Spain, by David Weeks, Palace Kitchen Server
In July of this year, I decided to celebrate my 40th birthday by eating my way across northern Spain. Not knowing much about the cuisine, I started my research only to find that my palate had been missing out on something special. Yes, Ferran Adria has been here turning rocks into ice cream and taking branches from his backyard and creating foams that taste like ham! But after reading that his famed restaurant, El Bulli, had taken a few million reservations last year but was only able to accommodate 30,000 or so, I knew that I would have to look elsewhere for my own bacon stick!
I started in Galicia with pulpos galaga and followed that up with pimento padron, both dishes being so simple yet so beautiful. The first being huge slices of octopus slowly cooked in olive oil and finished with sea salt and paprika– done! Pimento padron peppers are these wonderful green peppers about the size of a jalapeno native to the village of Padron, south of here, quickly pan seared in olive oil until brown, then finished wiht a bit of sea salt– done! Grab a toothpick and a chilled glass of the regional Txokoli and you are there, my friend! (Back home, I found that these tiny peppers are being cultivated in southern Oregon at Blue Fox Farm in the Applegate Valley.)
After a few days in the pintxo wonderland of San Sebastian, and a quick stop in Bilbao to see the Guggenheim in all its glory, I was off to Barcelona.
On a sticky Thursday night we made our way to Cal Pep, a restaurant (photo right) that had famed chef, Pep Manubens, running the show… with a really bad cold! The counter, since that’s all there is, wasn’t much longer than the length of the bar at the Palace Kitchen, and the waiting process is a simple one. Stand against the wall, order a cold glass of cava rose and slowly shuffle your way the length of the restaurant until you get to the end. Once there, look for your spot at the counter and sit! I don’t remember seeing a menu. You’d just point at a dish to the left or right of you. That night we started with a housemade sausage served on top of a bed of white beans and finished with a molasses syrup. By far one of our favorite dishes during our stay. We followed that up with razor clams cooked in butter, bacon, and herbs. A little tuna tartare and a few more horrific coughs from Pep and we were in heaven!
The next night took us to a tiny place, and I mean tiny in all the right ways. Quimet y Quimet was my favorite spot of all the Spanish haunts and probably one of my best dining experiences ever (photo bottom). Yep, I said it and here is why: The chef and owner of Quimet y Quimet took 400+ square feet of space and, like so much Spanish food, kept it REAL simple. I don’t need anything fancy, preferring to be wowed by simplicity, and Quimet y Quimet does just that in spades! The counter is stuffed with an array of peppers, onions, olives, sauces, and whatever else they deem necessary. Stacked behind the bar are a dozen or so different canned seafoods… some of the best in the world. From there, the 3 server/bartending crew is able to create upwards of a hundred different montaditos (small, open faced sandwiches) on any given night. That night, the standout was a roll, halved, with a tomato paste spread, a healthy sized prawn perched on top, and finished with a dollop of honey cream and a scoop of caviar! (photo top left) Filling every open surface were tiny plates with simple chunks of tuna and a few pickled cippolini onions or maybe some manzanita olives! The wine selections cover the three walls from floor to ceiling: all for purchase in the restaurant or to take away. If you decide to make a stop, keep in mind their hours of operation are 7:30 to 10:30pm! The energy of the room had everyone engaged with each other, laughing, drinking, and just loving life…something that Spain is very, very good at!
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