Chef Dispatches: Spain

Jamie: “This was our first meal in Spain and one of the places I was most excited about. We dropped off our luggage at the hotel in San Sebastián, jumped right back into the car and headed for Etxebarri. We got there a bit early so we got a bottle of Sketch and took in the view.”

Ken: “We carry Sketch wines at Toro in Boston, but there’s just something different about drinking it in Spain. Vintner Raúl Pérez makes a version that’s aged underwater, but they didn’t have that one on the menu.”

Ken: “Percebes weren’t on the tasting menu that we ordered, but we had to get some. These were cooked so perfectly over grills—Etxebarri makes all its own charcoal from different woods and it has this crazy-elaborate way of grilling everything. The percebes here were different from any others I’ve ever had. Usually, they’re pretty briny but these were just so fresh and almost sweet. We sometimes serve them in Boston as a special but knew they had to be on the menu in New York, so we spent a ton of time trying to source good ones.”

Jamie: “Toward the end of the meal we were all wicked full, and they bring out this giant dinosaur steak. It was so good but I could only take a few bites so we made Ken eat pretty much the whole thing. It was so simple but had the perfect char and was cooked really rare. It was so good it inspired us to do one like it for the new restaurant, so we’re gonna have a dry-aged bone-in strip a la plancha for two.”

Ken: “They cook everything over grills at Etxebarri, it’s amazing. I read about their smoked caviar, which I wished was on the menu when we were there. But this smoked ice cream sandwich was like nothing else I’ve ever had. The smoke was really delicate and not overpowering, and in between that waffle cookie it was the best end to a lunch.”

Jamie: “One of my friends told me to go here and order anything on the menu with pig. We got the pig’s head, feet, tail, then some foie gras thrown in there for good measure since our meal wasn’t rich enough. The pig’s feet were so sticky, gelatinous and insanely good. There was a layer of crispy, salty pig’s skin over everything that we ended up fighting over at the end.”

Jamie: “The seafood in San Sebastián is some of the best in the world. You could pretty much pick any restaurant by the water, order some fresh seafood and be guaranteed a good meal. We dropped in to this restaurant called Sebastián, right on the beach and ordered these carabineros (deep-sea crustaceans) and some kokotxas (hake chins). They were cooked so simply with some olive oil and lemon, that’s it. They don’t mess around. The best part was sucking the heads, the juice tasted like the ocean in the best way.”

Ken: “Every time I come to San Sebastián this is one of the things I’m most excited to eat. It’s so specific to this part of the world, and this was a crazy-good version of it. Kokotxas are hake chins delicately cooked in olive oil and the sauce was thickened to a perfect consistency. We dipped bread in the sauce at the end—I don’t think one drop was left on the plate when we were done.”

Ken: “Ganbara is at the top of my list for best tapas in San Sebastián, and they have the most beautiful mushrooms lining the counter.”

Ken: “We ordered them cooked a la plancha then topped with an egg yolk. So simple, but it doesn’t get better than that. We’re doing this same dish at the new restaurant, with the yolk on the spoon to break over the mushrooms.”

Jamie: “You have to really want to eat at Pinotxo to get a seat, it’s wicked crowded and they go fast. But it’s worth it. The tripe had these sticky pieces of pig’s feet that were a welcome surprise. Also, don’t skip the stewed chickpeas. I have no idea what they do to get theirs so perfect, but you just don’t get anything like that in the US.”

Ken: “There were probably only a couple of hours on the whole trip when we weren’t eating, and we spent them in Barcelona on the roof of the Omm Hotel. It overlooks one of the Gaudí buildings and is pretty much one of the sickest views in the city.”

Ken: “I was psyched to check out Albert Adrià’s new Peruvian tapas spot. We ordered some pisco sours and the first course was beautiful. One of the best bites was this sweet corn cream topped with caviar.”

Ken: “I loved the gooseberry tempura, so unique. They had that fresh pop and were a bit tart, and it came with a traditional tempura dipping sauce, which was actually unexpected. Also the way they were presented in ceramic on a bed of the husks was really smart.”

Jamie: “Dry Martini makes some of the best drinks in Barcelona and it’s where we would end up almost every night after dinner. These guys have been making martinis for years, it’s a real art, and they have a count for how many they’ve served. I think it was well over a million when we were there. They also make a killer Negroni.”

Ken: “The Spanish take their gin and tonics really seriously and the variety of tonics is amazing to see. You don’t get that at bars here that often, but the crazy thing is it’s so commonplace for them there. It really inspired us to do a gin and tonic menu at the new restaurant and we are going to be making our own tonic too.”

Ken: “Our hotel had the restaurant Roca Moo from the El Celler de Can Roca guys and we stopped in there for a quick snack one night on our way to dinner. They had some of the signature dishes from El Celler de Can Roca on the menu, so of course we had to order them as well as some other dishes. One of our favorites was this rice with artichokes served in a cast-iron pan. It was so rich and caramelized, crispy at the bottom.”

Ken: “We stopped by to see Albert Adrià in the kitchen at Tickets, and had an incredible dinner. It started with these young almonds that were presented like avocados. They were so sweet, so fresh. Then the watermelon salad with mint was really refreshing, especially since it was 85 degrees in the middle of summer in Barcelona.”

Jamie: “This was one of my favorite dishes at Tickets. This veal tartare was dusted with a tart and tangy vinegar powder, and with the bright green dill, the richness of red color of the veal, it was so visually striking.”

Ken: “I love how playful this dish was. I know they weren’t frozen strawberries, but not sure quite what was in them! The menu read strawberries with three milks, but they just tasted like the brightest strawberries and cream.”