding it and even better after you try the amazing food. This place is headed up by chef, Nino Redruello and I would call the format, "nouveau tapas." Another thing that moves this place high up in the ranking is the affordability quotient. This was one of our favorite restaurants on our long trip, but also one of the cheapest at the end of the night.

So here is a rundown of our meal:

1. Tomate de Almeria en ensalada

2. Berberechos al natural

3. Huevo, patata y trufa

4. Bocata de calamares

5. Carne roja gallega con sal inglesa

6. Fideado con pulpo y sepia

In this instance I am going to recreate my notes for each course. This may seem unconventional, but I don't think I can really elaborate without giving you my first impressions.

1. Heirloom-esque tomatoes with a magic combination of salt, oil, + acid!

2. Cockles served in a can with homemade chips...super oceany; not a fan with the chip, but without it is a chewy, briny morsel

3. Wow...truffle mania...creamy potato; yolky egg; touch of salt

4. Calamari sandwich; Crisp and crunchy tentacles with mayo and a green bell pepper relish

5. Medium rare, rich, velvety, medallions paired perfectly with salty crystals

6. Pasta made from octopus...cross between pasta and octopus in mouth feel with a casserole-esque taste...kind of breadcrumb, cheesy goodness

Sorry if these descriptions seem disjointed, but first impressions are the ones that matter and these are mine. All I can say is La Gabinoteca is one of those places that would make a weekly rotation on any locals list. Anthony did not lead us astray!

La Abaceria

So after my day in Ronda I took a three hour bus to Seville to meet up with the boyfriend. He had been in London visiting a friend and we agreed it would be good to have him around to stave off all the sexy Latin men that were supposedly hounding me;) Unfortunately, I came down with what I thought was going to be a game changing cold. I was shivering, sick stomach, cold sweats...awful! I told Dave to go out with a friend we were meeting up with and that hopefully things would look up in the morning. Somehow, a higher power intervened, knowing how much this trip meant to me and I was up and rearing to go at 9 am.

Dave and I started with a stop at a churro stand. I made the mistake of not asking for a sprinkling of sugar on my packet and therefore made do with bland dough-y fried nuggets. We made up for it at lunch, however.

La Abaceria is a hole in the wall. But this hole in the wall made a damn good paella. The rice was a beautiful golden yellow, from the infusion of saffron and interspersed with a generous serving of chicken (only thing I could have done without), fish, shrimp, and chorizo. The color was a precursor for what turned out to be butter in my mouth! It was well worth the trip to Sevilla just for this dish (but the magnificent Alcazar was a close second:).

Tragabuches

As those of you who know me realize, I will travel for food. This sometimes means a short detour from a pre-scheduled outing, to an all out, 180 degree turn from the course. Lunch at Tragabuches, in Ronda fit somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I ended up convincing two Americans I met at my hostel in Granada to join me (not at Tragabuches mind you) on my adventure.

To start, Ronda is really a great idea for a day trip, but only that. It is a beautiful city built directly abutting a deep canyon. The city snakes and winds around dipping down all the way to the valley below. It was one of the major sights for Inquisition trials, which gives it a creepy factor that is hard to shake. But what really gets my heart pumping is not the beautiful canyon vistas, or the crazy Catholic history, but a one Michelin star outfit run by executive chef Benito Gomez.

Tragabuches is traditional. Traditional walk in and have your coat and scarf immediately whisked away. Traditional seated with chair pulled out and pushed in. Traditional with someone virtually walking into the bathroom with you. Traditional crumbing and marking and blah blah blah. I have to get this off my chest, but I felt so bad for the front of house staff that day. There was another solo diner who was downing glass after glass of what seemed to be pretty nice wine, while a bottle of something real nice was breathing. Well once that happened and a taste was poured for this guy, he disputed the quality! Then not only did the sommelier come over, but so did the manager. They stood there and discussed for a good fifteen minutes before the bottle was whisked away! Yikes is all I can say. The bottle was then offered to a table of about twelve lively Spanish men already enjoying their own wine, but I saw them happily polish that baby off. So much for a "turned" bottle.

I could go on, but rant aside this is what my tasting menu looked like:

1. Cod Fish Yogurt with Trout eggs and Red Sichyo

2. Tomato "Alinao"; Tomate sorbet; black olives and Picual Olive oil

3. "Ajo Blanco" of Pistachio; Cherries in lavender perfume and meringuer pistachio

4. Foie with goat's cheese with caramelised green apple

5. Season Mushrooms

6. Roasted Sea Bass; Truffled cabbage and Jabugo mayonnaise

7. Iberian Pork Cheeks, Caramelized root vegetables puree

8. Coffee cream; Muscovado sugar, bananas and white chocolate ice-cream

9. Textured Chocolate with Jamaican flavours and black beer sorbet

I must say course number two was almost identical to what I had at Cinc Sentits for course one ("Pa amb tomaquet"; fresh tomato sorbet, garlic air, toasted peasant bread). This one was better...there was an olive base that gave the sweet tomato sorbet a perfect foil, finished with just the right amount of salt.

After looking over my notes, all I have for the Ajo Blanco soup is OMG...and that's about it. I wrote that the sweet cherry meat and the creamy cold ajo blanco explodes in one's mouth, with a texture contrast provided by the crispy pistachios. It was a bowl licking dish.

The fifth course came out as a magic mushroom forest. Now if someone had slipped real magic mushrooms into my aperitif, then this dish would have really garnered a wow factor, but alas it was merely whimsical at best. The mushrooms, although clearly fresh and local, had little flavor infusion and in this setting were crying out for something. There was a white powder "jam" and quail eggs that I rationed for each bite to give the mushroom a boost, but once these accouterments ran out, so did my mushroom consumption.

The protein courses ranged from O-K (pork) to off putting (sea bass) so not much to report on there. After all that I was praying dessert would steady the roller-coaster ride I was on, and at least for the finale it did. The chocolate dessert came with a brown beer ice cream, chocolate "truffle" and dark chocolate sand. The beer was rich and complex, like a good stout and it really complemented the dark chocolate represented in two different formats.

All in all, I was happy to say I have been to Tragabuches. I think Gomez is on to some good things, but needs to step up his game when it comes to the proteins and infusing flavor into certain ingredients. Many of the dishes were playful or had one or two "cool" elements, but at the end of the day it is my taste buds that need to be convinced.

Restaurante Cunini

So after a few glorious days in Barcelona I hopped a Spanair flight (circa 1987 plane...my knees were literally locked into the seat pocket in front of me and cold air blowing on my feet) to Granada. Heading from the Catalan capital to the heart of Andalucia was definitely a change, but all I can say is wowo! Aside from amazing FREE TAPAS (the people of Granada pride themselves on this...calling the rest of Spanairds cheapskates) Granada is breathtaking. It is in a valley that snakes up and around the surrounding hills with the majestic Alhambra towering over it all from the highest perch.

The first night I arrived I was worried I was going to have to scrap my plans to visit Restaurante Cunini for the next night because I set up a special Flamenco booking that ruined my food plans. Somehow, the food gods intervened, because I left my hostel the first night to wander the streets without my guide and let my nose guide me. Well, it led me directly to the Plaza de la Pescaderia where the twinkling lights of Cunini called my name. I really couldn't believe it because I had taken such a round-about way to get there. Clearly, it was meant to be that I eat at this place.

I did not eat in the dining room, opting for the more casual vibe at the tapas bar. Let me warn you Americans or other travelers not used to standing while eating....this is the only option, but you will be rewarded with amazing food at even better prices. This place had a really cool, local vibe with a bit of a 50's flashback...all waiters (no ladies) in vests and bow ties. This is another English language barrier spot, so I really recommend having a small dictionary or come in ready to point and mime your order.

Another tip along the food line is to go slooow. I made the mistake of ordering about three things at once and then noticed that I would get free plates of whatever would be rotating out of the kitchen. This happened about once every 20 minutes so the best bet is order one item, wait and get two other free things in the interim.

I started with the infamous Gambas a la Plancha. If you have not been to Spain, then I think it is less than likely that you have had the pleasure of tasting the most sweet and juicy prawn of your life. This is achieved by leaving the shell on, slathering the prawn with a ton of oil and salt and a quick grill job. You, the eater, are then required to peel that shell off and savor the magic inside. I had already enjoyed a seafood platter at Kiosko Universal in the Boqueria Market in Barcelona, but Cunini killed.

I then had fried Hake filets that came gratis out of the kitchen. These were light meaty joys with a perfectly balanced salt-kissed crust.

I noticed that Cunini was touting Jamon Iberico Cinco Jotas, which for all of the uninitiated is the Rolls Royce of Spanish ham. This is the acorn fed, free range, etc. etc. variety. Anywho, once you put a piece of this in your mouth you taste a "meaty fat explosion." It is hard to adequately describe the perfect combination of complex, gamey pig with the supple, melting fat that accompanies each bite, but trust me, if you see this on the menu in Spain you should order it at least once, or twice. After awhile, however, David and I were so overwhelmed by Jamon that we stayed away all together. We surprised many Madrilenos by refusing to order Jamon Iberico at any of the restaurants we dined at during our last outpost before jetting off to Paris.

I then found a plate of Boquerones fritos in front of me. Boquerones are anchovies and in Spain you will find them in fried, grilled and "marinated" form. I must say I tend towards the marinated camp, but these little fried nuggets were a happy union of salt, crispy batter, and acid from a sprinkling of lemon.

Lastly, I had another "free" plate of what seemed to be a fried cousin of the squid. It had short, stumpy tentacles, but unfortunately, it suffered from a timing issue because it tasted cold and the squid itself was too tough...probably would have shined with a short grill job and a slathering of local olive oil.

Aside from some mis-steps, Cunini proved to be a solid seafood contender and a very welcoming opening night to a wonderful side trip to Granada....a must see in my book.

Cinc Sentits

So a day after my Gelonch lunch, I dragged myself from my beautiful room in the Barri Gotic to another Eixample restaurant, Cinc Sentits, run by chef Jordi Artal. This place is an English-speakers dream come true. I am sadly a Gringa with the most minuscule of Spanish language skills. I spent a majority of my trip tripping around the language, apologetically ordering or asking questions, but at CS this was nary a problem. English speaking Mecca!

I have been around the fine dining block and consider myself a pretty good litmus test for that special "wow" factor. I felt Cinc Sentits is well on its way, but for a few hiccups. I am not in a place to tout my wine acumen so I will merely say that my wine pairings were spot on, except for the overly syrupy sweet wine paired with the foie....that one was waaay too sweet even though I get the purpose was to cut the fatty foie...it just didn't work for me.

Also, my impressions of the dining room was that it was a bit sterile and dated with one wall of brown leather banquettes and strange red rectangular "grills" along the other wall. Oh well, I usually look past ambiance in favor of food so this was no issue for me. Service also amazed...definitely a step above Gelonch, but its hard to compare the two (except both had sous vide pork....and CS won for sure!) since CS has been around the block and back.

After a quick perusal of the menus I thought it was a no brainer to go with the 'Sensacions' menu over the more "rustic" 'Essencia' choice. For those of you who have not been, the 'Sensacions' is their nod to the molecular gastronomy craze overtaking the area, whereas the 'Essencia' is focused more on traditional local favorites. Since I had no chance of securing an El Bulli reservation, I made it a point to try as many other Spanish restaurants attempting the same style of cooking and creating. I think CS deserves some cudos and now to the menu:

Amuse: Maple Syrup shot with salt on bottom and Cava sabayon

1. "Pa amb tomaquet"; fresh tomato sorbet, garlic air, toasted peasant bread

2. Caramelized foie gras "coca"; crisp pastry crust; chive "arrope"; glazed leeks

3. Pan-seared scallop; sweet onion "escalivada" glaze; sunchoke; "jamon" chip

4. Wild Mediterranean red mullet; creamy basil rice; fresh peach

5. Iberian suckling pig; apple "textures"; ratafia

6. Artisanal farmhouse cheese

7. Citrus "snow"; lemon ice cream; effervescent lime sugar; yuzu foam

8. "Grand Cru" chocolate 67%; olive oil ice cream; shattered bread; macadamias

So what was my impression...favorites?

Actually, the amuse really opened the sluice gates for the rest of the meal. The shot, if consumed correctly, which entailed one small initial sip to incorporate the salt and then one clean slurp down the hatch, was a salty-sweet miracle. The rich, caramel syrup, cut with salt...however, my only change would be for them to find a way to actually suspend the salt midway through the shot for a more uniform taste.

I usually never talk bread service, but here the already delicious, soft and chewy rolls of wheat (choice 1) and olive & walnut (choice 2) came with two different olive oils. One was from the west of the city and the other from the north, but both were out of this world. The "western" oil was mild and nutty, whereas the "northern" oil was spicy with just the right amount of bitter. If I had enough room in my luggage I would have bought both....they put most of my California olive oils to shame.

The 3rd course scallop was a delicious buttery soft morsel that was finished with the most crispy "meat chip." This was one of those dishes where ten more of the same would have been happily accepted.

The 5th course pork blew me away. It was pure technique on display. I am a fan of sous vide, however, I am not a fan of sous vide mania...or using it to slow cook the wrong things. Pork is never the wrong thing and using the technique, and then finishing it with a quick sear produced the most sweet, salty, crispy, tender morsel of meat...pure heaven.

It is always smart for a chef to end their tasting menu with a bang and they really did this with the 8th course dessert. The plate came out and all I could smell was nutty, aromatic baked bread. Everyone melts at the smell of fresh baked bread and it set the tone for a finale of bread, salt, and chocolate, simple in its elements, complicated in the technique, and a total win in my books.

So I feel like I have done justice to Cinc Sentits and now readers, it is your turn to go forth and make sure to stop in when in Barcelona...you won't regret spending the cash.

Gelonch

Catalan chef, Robert Gelonch's spot in the Eixample district of Barcelona is a bit of an underdog in the competitive molecular department overtaking the area. I had to spend a decent amount of time scouring foodie boards to come across some very impressive reviews. I decided to give it a shot for an amazing 44.50 Euro 9 course degustation lunch menu. All I can say is that for that price its a Wow!

Without further ado I welcome you my dear readers to the menu (fyi...I am using their translations when given so any misspellings are to be expected at times):

1. French oyster with fruit & gin and tonic gelee

2. Wagu beef carpaccio on cracker with grilled artichoke and rucola

3. Cuttlefish talierini with deconstructed pesto

4. Eight vegetable mini cream in a smoke bell with grilled vegetable and baked tomato broth

5. Octopus & Iberian pork shoulder "Mil Feulle" with baked garlic smoothie and sauteed Chinese garlic

6. Confited codfish with pistacchio sand, griottines and confited quail sauce

7. Iberian piglet 70 degree without bone, served with croissant, tupinambour and cajou nuts

8. Assorted cheese with bananas and honey cream, coffee crumble, sweet baked endives & eggplant ice cream

9. Catalan cream custard foam with apple sorbee, lemon soft jello, caramalized apple and confited lemon peel

The second course of carpaccio was a perfect balance of sweet Parmesan and silky meat melting in my mouth, contrasted with the crispy salty cracker and smoky grilled artichoke. It was an amazing three bites.

The fourth course came out in a soup bowl with a glass bell shaped cover holding in a cloud of smoke. The soup with eight separate vegetable purees was a veritable party in my mouth, but I must say it was better when I sampled each individual component, particularly the eggplant, turnip and carrot purees.

Lastly, the seventh course of sous vide Iberian pork had the perfect crust of crispy golden fat, which when pulled apart and combined with the crispy croissant pieces and the meaty mushroom was a delicious bite.

The desserts were not noteworthy, but the after meal vanilla Madelaine and homemade cocoa-dusted truffle were amazing.

In regards to atmosphere, I can see why some feel it is underwhelming, but I find it is perfectly acceptable for a chef that may not have huge investment backing. It suits the space and there is plenty of room for all the diners.

Service was more than accommodating in my opinion, even if it was not as "polished" as some other restaurants in its category. I personally don't care if my table is not crumbed at every change in courses, or if I am waited on hand and foot. My server was friendly, helpful when he could be (language barrier of course), and attentive.

All in all, this will go into my book as a must re-visit when in Barcelona again:)

Viva La France....Oh and We'll Throw Spain in There Too

Welcome back my dear readers...and once again, sorry for the short hiatus in posts. To be fair, I was out on the road eating, oh and on occasion hitting art galleries and museums with David. Poor thing, he is one of those humans who can eat for eating sake (unless pastries are on the table), and therefore, my food passion is inadvertently forced on him. To be fair, on this trip, as opposed to others, I left huge gaping holes for activity and even booked dinners and lunches in the vicinity of where we would be. So guess what?....I came back from this one 3lbs lighter!!! I have really no idea how that happened with what you will see was a daily food-a-thon. And to be fair, my last Europe trip this summer did not end with any noteworthy results, so I am taking this one as divine intervention.

In the next few weeks you can be expecting posts spanning Spain, including Barcelona, Grenada, Ronda, Sevilla, and Madrid and numerous spots in Paris. One caveat is they will not be underground in the traditional sense, but many are virtually unknown to tourists, so please use these to truly enhance your trip.

I must also make a short plug for the guys at LeFooding. They are revolutionaries in the Paris dining scene, highlighting those places that Michelin leaves behind or only bestows "Bib" status on. Unfortunately, for us Ami's it is only in French, but I hope this will change. Don't expect white tablecloth or spotless sequence of service, but who cares about that stuff anymore (well, some people do...just wait for the Taillevant review)...its all about the food, right? So without further ado...let the reviewing begin!