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Showing posts with label Barcelona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barcelona. Show all posts
5/12/2012
12/25/2011
Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah from Gerry Dawes & Kay Balun.
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Kay Balun and the Bear at Salvador Dalí's house, Port Lligat (Girona), Catalunya. December 2010.
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2010 / gerrydawes@aol.com
Gerry Dawes & Kay Balun in Barcelona's famous Boquería market toasting with cava (Catalan sparkling wine) a small group that Gerry was leading around Spain. Cava gets breakfast off to a good start!
Photo by Tyler Schwartz.
The Chestnut Seller, Burgos, Castilla y León.
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2010 / gerrydawes@aol.com
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com.
12/20/2011
Chef Jordi Cruz, One of the Fastest Rising Stars of the Post elBulli Epoque Gets a Second Michelin Star at ABaC in Barcelona.
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Persistence of Memory* (Salvador Dalí) Five-Watch Rating
Jordi Cruz is one of my favorite post elBulli-era chefs. I have predicted that he will get a third-star. After less, than two years at ABaC, he just received his second. !!Enhorabuena!!
Chef Jordi Cruz empasize a point as he talks about his cooking techniques after dinner at Restaurante ABaC. Photo: Gerry Dawes©2011 / gerrydawes@aol.com.
ABaC Barcelona (From my article in Departures, May 2011)
Want to catch a true rising star in the Spanish food firmament, one that many predict will soon be awarded three Michelin stars? Jordi Cruz first cooked at the restaurant L’Estany Clar in the village of Berga, north of Barcelona, where at the age of 26 he became the youngest chef in Spain to receive a Michelin star. He then moved further into the Catalan hinterlands, to Món St. Benet, near Manresa, where he cooked at L’Angle, the restaurant attached to Ferran Adrià’s food research center Fundació Alícia. Anyone who ate there immediately recognized his rare talent. Cruz is now lighting up the sophisticated Barcelona culinary sky at the glittering new ABaC Restaurant & Hotel, which opened in 2008. Dishes might include smoked salmon with cauliflower purée served under a smoke-filled cloche, or an ethereal mushroom-and-truffle focaccio accompanied by a little tumbler of champignon bisque with hazelnut foam. Not to be missed is Cruz’s extraordinary extraterrestrial gin-tonic, made with cucumber and a dollop of lemon sorbet. Cruz is not just creative; his food is as delicious as that of any Spanish modernista cuisine chef today. Dinner, $215. 1 Avenida Tibidabo, Barcelona; 34-933/196-600.
Bottega Napa Valley Chef Michael Chiarello looks over a bottle of wine. Chef Jordi Cruz's ABaC. Oct. 11, 2011. Photo: Gerry Dawes©2011 / gerrydawes@aol.com.
Where to Stay: The restaurant is located within the sleek new ABaC Hotel (rooms, from $460), whose owners also have two others places in Barcelona, the Hotel Cram (rooms, from $250; 54 Aribau; 34-932/167-700) downtown—home to Michelin-starred restaurant Gaig)—and the new Hotel Mirror (rooms, from $250; 255 Córcega; 34-932/028-686) in the Eixample district, whose restaurant, The Mirror, just hired two-star chef Paco Pérez. -- Gerry Dawes
12/02/2011
Huffington Post, Kirsten Dixon: "Dawes described the Boqueria, a famed public food market in Barcelona, with such vivid and passionate detail, I knew I had to go."
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Exploring Barcelona's Famous Boqueria Market
by Kirsten Dixon, The Huffington Post
Photos by Kirsten Dixon & Gerry Dawes
"Inspiration for travel sometimes begins with a casual recommendation from a friend or an overheard conversation. It can be the smallest moments that lead us to our biggest journeys. Such was the beginnings of my trip to the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria in Barcelona, Spain.
I happened to attend a workshop on Spanish cuisine led by culinary expert Gerry Dawes at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. Dawes described the Boqueria, a famed public food market in Barcelona, with such vivid and passionate detail, I knew I had to go. The market has been in the same location since the 12th century.
Dawes particularly praised one bar within the Boqueria called Pinotxo (pronounced pee-no-cho), a 14-stool food stall just to right of the entrance of the market. The present proprietor of the 100-year old establishment, Juanito Bayen, serves Catalan cuisine from a sliver of a kitchen workspace and he doesn't offer a printed menu."
About Gerry Dawes
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés, The James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef in America 2011
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts
Trailer for a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
5/28/2011
Barcelona: In a Disgraceful Action, Catalan Police with Clubs and Rubber Bullets Attack Peaceful Demonstrators in La Plaza de Catalunya
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This tragedy, which occurred yesterday morning in Barcelona, is still unfolding. The Catalan Police, the Mosso d'Esquadra, not the Spanish National Police, moved in a group of people who had been camping in La Plaza de Catalunya, historically the heart of Barcelona and of Catalunya. The protesters had been there for several days peacefully protesting the handling of the economic crisis by the government.
Indignats | Desallotjament de la Plaça Catalunya
(Video on YouTube by jsalvia)
The Police moved in and soon began clubbing defenseless civilians, most of them young people, causing at least 100 of them to require medical treatment and putting some of them in the hospital. At one point a photographer (acampapadabcnfoto on Flickr) captured a member of the Catalan police force, the Mosso d'Esquadra, attacking a man in a wheelchair. As the morning wore on, they began firing rubber bullets at the pavement, which caused many of them to ricochet into the crowd.
Spanish protesters clash with police over clean-up: Violence breaks out around Barcelona's Plaça de Catalunya, the first trouble after 12 days of protests (Report by Giles Tremlett, guardian.co.uk)
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com
10/18/2010
Iberia Airlines Adds New U.S. - Spain Routes
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Madrid's Terminal IV
Press release from Iberia Airlines:
The United States will be the principal focus of Iberia's long-haul growth strategy in 2011, as it launches two new routes, one between Los Angeles and Madrid, and another between Miami and Barcelona.
Starting in March 28th, the Spanish company will operate three non-stop flights weekly from Los Angeles–on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays–with an additional Thursday flight in July-September.
Iberia expects to carry some 68,000 passengers on the Los Angeles route in the first year of operation. The flights will depart Los Angeles at 17:55 h. and arrive in Madrid at 14:15 h. the following day. In Madrid passengers can continue to another 36 destinations in Spain, 38 in Europe, 10 in Africa and one in the Middle East (Tel Aviv). The return flight will depart the Spanish capital at 12:35 h. and arrive in Los Angeles at 16:15 h.
The new Miami-Barcelona service begins next March 29th, with flights on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, departing Miami at 18:45 h. and arriving in Barcelona at 10:35 h. the following day. The return flight will leave at 13:30 h. to reach Miami at 17:10 h. From Barcelona, passengers from Miami can continue to another 16 destinations in Spain and 27 in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, all operated by Vueling, in which Iberia holds a 45% share.
These flights to Barcelona are in addition to Iberia's daily Miami-Madrid flights, and brings the total to 10 weekly flights connecting Miami with Spain and, thanks to the numerous connections available in Madrid and Barcelona, with many destinations in the rest of Spain, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In the first year of operation, Iberia expects to transport some 64,000 passengers between Miami and Barcelona.
Barcelona airport (BCN)
The aircraft used on the routes will be 254-seat Airbus A-340/300s, with a 36-seat Business Plus section, recently redesigned, with 2.20 meters of space for each passenger and seats that unfold into flat beds.
With these two new routes, the United States is consolidated as Iberia's most important long-haul market. In 2011 Iberia will offer a total of 1,164,000 seats between the United States and Spain, representing a 13% increase from 2010.
There will be seat offer increases in Chicago and Boston: larger aircraft (Airbus A-340/600s with 342 seats) will be used in the Chicago-Madrid route and more frequencies will be added to the Boston-Madrid route – six from May to October next year. Iberia will also operate three more weekly flights from New York to Madrid in July and August 2011, up to 17 flights a week during the summer time.
These new routes and the increase of seat offer in New York, Chicago and Boston are part of the "joint business agreement" launched on October 1st between Iberia, American Airlines, and British Airways for routes over the North Atlantic, which increase the travel options available to clients of all three airlines, with more frequencies and more destinations, as well as better connections across all three networks. Thanks to this agreement, Iberia has added its code to an increased number of American Airlines flights from Iberia gateways in U.S. to other U.S. cities.
These new routes and the increase of seat offer in New York, Chicago and Boston are part of the "joint business agreement" launched on October 1st between Iberia, American Airlines, and British Airways for routes over the North Atlantic, which increase the travel options available to clients of all three airlines, with more frequencies and more destinations, as well as better connections across all three networks. Thanks to this agreement, Iberia has added its code to an increased number of American Airlines flights from Iberia gateways in U.S. to other U.S. cities.
10/15/2010
Insider’s Taste of Northern Spain Gastronomic Tour of Bilbao - San Sebastián - Navarra - Barcelona Nov. 27 - Dec. 5, 2010
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Tour Organized and Led by
Writer-Photographer & Spain Expert
Gerry Dawes
Premio Nacional de Gastronómía 2003
Food Arts Silver Spoon Award
(Award profile written by José Andrés - Dec. 2009)
Ferran Adrià and Gerry Dawes at Bar Basque, NYC, Oct. 13, 2010.
We will return to San Sebastián after lunch and the afternoon will be free until evening when we will go on a optional tapas-hopping tour of San Sebastián’s best pintxos bars and restaurants, with optional gin-tonics, etc. at one of the city’s greatest bars.
Day 03 Monday, Nov 29 San Sebastián
Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian
In the morning, we will visit the colorful La Bretxa, Basque caserío farmers' market and San Martín market, then have some tapas in the bars surrounding the markets, some of which may have as many as 50 pintxos lined up along the bar.
For lunch, we will take a drive west along the Cantabrian Sea coast of the Bay of Biscay to the wonderful Basque fishing village of Getaria, hometown of Elkano, the first man to circumnavigate the globe; Balenciaga, the famous fashion designer; and Placido Domingo’s mother.
First we will have several exceptional seafood appetizers at Elkano, one of the greatest fish and seafood restaurants in the world, then walk down the hill to Kaia (in the same family as Elkano), which has spectacular views of the fishing port from its perch on the hill and offers whole turbot grilled outdoors over a wood fire, accompanied by wines from one of the most enticing wine cellars in nothern Spain. Gerry Dawes has had multiple experiences in both restaurants and we will get special insights into Basque seafood cooking.
After some post-prandial patxaran (Basque liquor), we will explore a little more of the coast, then return to San Sebastián where guests will be have free time until dinner.
Dinner will be at Rekondo, a game specialist and one of the few restaurants open on Mondays. First, we drive past Rekondo up Monte Igeldo for spectacular Ipanema-like night views of San Sebastián. Txomín Rekondo is a friend of Gerry’s and will show us his phenomenal wine cellar, which is one of the best in Europe.
Day 04 Tues, Nov 30 San Sebastián - Navarra - Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
In the morning, we will drive south about an hour and a half to visit the wonderful storybook castle-village of Olite in Navarra.
A short drive from Olite, we will stop for an early (for Spain) lunch with a Navarra winemaker near Tudela at a restaurant in southern Navarra specializing in the famous vegetables of the Ribera de Navarra region.
After lunch, we will head for Barcelona, arriving in the early evening, and check into our hotel, La Duquesa de Cardona, which is conveniently located between the Port Vell (the yacht basin) and the beach and the lively Las Ramblas area, which we will visit often during our time in Barcelona.
We will check into our hotel and have time to relax before we head for dinner at a restaurant facing the Port Vell, El Suquet de L'Almirall, where chef Quím Marquéz turns out some exceptional interpretations of modern dishes based on traditional Catalan recipes. Marquéz worked at El Bulli and is a very good friend of José Andrés.
Day 05 Weds, Dec 01 Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
We will have breakfast/lunch at the fabulous Mercat de San Josep, La Boquería, where we will sample the cooking of two of the legendary market bars, Pinotxo and Quím de la Boquería, and explore the market, where Gerry will introduce us to several of the key players that make this market one of the greatest in the world.
For dinner, we will sample Ramón Freixa's superb food at El Raco d'en Freixa, Barcelona's top-rated restaurant. Afterwards, we will either go to the OMM hotel, one of the sexiest restaurant-watering holes in Barcelona, then our guests will have the option of drinks in the muy movida bar or visiting one of Barcelona's legendary night clubs.
Day 06 Thurs, Dec 02 Barcelona - Manresa - Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
We will try to get our group into Ferran Adrià’s elBulli Taller workshop, but we can’t promise that yet. However, Ferran and his brother Albert are opening an upscale tapas restaurant in Barcelona in November and the bar should be open by the time of our visit, so we stop there for a drink at some point during our stay in Barcelona.
By 11 a.m., we will head from Manresa to visit the Alicia Foundation, which Ferran helped to found. This institution that explores the connection between Alimentacion (food) y Sciencia (science) is more about exploring the science and healthful aspects of food. It is not a laboratory for creating the innovative new dishes that Ferran and the other vanguardia chefs are famous for, but it is a fascinating place that is not to be missed.
Right next to the Alicia Foundation is the Angle Restaurant, where one of the best young chefs in Catalunya (and all of Spain) cooks. Gerry had an exceptional lunch there in March.
After lunch, we will return to Barcelona, where the rest of the afternoon will be free to visit this amazing city.
In the evening, we go on a tapas tour of Barcelona. Later, we will have the option of having drinks at El Velodromo, a Barcelona classic that was renovated and revived last year, after many years of being closed, by Carlos Abellan, one of Ferran Adrià’s best known disciples.
Day 07 Fri, Dec 03 Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
The morning and afternoon will be free to tour Barcelona.
In the evening, in la Barceloneta, at Can Majo, we will have our farewell dinner on such wonderful dishes as first-rate traditionally prepared mariscos (shellfish), paella and arros negre (black rice) cooked with squid and colored with squid ink, along with some local Catalan wines.
Day 08, Sat, Dec 04 Barcelona - USA
Late morning flight to the U. S. Option to spend more days in Barcelona.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
Gerry Dawes has been traveling the Food and Wine Roads of Spain for more than 40 years and is personally acquainted with hundreds of restaurateurs, chefs, winemakers and food-and-wine personalities. We will eat great food, meet a slew of great Basque and Catalan chefs and food personalities, taste wines with a winemaker or two, take lots of great photographs and develop a camaraderie on this trip that will ripen in recounting into vintage nostalgia.
Ferran Adrià and Gerry Dawes at Bar Basque, NYC, Oct. 13, 2010.
Photograph by John Sconzo©2010.
Tour accompanied by Dr. John Sconzo,
food aficionado & photographer extraordinarío.
Author & photographer of
Doc Sconz - The Blog: Musing on Food and Life
Tour accompanied by Dr. John Sconzo,
food aficionado & photographer extraordinarío.
Author & photographer of
Doc Sconz - The Blog: Musing on Food and Life
(All photographs copyright by Gerry Dawes 2010.)
Prices quoted are without airfare from the U.S. to Bilbao and return from Barcelona and include five and four star hotels, all designated restaurant meals with wines selected by Gerry Dawes and bus transportation within Spain. Pricing depends on how many travelers will be joining the tour.
2 travelers: $7,000.00
4 travelers: $5,000.00
6-8 travelers: $4,500.00
10-16 travelers: $4,000.00
Itinerary:
Day 00 USA-Madrid-Bilbao Evening Flight
Evening departure from the U.S. with each guest arranging own their flights.
Day 01 Saturday, Nov 27 Arrive Madrid, transfer to flight to Bilbao
Gerry Dawes will meet guests at the Bilbao airport. We will take a short trip into Bilbao and see the Guggenheim Museum from the outside and have some tapas in the old quarter.
Day 01 Saturday, Nov 27 Arrive Madrid, transfer to flight to Bilbao
Gerry Dawes will meet guests at the Bilbao airport. We will take a short trip into Bilbao and see the Guggenheim Museum from the outside and have some tapas in the old quarter.
Guggenheim, Bilbao. Photograph by Gerry Dawes©2010.
Leaving Bilbao, we will make another short trip to have lunch at Extebarri, where chef-owner Victor Arguinzoniz has taken the art of grilling to a new level. Some experts consider Etxeberri to be among the top restaurants in Spain.
After lunch, we will drive an hour to San Sebastián, where we will check into the magnificent turn-of-the-19th century Hotel Maria Cristina by 5 p.m.
Siesta time until dinner at 9:30 p.m. at either Restaurante Arzak, Juan Mari Arzak and daughter Elena’s three-star temple of gastronomy, or Martín Berasategui’s superb three-star Restaurante Martín Berasategui in nearby Lasarte. All three chefs are long-time personal friends of our tour organizer.
Day 02 Sunday, Nov 28 San Sebastián
Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastián
Sunday morning will be free to explore the old quarter and walk the magnificent la Concha beach and esplanade.
Lunch will be a short ride outside San Sebastián at Mugaritz, where Chef Andoni Aduriz is considered one of the most innovative young chefs in the Spanish cocina de vanguardia movement.
After lunch, we will drive an hour to San Sebastián, where we will check into the magnificent turn-of-the-19th century Hotel Maria Cristina by 5 p.m.
Siesta time until dinner at 9:30 p.m. at either Restaurante Arzak, Juan Mari Arzak and daughter Elena’s three-star temple of gastronomy, or Martín Berasategui’s superb three-star Restaurante Martín Berasategui in nearby Lasarte. All three chefs are long-time personal friends of our tour organizer.
Day 02 Sunday, Nov 28 San Sebastián
Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastián
Sunday morning will be free to explore the old quarter and walk the magnificent la Concha beach and esplanade.
Lunch will be a short ride outside San Sebastián at Mugaritz, where Chef Andoni Aduriz is considered one of the most innovative young chefs in the Spanish cocina de vanguardia movement.
Pintxos of mushrooms with ham and txangurro (crab) in a pastry shell
with a rosado from Navarra at Bar-Restaurante Gandarias.
We will return to San Sebastián after lunch and the afternoon will be free until evening when we will go on a optional tapas-hopping tour of San Sebastián’s best pintxos bars and restaurants, with optional gin-tonics, etc. at one of the city’s greatest bars.
Joaquín Fernández, owner and champion barman of Dickens
in San Sebastián, making his classic Gin Tonic.
Day 03 Monday, Nov 29 San Sebastián
Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian
In the morning, we will visit the colorful La Bretxa, Basque caserío farmers' market and San Martín market, then have some tapas in the bars surrounding the markets, some of which may have as many as 50 pintxos lined up along the bar.
For lunch, we will take a drive west along the Cantabrian Sea coast of the Bay of Biscay to the wonderful Basque fishing village of Getaria, hometown of Elkano, the first man to circumnavigate the globe; Balenciaga, the famous fashion designer; and Placido Domingo’s mother.
First we will have several exceptional seafood appetizers at Elkano, one of the greatest fish and seafood restaurants in the world, then walk down the hill to Kaia (in the same family as Elkano), which has spectacular views of the fishing port from its perch on the hill and offers whole turbot grilled outdoors over a wood fire, accompanied by wines from one of the most enticing wine cellars in nothern Spain. Gerry Dawes has had multiple experiences in both restaurants and we will get special insights into Basque seafood cooking.
Turbot grilling at Kaia.
After some post-prandial patxaran (Basque liquor), we will explore a little more of the coast, then return to San Sebastián where guests will be have free time until dinner.
Dinner will be at Rekondo, a game specialist and one of the few restaurants open on Mondays. First, we drive past Rekondo up Monte Igeldo for spectacular Ipanema-like night views of San Sebastián. Txomín Rekondo is a friend of Gerry’s and will show us his phenomenal wine cellar, which is one of the best in Europe.
Day 04 Tues, Nov 30 San Sebastián - Navarra - Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
In the morning, we will drive south about an hour and a half to visit the wonderful storybook castle-village of Olite in Navarra.
A short drive from Olite, we will stop for an early (for Spain) lunch with a Navarra winemaker near Tudela at a restaurant in southern Navarra specializing in the famous vegetables of the Ribera de Navarra region.
Wine lunch in southern Navarra.
After lunch, we will head for Barcelona, arriving in the early evening, and check into our hotel, La Duquesa de Cardona, which is conveniently located between the Port Vell (the yacht basin) and the beach and the lively Las Ramblas area, which we will visit often during our time in Barcelona.
We will check into our hotel and have time to relax before we head for dinner at a restaurant facing the Port Vell, El Suquet de L'Almirall, where chef Quím Marquéz turns out some exceptional interpretations of modern dishes based on traditional Catalan recipes. Marquéz worked at El Bulli and is a very good friend of José Andrés.
Day 05 Weds, Dec 01 Barcelona
La Boquería
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
We will have breakfast/lunch at the fabulous Mercat de San Josep, La Boquería, where we will sample the cooking of two of the legendary market bars, Pinotxo and Quím de la Boquería, and explore the market, where Gerry will introduce us to several of the key players that make this market one of the greatest in the world.
Quím de la Boquería
For dinner, we will sample Ramón Freixa's superb food at El Raco d'en Freixa, Barcelona's top-rated restaurant. Afterwards, we will either go to the OMM hotel, one of the sexiest restaurant-watering holes in Barcelona, then our guests will have the option of drinks in the muy movida bar or visiting one of Barcelona's legendary night clubs.
Day 06 Thurs, Dec 02 Barcelona - Manresa - Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
We will try to get our group into Ferran Adrià’s elBulli Taller workshop, but we can’t promise that yet. However, Ferran and his brother Albert are opening an upscale tapas restaurant in Barcelona in November and the bar should be open by the time of our visit, so we stop there for a drink at some point during our stay in Barcelona.
Albert Adrià, José Andrés and friend at Inopia, the tapas bar in Barcelona that Albert recently sold. All photographs by Gerry Dawes©2010.
By 11 a.m., we will head from Manresa to visit the Alicia Foundation, which Ferran helped to found. This institution that explores the connection between Alimentacion (food) y Sciencia (science) is more about exploring the science and healthful aspects of food. It is not a laboratory for creating the innovative new dishes that Ferran and the other vanguardia chefs are famous for, but it is a fascinating place that is not to be missed.
Chef Jordi Cruz, Angle Restaurant, and
Toni Massenes, head of the Alicia Foundation.
Right next to the Alicia Foundation is the Angle Restaurant, where one of the best young chefs in Catalunya (and all of Spain) cooks. Gerry had an exceptional lunch there in March.
After lunch, we will return to Barcelona, where the rest of the afternoon will be free to visit this amazing city.
In the evening, we go on a tapas tour of Barcelona. Later, we will have the option of having drinks at El Velodromo, a Barcelona classic that was renovated and revived last year, after many years of being closed, by Carlos Abellan, one of Ferran Adrià’s best known disciples.
Day 07 Fri, Dec 03 Barcelona
Hotel Duquesa de Cardona, Barcelona
The morning and afternoon will be free to tour Barcelona.
In the evening, in la Barceloneta, at Can Majo, we will have our farewell dinner on such wonderful dishes as first-rate traditionally prepared mariscos (shellfish), paella and arros negre (black rice) cooked with squid and colored with squid ink, along with some local Catalan wines.
Portions of arros negre, black rice with squid, and
paella de mariscos, shellfish paella, at Can Majó in La Barceloneta.
Day 08, Sat, Dec 04 Barcelona - USA
Late morning flight to the U. S. Option to spend more days in Barcelona.
__________________________________________________________________________
About Gerry Dawes
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
7/27/2010
Estatuas Humanas (Living Statues) - The lovely Karen from Argentina, Winged Victory on Les Rambles, Barcelona
* * * * *
For the past several years, I have been photographing the Estatuas Humanas, the living statue performers that I encounter in Spain. I have captured the large majority of them in Barcelona on Les Rambles, the city's raffish pedestrian mall cum communal outdoor parlor. Each time I go, I encounter new statues, but many endure for several years, like Karen, from Argentina, who performs as a golden Winged Victory and is one of my favorites. I usually talk to her every time I go the Ramblas and, on a couple of occasions, I have managed to capture her lovely image out of costume--sort of!
The lovely Karen (Argentina), Winged Victory. Les Rambles, Barcelona.
Photo by Gerry Dawes ©2008.
Photographs featuring Karen as Winged Victory on Les Rambles.
(Double click to see enlarged view, click F11 for full screen.)
_________________________________________________________________________________ 3/12/2010
Simon Seeks, A British Travel Website Features Links to My Photographs of Madrid, Gerry Dawes's Spain and Epicurean Ways
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Simon Seeks, a british travel website covering the world, ran a piece on Madrid by Helen Cross yesterday that features links to a slew of my photographs of Madrid, has a paragraph about Gerry Dawes's Spain and Jane Gregg's Epicurean Ways, which features specialized food and wine tours designed and led by yours truly. Many thanks, Helen!
Renowned journalist and expat Gerry Dawes is the man behind this fantastic blog about all things Spanish. Gerry was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in December 2009 and won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on Cava in 2004. Gerry has an unsurpassed knowledge of Spain with over thirty years experience of travelling in the area and this is reflected in his writing. This blog is a collection of content derived from articles, books in process and travel notebooks and is an indespensible resource for those interested in a cultured approach to Spanish life."
"Epicurean ways specialises in food and wine travel experiences in Madrid and Spain. Take a culinary tour and private cooking class conducted by a member of Spain's Academy of Gastronomy then spend the night in a chic boutique hotel. Groups of all sizes can be accommodated and trips are always tailored to individual preferences. Additionally, Epicurean Ways belong to Sustainable Travel International meaning that a trip with them will not only provide you with a great experience but also help to support the local and artisan food providers you visit."--Helen Cross, Simon Seeks
Barcelona and the Wine Roads of Catalunya
Madrid and the Wine Roads of La Rioja, Ribera del Duero & Navarra
Epicurean Roads: Barcelona, Tarragona, Priorat, Valencia, Alicante and Madrid
Epicurean Roads: Andalucía
Epicurean Roads: Western Spain - Extremadura (History [Romans & Conquistadores], Sherry, and Artisan Foods [Jamones, Quesos])
Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
"Epicurean ways specialises in food and wine travel experiences in Madrid and Spain. Take a culinary tour and private cooking class conducted by a member of Spain's Academy of Gastronomy then spend the night in a chic boutique hotel. Groups of all sizes can be accommodated and trips are always tailored to individual preferences. Additionally, Epicurean Ways belong to Sustainable Travel International meaning that a trip with them will not only provide you with a great experience but also help to support the local and artisan food providers you visit."--Helen Cross, Simon Seeks
2010 Epicurean Ways Tours with Gerry Dawes
Barcelona and the Wine Roads of Catalunya
Madrid and the Wine Roads of La Rioja, Ribera del Duero & Navarra
Epicurean Roads: Barcelona, Tarragona, Priorat, Valencia, Alicante and Madrid
Epicurean Roads: Andalucía
Epicurean Roads: Western Spain - Extremadura (History [Romans & Conquistadores], Sherry, and Artisan Foods [Jamones, Quesos])
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About Gerry Dawes
About Gerry Dawes
Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
12/09/2009
Looking Back: At the Barcelona Futbol (Soccer) Riot at the Top of the Ramblas, May 2006
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Michael Whiteman of the Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. (International Restaurant Consultants) and I were on a memorable trip through Spain, trying to raise dinero for a big Spanish restaurant complex that I had concocted. We had finished dinner and were heading back to our hotel when we encountered the great Barcelona Club Futbol Soccer riot when Barcelona clinched the Spanish league title on May 3, 2006 (shades of Goya's famous 3 de Mayo. painting). Since I am seldom without my cameras in Spain, and especially in Barcelona, I managed to capture these scenes without too much risk to life and limb. All photographs in this slide show are copyrighted by Gerry Dawes 2006.
(Click on lower right corner to go to Picasa, click on 'slide show', push F11 for full screen view.)
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About Gerry Dawes
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
12/01/2009
Human Statues: The Incredible Street Performers & Musicians of Spain
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Gerry Dawes's Persistence of Memory* (Salvador Dalí) Melting Watch Awards.
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Estatuas Humanas - Living Statues
A Study for A Book on Street Performers in Spain
(Click on the arrow to activate slideshow, click on the lower left corner box to turn captions on or off; double click on the image box to go to a Picasa webpage where, by clicking on "slideshow," you can see the images enlarged full frame.)
About the author
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine. Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine. Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Culinary Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
11/22/2009
World Wine Crisis Series (Nine): The Champagne Price Crash Will Benefit Consumers This Holiday Season & Beyond, Prices Down in UK and US; Cava Sales Up by 10% in USA
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“It was a cliché that Champagne did well when times were bad,” said Robert Joseph, editor at large of Meininger’s Wine Business International magazine. “But this recession has an added element to it in which conspicuous spending — bling — is out of fashion.”--Eric Asimov, The Pour (New York Times), November 13, 2009
Champagne Prices Have Crashed!
Champagne Prices Have Crashed!
That may be good news for consumers, since some Champagne houses have cut their prices in half to unload some of the surplus, which may not be great news for Cava producers from Spain, who already sell some great sparkling wines at already very reasonable prices.
There is also a huge surplus in Catalunya's Cava country, where 95% of Spanish sparking wines are made, so Cava prices most likely will also be dropping, but Cava sales are up in the American market, according to Eric Asimov of The New York Times.
"American consumers are clearly trading down. Sales of cheaper sparkling wines — typically produced in Spain or Italy — are up 10 percent this year, while sales of imported wines priced at more than $25 are down 21 percent, according to Danny Brager, the group client director for alcohol for Nielsen, which tracks sales in the United States." -- Eric Asimov, The Pour (New York Times)
Cava - once cheap, now chic (Wine News December/January 2005-06 Gerry Dawes©2006)
Now add to the list a drop in Champagne sales in all the top export markets, particularly the United States, Britain and Japan. All had seemed to have insatiable appetites for the extravagant, delicate bubbles in recent years — until popping housing bubbles sent the global economy into a downturn. The weak currencies in those export markets have also hurt." Read the rest of the article.
There is also a huge surplus in Catalunya's Cava country, where 95% of Spanish sparking wines are made, so Cava prices most likely will also be dropping, but Cava sales are up in the American market, according to Eric Asimov of The New York Times.
"American consumers are clearly trading down. Sales of cheaper sparkling wines — typically produced in Spain or Italy — are up 10 percent this year, while sales of imported wines priced at more than $25 are down 21 percent, according to Danny Brager, the group client director for alcohol for Nielsen, which tracks sales in the United States." -- Eric Asimov, The Pour (New York Times)
Cava for "breakfast" at Bar Pinotxo in La Bouquería, Barcelona.
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2009.
Cava - once cheap, now chic (Wine News December/January 2005-06 Gerry Dawes©2006)
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Bubbles at a Discount for Consumers Trading Down
by Eric Asimov, The Pour (New York Times)
by Eric Asimov, The Pour (New York Times)
ÉPERNAY, France — "For generations of French Champagne makers, the threat of calamity has been a constant companion, whether it is winter freezes or spring frosts, phylloxera parasites or Nazi occupiers.
Now add to the list a drop in Champagne sales in all the top export markets, particularly the United States, Britain and Japan. All had seemed to have insatiable appetites for the extravagant, delicate bubbles in recent years — until popping housing bubbles sent the global economy into a downturn. The weak currencies in those export markets have also hurt." Read the rest of the article.
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Gerry Dawes drinking rosé Champagne with Emiliano García at Casa Montaña.
Photo by Kathleen Balun©2009
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Photo by Kathleen Balun©2009
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"As the Champagne price war hots up, Tesco has asked suppliers to find it 300,000 bottles it can sell for £10 each, and Bollinger can be had for a song.
All the major brands are involved in the supermarkets' battle for customers. Next Monday Morrisons will offer Bollinger, Moët & Chandon, Lanson Black Label and Nicolas Feuillatte all at less than half price." -- Giles Fallowfield, Decanter magazine, November 19, 2009.
All the major brands are involved in the supermarkets' battle for customers. Next Monday Morrisons will offer Bollinger, Moët & Chandon, Lanson Black Label and Nicolas Feuillatte all at less than half price." -- Giles Fallowfield, Decanter magazine, November 19, 2009.
Champagne and wine botas in El Celler de la Boquería, Barcelona.
Photo by Gerry Dawes©2009.
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Photo by Gerry Dawes©2009.
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About Gerry Dawes
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a retrospective piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
". . .That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television
series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Culinary Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected), send e-mail to gerrydawes@gmail.com
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected), send e-mail to gerrydawes@gmail.com
1/16/2009
Barcelona Threesome: A Trio of New Wine Bars in Catalunya's Capital City
(Double click on each page to enlarge for reading.)
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About the authorGerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television
series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Culinary Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com
1/15/2009
Apicius: The Arrival of the American Edition of One of the World's Greatest Culinary Publications
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The Publication of the American Edition of Apicius:
A Gastronomic Publication of Extraordinary Quality Comes to the U.S.
by Gerry Dawes©2009
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Apicius 2003-2008 la otra vision
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Apicius is a publication without peer in the world of cocina de vanguardia, modern vanguard cuisine. As might be expected, Apicius is published in Barcelona, near the epicenter of the Ferran Adrià gastronomic Krakatoa eruption that forever changed the way we look at food.
Now, Apicius, edited published by Montagud Editores, who also publishes some of the best, most beautiful, cutting edge books on gastronomy in the world, has joined forces with San Francisco-based Jing Tio, who is listed as co-publisher and also wrote the foreword for the first issue of the American edition.
" After five years success Spanish market following several editions different languages, our Journal Haute Cuisine opens up to English-speaking market, backed quality design that characterize every project Montagud Editores and co-edited by Le Sanctuaire for American Edition," wrote Francisco Marfull, General Manager Montaud Editores. "Because we believe in universality the content of Apicius amd we want to boost its recognition on an international level.
Joan Roca, Heston Blumenthal, Pierre Hermé, Mari Carmen Vélez of La Sirena in Alicante, American chef Wylie Dufresne and Spanish star chef Quique Dacosta are all featured in articles in the first American Editon.
--Fin--
About the author
Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television
series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Experience Spain With Gerry Dawes: Culinary Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@hotmail.com
6/10/2006
Super Star Chefs Show Their Stuff at Alimentaria’s BCNVanguardia ‘06
Text & Photographs by Gerry Dawes ©2006
BCNVanguardia ‘06 took place in Alimentaria’s 2006 Restaurama section, a pavilion alongside the two very large Intervin buildings that housed hundreds of Spanish wine producers. Directed by Roser Torras, the BCNVanguardia cooking demonstrations were brilliantly focused. Each day featured star Spanish and international chefs doing friendly mano a mano riffs with designated themes within a main theme such as La Tierra (dishes from the earth, i. e., vegetables, beans, potatoes, pasta, rice, salads; El Mar, fish and shellfish; and Las Viandas, meat, game, and birds (with truffles). Each entire day was devoted to these themes in order and pairs of chefs gave their unique interpretations of how to handle their assigned ingredients.
On the first day, Raúl Aleixandre, of Ca Sento in Valencia, a maestro of rice (and shellfish) dishes was paired with Hiroyuki Kanda of Kanda restaurant in Tokyo. It was refreshing to see both chefs doing traditional rice dishes, using traditional ingredients, Aleixandre with his typical, delicious arroz meloso marinero with squid and shrimp flavored with Spanish pimentón (paprika) and Kanda with a traditional Japanese rice dish with vegetables and mushroom.
Ricardo Gil of Restaurante 33 in Tudela (Navarra) did a preparation with regional ingredients–cardoons, borage and white asparagus–from the vegetable rich region of la Ribera de Navarra (from where many of Spain’s superb jarred and tinned vegetables such as pimientos de piquillo come) and the legendary Bitor Arguinzoniz from Restaurante Etexebarri in the Basque Country showed how he has become one of the world masters of grilling, using with laser-made, micro-mesh skillets to grill vegetables over an open fire.
Charlie Trotter did a deconstruction interpretation of the ubiquitous American Caesar Salad, and Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz, near San Sebastián, produced a beautiful salad of roasted and raw vegetables, sprouts and even edible flowers with a cheese "dressing."
Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz (near San Sebastián)Rounding out the day, to a standing room only crowd, Ferran Adrià presented a master class, A Scientific-Gastronomic Lexicon: A Synthesis of the Philosophy of El Bullí.
Ferran Adrià, El Bullì
Day Two at BCNVanguardia ‘06 was a day from heaven for fish and shellfish lovers. Sergi Arola of La Broche in Madrid (and the new Arola in Barcelona) paired with Elena Arzak of San Sebastián’s three-star Restaurante Arzak, one of the most famous restaurants in Europe, to do their takes on sardines and anchovies. Arola did a modernized dish of smoked sardines with trompeta de la muerte mushrooms and Elena Arzak did a futuristic, artistic dish called Ámbar de anchoas, using anchovies, pimientos de piquillo and Spanish extra virgin olive oil.
Turbot, known as rodaballo in Spain, may reach the apogee of its greatness–as perhaps the world’s finest fish–in several restaurants in Getaria (west of San Sebastián), a remarkable fishing village that is the hometown of Juan Sebastián Elkano, the first man to circumnavigate the globe; the designer Balenciaga; and opera singer Plácido Domingo’s mother. The most notable of these restaurants, owned by members of the same family, are Kaia and Elkano. At BCNVanguardia ‘06, the chef-owners of Elkano, Pedro and Aitor Arregui, demonstrated how to grill a whole turbot over wood charcoal, simple, but with magical results. French chef Gérard Allemandou of Restaurante la Cagouille in Paris fileted his turbot and prepared a more French haute cuisine version.
Pedro and Aitor Arregui
Aitor Aregui of Elkano fileting a grilled turbot.
In the Moluscos y Crustáceos segment, two top chefs, Quique Dacosta of El Poblet in Dènia (Alicante) and Josè Andrès of Jaleo in Washington, D.C. prepared several dishes each. Dacosta did a cherry gazpacho with shrimp and an elaborate avant-garde, Frank Gehry’s Guggeneheim Bilbao Museum-inspired dish called Guggenheim 2006 (oysters with platinum and silver, served at room temperature), a dish that actually included fine silver flakes. Josè Andrès brought over on the plane from United States a selection of American molluscs and shellfish, including softshell crabs and demonstrated a modernized version of New England Clam Chowder that featured clam foam and clam gelatin.
José Andrés
The third day featured some of the greatest chefs in Spain, sometimes alternating with French chefs, intrepreting Las Viandas (meat, game and bird dishes [with truffles]. Carles Gaig of Gaig, one of the star restaurants of Barcelona, paired with the great Manchegan chef, Manuel de la Osa (whom this correspondent had the pleasure the next day of introducing to breakfast at Quim de la Boquería in the fabulous Boquería market). Gaig and de la Osa presented dishes made from veal and from suckling goat. Michelin two-star chef Joan Roca of Can Roca in Girona paired with Cánido López of Segovia’s Mesón Cándido. Each did distinct versions of suckling pig, Roca with a terrine that included garlic and membrillo, López with Cándido’s famous traditional signature dish, cochinillo asada, roast suckling pig so tender that he cuts it with the edge of a plate.
Don Juli Soler, Founder-Partner, El Bullì
Three-star chef Martín Berasategui, whose eponymously named restaurant in Lasarte outside San Sebastián is one of the world’s greatest, did a terrine of veal tongue with foie gras and truffles, while his counterpart, Jean Louis Nomicos of Restaurant Lasserre in Paris, made suckling veal sweetbreads and prawns with grated orange and lemon.
Three-star chef Martín Berasategui
Jean Louis Nomicos of Restaurant Lasserre in Paris
Two-star chef Hilario Arbelaitz of Zuberoa (near San Sebastián) paired with Marco Antonio García of Restaurante Mannix in Campospero (Castilla y León), each doing a lamb dish. Arbelaitz made a confit of lamb with cumin and García demonstrating the classic roast suckling lamb of Castilla y León with crispy skin and succulent, juicy, tender meat. Finishing out this spectacular day were Fermí Puig, Executive Chef of Restaurante Drolma in Barcelona’s Hotel Majestic, and Gérard Besson of Restaurante Gérard Besson in Paris doing creative dishes featuring game birds and truffles.
I have been to few gastronomic conferences more rewarding than BCNVanguardia ‘06, which was especially attractive to me because it featured traditional preparations that highlighted the great food products of Spain, as well as the more trendy avant-guardia and alta cocina dishes. This international, but Mediterranean-focused, gastronomic conference was so good, in fact, that one hopes that BCNVanguardia will become an annual event. I am ready to go back!!
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