New York - Betony: A rising star! Perfect venue for our Anniversary dinner

 
                      

I love to try new restaurants. Living in New York and traveling to the places we do, you can imagine most of the ones we try are really good. BUT (there is always a but...!), for some of them, if you ask me what I ate a few days after, I may have trouble remembering it (this may also be due to the fact that we eat out A LOT! No....!). Not often I keep remembering about that magnificent bite, the perfect transition from one dish to the following or balance in a tasting menu, the consistency on the quality of each ingredient from start to finish of a meal...

Well... that happened in Betony!

To give you a little bit of background on the restaurant: Betony is a fairly new restaurant, it open it's doors last spring; it describes itself as a "Modern American" restaurant; and both the Chef (Bryce Shuman) and the General Manager (Eamon Rockey), as well as many of the staff, come from Eleven Madison Park (Daniel  Humm's 3 Michelin Stars restaurant in NYC, which if you have not been, you should really try to go once in your life! I will review about it with pictures included next time I am lucky enough to get in!). Eamon has also worked at Atera and Aska, two other Michelin Star restaurants in the city (both in my Wish List of places to try!).

The menu is not extremely extensive and there are no additions to it (at least for now or the night we were there) but, to be honest, I wanted to try EVERYTHING!!!

The menu is mainly designed to have a "tapas style" meal (my favorite style! I love sharing food so I can try a bite of everything! which I know it drives Jacob crazy... but it is also the only way to have an objective opinion about the restaurant and the dishes); although you can share several appetizers and then order a main course yourself (or not share at all... but you will be missing out!).
 

Immediately, the cocktail and aperitifs list was presented to us. To my surprise (it is not common in many restaurants on the city), they had a wide selection of Finos and Manzanillas (which if you do not know about them: 1- Don't worry, I promise a post soon; 2- Try it, I don't guarantee you will like it at first but it is an acquired taste). The list was not only wide but exclusive as well. I HAD to try one of the bottles, the Palomino Fino Equipo Nazazos La Bota#42, made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain (place also that if you have not been, you should go!). I have try these producer before, but not that specific bottle. The sommelier informed us that only 8 bottles had been produced (and one of them THEY HAD!).

It was all you expected in a fino: perfect cold temperature; perfect color; intense, very dry, and slightly but very balanced alcoholic flavor that fino is characteristic for. It went perfectly with the crisp, thin, lightly salty crackers and breadsticks that were brought to open our appetite. Then we proceeded to place our order, which I think the best way to show you is with the beautiful pictures of each of the dishes, including, of course, my opinion about them:

  

 

Fried Pickles, Heirloom Peppers, Yogurt (Left): I do not like fried food but the pickles were lightly battered in tempura and perfectly combined with a very fresh, cool, yogurt sauce. They paired really well with the fino as well.

 

Marinated Trout Roe, Puffed Rice, Cucumber (Right): I really love these little bites. The combination of flavors and textures was perfect. The rice cracker only gave crispiness and absorbed all the juice inside the trout roe when they exploded in your mouth. Allow me a little complain about the dish: the cucumber looks really pretty for decoration but I thought it overpowered some of the other flavors.

 

 

“Tuna Melt”, Fontina, Brioche: I thought this dish was amazing, creative and beautiful. The reinvention of tuna melt into a little blini, with the bitterness of the arugula on top, and a very subtle taste of fontina cheese inside was sublime.

 

Palate cleanser (Left): The next delight of the evening was roasted deconstructed beets, in form of ice, horseradish, and goat crème fraiche foam. I do not like horseradish but you could not even tasted. Even if by the look it might seem "heavy" it was light, cold and very clean.

 

"Lobster Roll", Crème Fraîche, Salt & Pepper (Right): We were told that the lobster rolls were a must. When I think about lobster roll I do not think about much more... Is it pretty heavy in itself... and as an appetizer... we were a little reluctant, but then this reinvention of the dish came. The lobster rolls were in a form of little cigars, with a crispy little herb underneath. The flavor was all you expected of a lobster roll (ok, maybe how I would want a lobster roll to be, much lighter but as intense!). Really really good, and really light and small as well.

 

Grilled Short Rib, Romaine, Sweetbreads: Before going to the restaurant, the friend that recommend us to go to Betony told us that her regret was that she shared the short ribs. Well... Jacob did not have to worry about that: 1- I normally do not order / want to share mains; 2- I do not normally eat meet; BUT I will for sure TRY IT! Or.. how else would I be able to tell you that those ARE the best short ribs we have ever had (and Jacob has had many more than me). The ribs were not meaty at all, they almost taste like the best Wagyu that you have ever tasted; almost like Toro. They melted in your mouth! Also, the proportions of the dish are fabulous, enough to leave you wanting one more bite.

 

 

Marinated Sardines, Tomato, Fennel: When you see the rest of my lately culinary experiences you will see I have gotten a lot into sardines. They are packed with Omega-3 and taste delicious when they are done and prepared well. I had no doubt Betony would excel at it and I was not wrong: light, extremely tender but as strong in flavor as sardines are. The raw tomato tartar and green leaves added the perfect crispy, firm texture and fresh flavor. (that was one of the appetizers as well, but perfect addition if you, as me, cannot do main courses after trying so many dishes and the ones they were to come!!)

It was one of those long, enjoyable, conversational, celebratory dinners... so... that night we ended up spending several hours at the restaurant and enjoying to delightful bottles of wine:

Garrigues (Left):  the first option was an earthy, medium bodied French wine, which paired perfect with all the first courses.

Regret (Right): the second was a more intense Italian wine from the Piedmont Regione, on the most north-western corner of the Italian Peninsula (for some Italy's finest wine region), much similar to a Barolo, fuller in body.

 

Let me start saying: we are not desert people!! At all!! Well, the great waitress we had and the fast the the meal was also (are all new restaurants try to be now, which I love!) light, healthy and very well proportioned, we decided to try one of those deserts everyone seemed so crazy about (and we were NOT disappointed - we actually tried 3.....!!!! yes, THREE!!). If you know me, you are not believing it, I know! but again, they were very elaborated, beautiful deserts, but very very light, fresh and not sweet at all.

 

Bonne Bouche Goat's Milk Cheese, Classic or Composed: I would have never expected my "cheese course" to look so much like an apple pie but the goat cheese flavors were as present as if you were eating a piece of the cheese itself.

 

Rice Pudding, Lavender, Meyer Lemon : I have never been tempted to try rice pudding before... but this was nothing like your thought of the dish. A little light pudding was underneath very puffed light rice (imagine rice crispies but lighter!) and lavender mocha (the Japanese ice-cream style). Amazing!.

 

Chocolate Browie, Coconut, Pecans: By then, I did not wanted anything else but... again the waitress presented it so well... we were at the same time ordering coffees (and it is known for everyone how well coffee and chocolate - and wine we had left! - pair), and also... Jacob is about the most insisting (and persuading) person in this world (who can say no to him...???), well, we got it and I do not regret it at all! Again, perfect combination of textures, the crunchiness of the chocolate on top, paired with the cold ice-cream underneath and the "warm" brownie, but, all of them very light, nothing was too heavy or thick (I always think brownies are) at all!

 

To finish, we had the usual: a cappuccino with skim milk for Jacob and expresso for me.

Higlights of the evening: well... the quality and elaboration but simplicity at the same time and lightness of every single dish, the impeccable service, the ambiance and beautiful décor, and... the PRICE! Of course, for all of you that do not leave here, remembering that is NY (you would pay much less for the same - or better- quality in some amazing restaurants in Girona or Barcelona or several in the rest of Spain, for example, but... as much as I Spain... It is not NY, and you certainly pay for it...!!). BUT, pay attention to the title of my post..... I would definitely recommend you to go before they start collecting stars because... I am pretty sure they will soon... and then... prepare yourself for it being more expensive and not being able to get in (yes, that many people do not care about the price!).

I really hope you have the chance to try it and, that if you do, you enjoy it!! Ah! if you want to go, you can reserve through OpenTable but make sure you do it far in advance or you will probably have trouble getting in the date and time you want!

Until the next post! MSP

Spain, Girona - Ca L'Enric: a Gem in the heart of the Girona Province

The three Juncà siblings: Jordi (Chef), Joan (Wine Celler and Manager), and Isabel (Chef), in front of their fabulous restaurant


I need to start this post mentioning that I am not normally going to review restaurants that I have not personally been. BUT, there are always exceptions to rules and this is definitely one of them, and I will tell you why:

1. My parents, who are the main reason why I am so passionate about wine, cuisine and traveling, since they have always taught me and my siblings (Núria and Josep) the importance of understanding other cultures; brought us to wonderful restaurants around the world; and introduced us to the amazing world of wine, making us smell it, taste it and guess the tasting notes before we liked it at all, just so we learned to appreciate all of it (although... I think they did not imagine I would learn the lesson SO fast, move to another country and SPECIALLY that I would finally create a blog to share with all of you all these amazing experiences, mostly culinary, that I am living in each of the places I go!).
2. Their opinion. From my previous comment, you can deduce my parents are also big foodies and wine lovers and they have eaten in the most amazing restaurants, regardless of food type, level of elaboration, location, price, etc. Well, the fact that I wake up a Sunday morning with a call from my mom saying they are having one of the best meals of their life... did not leave me indifferent... and I immediately wanted to know all the details about that meal!

If you allow me this exception, I will share them with you (as well as pictures). I think that after reading it, you will definitely include going to this amazing restaurant in the heart of my beloved Girona province in your to do list, as I did.


The most important part of the restaurant:
the super organized, precise and
dynamic  kitchen, with Jordi and Isabel

Part of the dining area. The restaurant has
been renovated little by little,
achieving this modern and
sophisticated, but yet warm style

Ca L'Enric is a beautiful restaurant located in the heart of the Girona Province, 45 minutes from Girona and 1 hour and a half from Barcelona, in a traditional catalan "masia" (mansion or old, big country house) owned and ran by the three Juncà siblings, the fourth generation to run the restaurant since 1882. The siblings, although always respecting the traditional way of cooking of the previous generations, based in the local cuisine recipes, and the amazing quality of the products of their territory, have given a much more modern, elaborated and sophisticated style to both the food and the interior décor, which have given them the very well deserve Michelin Star they hold (for now... I would be watching for more to come!).





Terrace where the aperitifs and
amuse bouche are served

Among others: "Tapenade" Macaroons,
Truffle Yogurts, and
"Melon and Ham"

At their arrival, they were directed to the terrace where an exquisite selection of amuse bouche was served, paired with a delicious glass of Champagne Rosé and were offered the menu for their review. The menu itself is not very extensive but there are a wide variety of seasonal dishes off the menu, so you should definitely ask one of the siblings and follow their recommendations. You will not regret it! (or you can blame my mom! Just kidding...!).

Afterwards, Joan accompanied them to the gorgeous restaurant's cellar, very well decorated and maintained, and assisted them on their wine selection. The winner that day was a sophisticated pinot noir from a Burgundy subregion called "Nuit Saint George".



Beautiful Wine Cellar

Nuit Saint George

Then, the meal started. The timing of the meal was perfect. The dishes were quickly, carefully introduced to each guest as they were brought to the table. In general (before introducing some of the items of the lunch), the main highlights of the meal are:

 - The respect to the product

 - The accurate selection of the raw materials

 - An exquisite and refine preparation, respecting the flavors of each dish

 - An exquisite taste in the presentation of all the dishes and a great chromatic sense

 

Some of the delicious creations my parents shared that evening (and I cannot WAIT TO TRY!!) are the following. :






"Rovellons a la llauna amb cansalada i all"
Red pine mushroom in their can,
with bacon and garlic

1. Persian caviar (Iranian method), quail eggs
(2 h/ 65º C) and parmentier
2. "Fake egg" in the spoon







"Meat rose". Amazing as well

Steak tartar.
In my mom's opinion:
The BEST she has ever had!

 

 
Regarding the meats that the restaurant uses, it is important to mention that the Juncà siblings have made a big investments to obtain the best meat refrigerators in the market, they have develop the right contacts in the meat industry to only obtain the best of the best meats and they "mature" the meats themselves; which you can obviously taste in the meats flavors and textures.





 



 

Cocoa seeds' beer with cream and pistachio

Puffed pastry with vanilla cream ice cream,
circular caramel and chocolate





 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





Petit Fours and coffees in the garden

Garden décor and fire place

After lunch, they enjoyed espressos and a selection of petit fours, presented in a "smoky volcano", in the terrace, accompanied by the modest, personal, and hospitable siblings, who told my parents about all their ambitious future plans. Among many that only they know, they include building 4 or 5 bedrooms to wide their offer! So... if you want to surprise your partner / spouse with a romantic getaway in the middle of the nature with supreme food and wine and great company... I would definitely consider this option!! :)  (I am already brainstorming when Jacob and I could spend a quick romantic weekend trip to Spain...!!)

Interior Décor

  
As a general conclusion, my parents words were:"Hem gaudit d'una gran experiència!" (We have enjoyed an incredible experience!).

They also emphasized the close contact of the siblings with the customers; the modern, sharp and stylish architecture, but yet in a hospitable and simple ambiance; and the relaxed environment (apart from an unbelievable culinary experience), as the highlights of the afternoon.

My words after hearing all about it are: I CANNOT WAIT TO GO!!!

I want to send a special thank you to Isabel, Joan and Jordi for the first picture and for letting me share the amazing work they do with the rest of the world through this post. I hope I have the opportunity to visit them very very soon!
 
 


Until the next post! MSP

Tokyo - Sukiyabashi Jiro: A dinner by the World's Greatest Sushi Chef

Jacob and I with Master Sushi Chef, Jiro Ono, in front of his restaurant in Ginza, Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station

 

I think Japan ruined my sushi experience for life....

 

Before going to Japan, sushi was already my favorite food in the world! I have been fortunate to try some of the best sushi restaurants all over the globe (in my opinion, of course!): Masa, Sushi Yasuda, Sushi of Gari and Morimoto in New York; Zuma, Roka, Dinings and Umu in London; Kabuki, Ginza, Miyama and 99 Sushi bar in Madrid; or Shunka, Koi Shunka and Yashima in Barcelona, ... to name a few! Some more fusion, others more purist in their style, but all of them fabulous, or so I thought before going to Japan..... And yes, I will eventually review them here as well but if you ever go to one of these destinations, those are FOR SURE a HIT and MUST!

 

That being said, you can imagine that going to Japan and learning more about their Zen culture and amazing food had been in my wish list for quite some time and I started my research for the best restaurants and sushi masters in Tokyo as soon as we planned the trip (in February!!). To be completely honest, I had heard, of course, about the documentary about Jiro: "Jiro, Dreams of Sushi", which if you have not seen I would highly recommend you to! But I had not seen it either at that point. I immediately bought it and watched the incredible story of Jiro, an 87-year-old sushi master that has devoted all his life to create the most perfect piece of sushi and, after being the first sushi chef in Japan awarded 3 Michelin Stars at the age of 82, receiving a Guinness World Record one year later for being the world's oldest Michelin three star Chef (see picture) and being considered for some a world's treasure, he is still not satisfied and considers he has not yet reached the top (or his top, wherever that is!).

 

After watching the movie, to me he is the definition of perseverance, hard work, devotion, perfection, precision, passion.... a great example of an admirable and successful professional life. However, he admits himself that this "obsession" to master the art of sushi came hand by hand with not being so good as a husband and a father... but... at the end of the day, his job or rather profession was and has always been his priority.

 

I mention this because I think that you HAVE to know all this information (and more that you can find in the documentary about his sons and their relationship as well) in order to appreciate the experience of him preparing a meal for you.

 

Our experience at Jiro: We arrived at 7:00pm (after having a bit of trouble finding the restaurant!! You need to go with someone that speaks Japanese and can assist you or it is pretty difficult to find..) and one of his assistance received us and sat us in the bar. There were only 3 other people, all foreigners, in the restaurant that night, despite the fact that they did not accept any other reservations for that day (maybe that is how many people he wants to serve at the same time now?). Later on, an older, very skinny, beautiful Japanese lady came in and sat in the seat closest to the kitchen, it seemed she knew everyone in the restaurant very well.

 

Menu singed by Jiro at the end of dinner

We were presented our menu for the night, asked (in broken English) if we had any dietary restrictions (well.... Jacob missed that part and he was not very pleased with some of the items featured that night like Mantis Crab!!),
offered a drink (green tea, water, beer or house sake) and complimentary edamame. I am not a big beer fan but... I must say that one thing I have discovered in this trip is that beer and sake may actually pair better with sushi than wine (I will deny if I am asked again that I have said this! :) I love wine with everything!).

Meanwhile, Jiro was starting to prepare our first piece of sushi of the 19 that we were going to have. The sushi was created in a sort of production chain: each piece of fish was "picked up" from the kitchen by his apprentice who then did some work on it, then was passed to Jiro's oldest son, Yoshikazu, who also treated each piece somehow and finally was given to Jiro for him to create the most perfect combination of warm, firm rice, with just the right amount of vinegar, and fish.

At 7:02 we the first piece in front of us and Jiro was observing us to see our reaction after we ate it. Needless to say, the quality of the fish and the rice! were unbelievable. You could tell that each piece of fish has been treated for several hours before you put it in your mouth. The flavor of each fish was the most intense I have ever tasted. The amount of previous work brought the flavor and texture to a next level. The problem: if you do not like intense ocean flavors or are a little apprehensive to textures... You are up for disappointment and you may have a hard time swallowing some of the pieces (I can tell you because I only had to look at Jacob's face after putting some of them in his mouth!!).

Another thing we personally not particularly liked was the timing. Being Spanish (or if you know me) you can assume already I enjoying long meals, lots of talking in between, and I like to take my time to taste each piece and share opinions with my dinner companions (to their frustration!). That cannot happen in Jiro's restaurant. You are expected (and in some way "pushed" because he is observing you at all times!) to eat each piece immediately after he makes it (it is when the piece is at its best). Therefore, by 7:28 we were done with the 19 pieces!! You really feel in the middle you need a brake... In addition, the environment in the restaurant is a little tense.. no one really talks (I think people are a little intimidated by him).

Well, unless you are like me and wanted to make sure you told him how much you have been looking forward to the experience, how much you loved it and thank you and you make the concierge of the hotel write it down for you in Japanese and you read it to him!! I am not sure if he understood... the apprentice tried to said it correctly after me BUT, at least I made him SMILE!! and he replied back (which, of course, I could not understand)! I believe he appreciated me try!
 
The experience was absolutely unbelievable! Was it my BEST Japanese meal or the dinner I have ever enjoyed the most? Well... unfortunately, I have to answer No to this question... Was the fact of being there with such an admirable person, that he was cooking for us and the whole evening in general a once in a life time experience that I will remember forever? ABSOLUTELY! Without a doubt!!! So.... If, for what you have read above, you are like me, I would definitely recommend you going; but again, it has to be much more than the sushi the motivation behind going for you, because also at the end the bill comes and... it probably will be the most expensive dinner in your life. Well... since I want you to be aware, let's say that if you drink some beer or sake, you are looking at a bill around... $800 for two? So... I will let that decision to you :)

Let me know your opinion if you do go! If you are team Marta: worth it for once at least (I actually want to go back in the winter because the assortment of fishes in season it's supposed to be much better!!), or Jacob: not sure if it was worth it... maybe for the experience...? but for the sushi, definitely not.
 
I hope this is helpful!!! (sorry I could not take pictures... I was not sure if it was appropriate or if it would have bothered Jiro...!).

Until the next post! MSP

New York - Oceana: Mussels, wine and G&Ts

It is a special day today... We just got back to work a week ago after a two wonderful weeks "4th Honeymoon" around our beloved Asia. Jacob and I met in Beijing in 2008 and had not been back until now! Since we got married almost a year ago and it is almost 6 years that we met there, we decided to dedicate this year's vacation days to go back. We also take advantage of the trip to go to Tokyo, Japan, a To Do that was in my list for a long long time, given my big love for sushi and all types of fish and seafood. AND, I have finally decided to start one of my passions, which I have been already doing for people informally with my different "city guides": a blog about food, travel and recommended plans to do when visiting a city, in different special occasions, etc. If you have specific questions/requests, do not hesitate to ask me! I hope you like it and find it useful.

Even if the trip was amazing and I am dying to tell you all about it, and I will soon, my first post could not be about a different restaurant than Oceana, in New York City. Moving to a new city is not always easy. It takes some time to know the city, create your group of friends and discover the best spots for each occasion. It is specially difficult to find a great place to eat alone as well that makes you feel like home. This is the case of Oceana for me (and recently for my Mom as well since her last visit this past July) thanks to their lovely staff, their Michelin starred food, an award winning international wine list and an extremely large spirits list both designed and carefully selected by my friend and Oceana's Wine and Beverage Director Pedro Goncalves, amazing Gin&Tonics (one of the best that I have tried outside of Spain! They even have a "Just Gin" Program to introduce more people to this complex and refreshing spirit with more than 38 varieties!!) and cocktails, and great décor and ambiance. The main dining room is pretty formal and typical for business lunches and dinners. However, the bar area is great to go alone (or with one or two other people as well!).

 

Mussels and a glass of Au Bon Climat, a very nice, light California Pinot Noir that pairs very well with seafood

 

The restaurant has one Michelin star and even if you cannot go wrong with any of the food items in the menu, I definitely recommend trying their chilled mussels (6 to 8 per order for $5!!!) with Piquillo pepper's, green curry and cocktail sauces. Their burgers, both the Alaskan Wild Coho Salmon and the Black Angus, are incredible. If you like Octopus, do not miss their Grilled Octopus with eggplant caponata (which is prepared like a puree underneath the octopus). The octopus is perfectly cooked and not chewy, it melts in your mouth. Both the texture and flavor of the caponata make the perfect accompaniment, making it lighter than when the octopus is combined with potatoes. If you are in the mood for something a little more filling, the General Tsao's Lobster is delicious, as good as in any fine Chinese restaurant. For lighter options, opt for one of their whole grilled fishes, full of flavor, healthy and cooked to perfection.

 

I could recommend almost all the dishes in their menu. If you like Sardines, try the marinated sardines, they melt in your mouth. The only dish that I am not particularly a fan of is their Peekytoe Crab Cakes... I love crab cakes and I have tried them in almost every restaurant that has them in the menu... To my taste, the ones in Oceana are too fried and each of them is pretty little. The fried flavor overwhelms the flavor of the crab itself. But... that is just a personal opinion coming from someone who is not a fried food lover..! 

 

Another option is to only go for cocktails or enjoy a glass of wine in the bar and savor their house made crackers, a bit spicy and incredibly addicting!! You can find more information about the restaurant and their full menu on the restaurant's website: http://www.oceanarestaurant.com/

 

Gin & Tonic with house-made tonic water, fresh grapefruit juice and house-made crackers

I hope this review helps you if you decide to go. Please, feel free to leave me your opinions if you try a dish that you particularly like or you disagree with me!
Until the next post! MSP