Arzak, Re-Visited: Part Two

A couple weeks ago, I posted a happy post about my delicious meal in a month or so ago in Arzak. Playful amuse bouches, impeccable fish, and flavors from across the world.

This is part two of that post. Also known as the part where I complain a little.

The desserts were NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

This is cute. This is the Peine de los Vientos, a popular sculpture in Donosti, by Edward Chillida. It's really beautiful, but reduced to the size of a soup spoon on my plate at the number eight restaurant in the world, it was just....cute. And I expect more than cuteness from a restaurant of this level. It's got to be delicous. And this dessert was...okay.

Moving on to a dessert that I did not like AT ALL, and that for some reason unknown to me remains on the menu, it's The Balls.

There's a lot of them. They're cold, hard, and when you break them in your teeth cold, gelled liquid gushes everywhere. Gross. Reaching for the napkin to spit some out gross. I want to love you, Arzak desserts,  I really do!

***positive insert***

The ice creams were truly delicious. Great flavors, such as basil, and just the right texture.

***back to that weird crunchy stuff***

As if to taunt me, the balls re-appeared in square form. Citrus flavored. Enough already. Three desserts that are basically the same? No.

And...more cuteness, this time in the form of a footprint and shoelaces. Better tasting than the sculpture plate, but with too many unecessary elements.

But, I want to end this post on a high note, because it truly was a great meal. This was a dessert that I also had the first time I went to Arzak: the fractal fluid. It appears before you, tracing lines as you watch, then you mix and spoon over another plate. For me, it's beautiful, clean, simple, and delicious. So, a success.

Have YOU eaten at Arzak? I want to hear what you think about your meal and the desserts.

Interview with Andoni Luis Aduriz

Just a day after one of the best meals I've EVER had, a meal that hit the highest notes and reveals a restaurant that is continuing to evolve and never satisified with stagnant excellence, I came across an interview with the man behind it all.

Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz.

Loved this interview, and loved that upon reading it I saw glimpses of my meal. Loved that his ideology and opinions are so strong that they maintain themselves as they are turned into food, pass through the hands of young chefs, then waiters, all the way to the diner who then makes a connection between tastebuds and thought.

Some key quotes from Aduriz:

As with writing, inspiration can be found anywhere – even in something as simple as a cup of coffee. I’m working now on a dish inspired by melancholy: I live in a valley that is very atmospheric, where you see the change of seasons starkly. In autumn, when the leaves fall to the ground, decomposition is very fast. In the dish I use a camellia leaf, made to appear skeletal – it reminds you of the passing of time.

And on Basque cuisine:

A very light touch can be as effective as something much more forceful. If I could, it would be interesting to serve a grain of salt to a diner.

And finally, revealing what the world's number 3 chef thinks about his food in the hand of peers:

It would be really hard to set up, because some of the inspirational people I’ve worked with in the past would probably mess up my restaurant, and I would end up doing the washing up afterwards.

❤

The interview in its entirety can be read at the Financial Times website.

Andoni's been busy....recent interviews can also be found at:

• The New York Times (For Them, A Great Meal Tops Good Intentions)
• Eater (Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz on Mugaritz And Deliciousness)
• Reuters (Playful Aduriz Masters Culinary Mind Games)

Arzak, Re-Visited: Part One

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of returning for another meal at Arzak. The first time I went, about a year and a half ago, it knocked my socks off.

Even better, this time I went with my newly married friends who LOVE food and had never experienced a meal of this style/level. So it was incredible to sit there with them, just exuding happiness, and seeing everything with a fresh pair of eyes.  For example, one of Arzak's staple starters, the corn soup with morcilla, which the whole table oohed and ahed over:

And a mystery fruit with a minty, steamy broth poured around it:

But then on to Arzak's real strength, which are the dishes of fish and meat.

One of the BEST dishes, lobster.  You can see that it's a crowded plate, and playful.  I feel like this is very Arzak.

He and Elena utilize ingredients from across the world...it's a global meal. From yucca to wasabi to fruits that I've never heard of in English or Spanish.  They're all about exploring, and giving you an authentic eye-opening food experience.  This plate was AWESOME, just barely cooked fish...too bad it belonged to Jared.

Delicious monkfish with those fruits that made their appearance across several courses:

An Arzak take on the oozing egg yolk found in every self-respecting restaurant around town. Along with foie it has to be one of the most stylish things you can serve around these parts.

Then another one of my favorite dishes, a play on typical foods from here: lamb, peppers, and beans. Made to look like their spicier counterparts, these were really guindillas in some sort of coating.

As you can see, Arzak likes an interesting plate with several components. He likes to have fun. He likes to use surprising ingredients in unexpected ways. It's an over-the-top effect, which is entertaining and usually delicious. 

But let me tell you about the desserts....to be continued.....

A Night at Mugaritz: Top Ten

Last month, thanks to the kindness of one of my Best Friends, I was able to dine at the freshly re-opened and recently re-ranked (#3 in the world, whatever that means) Mugaritz. It was so good that I

A)promptly marked it mentally as one of the best meals of Life

B) got all hot and bothered when chef Andoni Luis Aduriz stopped into my baking class and

C) now recommend it wholeheartedly when asked which of the Big Boys deserves your $300. (Oh, Friend, how will I ever repay you?)

And since I personally find even the best restaurant reviews to be more boring than relevatory, I present you a condensed, easier to swallow  Top Ten Reasons to Eat at Mugaritz.

10. It's peculiar.

What other top restaurant recommends champagne be drunk throughout the meal? My own friends from here forbade any red wine ("It kills the delicate flavors") and instead recommended three choices: tea, sake, or champagne. Okay. Weird, but I like it.

9. It's fun.

Aduriz sets the tone from the beginning. He'll be playing with his food, thank you very much. The first courses are perhaps the most playful---baked potatoes that look like stones and my favorite trompe-l'œil,  the beer and olives. The beer was a warm toasted bean broth and the olives looked as real as any black olive but were made of beans. Served with fried thyme, which was just delicious.

8. The patio.

 Whether you have your meal inside or out, request a spot on the patio for your first few courses. Beginning in late April, there's no better place to be.  It feels like you're dining al fresco in the middle of one of those romantic movies about the European countryside.

7. Pork noodles with arraitxiki extract and toasted rice.

This was one of my favorite plates, and for me speaks to Aduriz's general genius. First, the combination of pork and fish (arraitxiki) that works. Second, the texture of the noodles that combined the two essences...just perfect. Also, the inversion of the more typical pork over rice or fish over rice.  And the simple presentation: it's just a pile of pasta on a plate, right?

6.Fresh herbs and greens. Mortar soup made of spices, seeds, and fish broth. 

Another one of my favorite plates. They bring you a mortar, filled with sesame (and maybe flax?) seeds, spices and peppercorns, and direct you to grind away with a pestle. Smiles inadvertently break out around the table and all the diners feel at once like children, making mudpies on the playground again, and chefs, grinding into being fresh aromas of spice and earth.

THEN they come and dump some fish broth on top, and what you were playing with becomes a soup, with an inexplicable thickness and richness. Love.

5. It smacks of Basque Country. which is more than I can say of other restaurants around.

The flavors of Mugaritz are distinctly from HERE. Other restaurants around reach farther, play with cuisines from far and away, only sometimes coming back to the basic backbones of Basque cuisine. Aduriz, however, tends to stray only when he sees an ingredient or technique that can complement one from País Vasco. And he isn't afraid to allow a stray or two sneak into the mix, like this fresh anchovy, caught that day and presented to us as an off-the-menu treat.

Or the everpresent Iberian pork. This time done to near perfect, wtih a tail served under crunchy "oak leafs". Taste, smell and sight bring to mind the countryside.

The flavors of here stretch all the way to dessert, with the Mugaritz take on the classic dessert of walnuts, Idiazabal and membrillo.  You have walnuts, however, that aren't nuts but are somehow the perfect nut; milk ice cream with chunks of cheese, and an Armagnac jelly hidden in a "shell". Delicious.

4. Artichoke and bone marrow ragout served a la USA fast food: in a bread bowl.

 But this one is made of kuzu flour, and reminded me of a dumpling (SOUTHERN, not asian). The waiters oh-so-kindly warn you not to eat all of it for fear of filling you up. I nodded politely and then proceeded to ooh and aah over every bite.

3. It's intellectual.  More so than almost any other chef I can think of (especially from here), Andoni Luis Aduriz cooks as much with his head as with his heart and stomach. If you've ever seen him speak publicly, you know is a deep thinker, a quiet talker, and all around quite un-chef like. This could be an insult...but in this instance, it's not. It's brains with the skill to execute.  At the start of your meal, you are invited, by a small paper envelope, to submit or to rebel.

You open and read the envelope, but it turns out that the one you choose has no actual impact on the outcome of the meal. Nope, that sneaky chef just wanted to break the ice, get you talking, and get you thinking about the food in another way. Perhaps he also wanted to point out how preconceptions can affect your opinion of what you are served.

The dishes are intellectual, too, at times even scientific. Housemade mozzarella with emulsified whey and a rock tea infusion. That's nature at it's most technical. And it was my Friend's favorite plate. The kicker, though? The dishes are almost never science vs. pleasure. The taste is there to back it up. To keep you interested and curious and...happy.

2. The vegetables (and fruits). I've talked about specific dishes, but it must be mentioned the special care and attention given to non-meat or fish items at Mugaritz. A vegetarian could eat quite happily (maybe more happily?) than a carnivore. Aduriz positively lavishes attention on the humble vegetable, and gives them starring roles, like this dish, a gorgeous bright onion garnished with a bit of tender tendon and tuna broth).

In this dessert, chamomile is at the forefront, and buried below are pieces of fruit from the market, each piece candied to perfection. He's adept at finding the best in each vegetable and bringing it out.

1. You feel at home. From the kitchen tour to the bottle of cava (os invito), we felt en casa the entire time we were in the restaurant's hands. Relaxing on the patio, the casual yet completely respectful and attentive service, all is created to make you comfortable. At many restaurants that's not even a goal, and at even more it's a goal never attained. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

*****

MENU DE DEGUSTACIÓN. april 2011, mugaritz.

*****

edible stones. piedras comestibles.

toasted legume beer. olives, tapa beans and thyme. cerveza de legumbres tostadas, tapas de olivas y alubias con tomillo.

grilled pueraria focaccia. focaccia de almidón de pueraria a la parilla.

pickled onion, tendon and tuna essence. cebolla encurtida con tendón y esencia de atún.

fresh herbs. mortar soup made of spices, seeds, and fish broth. sopa de mortero con especias, semillas, caldo de pescados y hierbas frescas.

homemade mozzarella, whey emulsion infused with rock tea.mozzarela casera servida en una emulsión de suero perfumado con té de roca.

artichoke and bone marrow ragout, creamy kuzu bread. ragout de alcachofas y tuétano reposado y trabajado con pan cremoso de kuzu.

pork noodles with arraitxiki extract and toasted rice.  noodles de cerdo con extracto de arraitxikis y arroz tostado.

silky bread stew, infused with pink geranium leaves covered with crabmeat. potaje meloso de pan cubierto de carne de buey de mar aromatizado con las hojas de geranio rosa.

filet of hake and milky reduction of stewed cabbage sprouts. luscious citrus spread.lomo de merluza servido en jugo lechoso de brotes de coles estofadas. untura oleaginosa.

textures of coastal fish. texturas de pescado de roca.

rich ossobuco with toasted lobster emulsion. ossobuco royal trabajado con aceite de bogavante tostado.

iberian pork tails, crispy leaves and toasted sweet millet oil. rabito de cerdo ibérico, hojas crocantes y aceite de semillas tostadas.

a cup of chamomile dressed with a cocoa nectar. candied fruits from the market. una taza de camomila aderezada con néctar de cacao. Confites escarchados del mercado.

broken walnuts, toasted and salted, cool milk cream and armagnac jelly. nueces rotas, tostadas y saladas, crema helada de leche y gelatina de Armagnac.

nails and flowers.