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Eating San Sebastian – Zuberoa

Jul11

Restaurant: Zuberoa

Location: Araneder Bidea, Barrio Iturriotz, s/n, 20180 Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa, Spain

Date: June 18, 2016

Cuisine: Basque

Rating: Really tasty and effective (1 Michelin star)

We rented a lovely house outside of San Sebastian in the Basque Country town of Oiartzun — and turns out, it has a 1 Michelin star restaurant of its own, a mere 200 yards from the house.

Zuberoa is located in a charming 600 year old building! The same family has owned it for several hundred years and it was originally a tavern.

Above is part of the main dining room.

And they also have this lovely patio, which was packed on Saturday night and a smoker’s paradise.

The tasting menu.

Cava to start.

An amuse of foie gras with cherry reduction.

This was insanely good. The dollop on top was like a maple syrup foam and together with the cherry lent it a sweet, rich, candy-like quality.

Sea urchin royal to the fennel flavor. A sort of foam of fennel and urchin. Delicious too.

Lobster salad, its coral vinegar and lemon. Just a little lobster here. “Coral” must be the roe.

2006 Pazo de Señoráns Albariño Rías Baixas Selección de Añada. VM 93. Aged for 34 months on its lees in stainless steel tanks. Vivid yellow-gold. Highly complex bouquet of candied citrus fruits, almond paste, white flowers, smoky lees and minerals. Bitter orange pith and pear skin flavors gain sweetness with air and pick up an exotic floral nuance. Rich yet lively wine with superb finishing power and mineral-driven persistence. This singular wine is ready to drink and should hold well for at least another five years.

Poached cod fish to the olive oil with brandad, its skin sauce and its jelly´s crispy.

Spider crab and prawns ravioli in his broth. An awesome little rav.

Scallop, cauliflower and spring mushrooms (zizas) emulsion with brazed endive.

Confited cod fish chin, brandad and “Vizcaina” sauce. This part of the cod fish is super special and a specialty of the area. It has a particular gelatinous texture that is very prized. My extensive Chinese dining has prepared me for such culinary travels.

Egg yolk spring-like. A really delicious egg prep with a fascinating textural combination. The green was somewhat like a pea soup.

Roasted anglerfish and stir friend squid tallarine. Very nice piece of meaty fish. We googled the anglerfish and had quite the laugh at his hideous countenance.

Steamed hake with its pil-pil and pickled yellow peppers.

1981 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva. JG 96. This was certainly a great older Rioja. No decant but allowed it to evolve over hours. Garnet color consistent with previous, very little fading. There is an earthiness and attractive mustiness on the nose with surprisingly bright raspberry and strawberry. Palate brings light cherry and raspberry, warm spring earth, and pleasing umami flavors. Still enough of a tannic backbone to lend sufficient structure to the melange. This bottle would have still had many years of life ahead of it. If only every bottle performed this well.

Fried hake and French fries was enjoyed by my son.

Roast pigeon, liver toast and turnip filled up with mushrooms.

Roasted lamb ribs. Some very flavorful tender lamb ribs. Almost like lamb/veal.

Peach and passion fruit “ crème brûlée “ with raspberry ice-cream.

Pineapple sorbet coat in fermented coconut milk..
Confited cherries, lemon thyme flavored with its own sorbet and Danish cookie. Pretty awesome fresh in-season cherry prep.

Chocolate, coffee, and banana set and orange nappage.

Alex enjoys his chocolate gelato!

Some finishers.

Overall, Zuberoa was really quite lovely. The food was varied, very Basque in style, and supremely tasty. While still modern in style it was a little less “wild” than the 2 and 3 star places we dined at, but in many ways this made it more approachable. Service was fabulous and they easily accommodated our varied party and even our young son. Plus it was quite reasonable by the standards of such an elaborate and fantastic meal.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Basque cuisine, eating-spain, Michelin 1 Star, San Sebastian, Spanish Cuisine, Zuberoa

Eating San Sebastian – Akelaŕe

Jul06

Restaurant: Akelaŕe

Location: Paseo Padre Orcolaga, 56, 20008 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain

Date: June 16, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Spanish Gastronomic (Michelin 3 star!)

Rating: Amazing. Playful and delicious

Akelaŕe is the first of the “big guns” in our dining schedule.

3 Michelin stars and helmed by Pedro Subijana, this is a world class dining establishment in every respect.

The view alone is a stunner, perched on the cliff tops of the amazingly beautiful Basque countryside about 15 minutes west of San Sebastian.

No drama here.

The dining room floats above the Atlantic.

The view from our table most decidedly set expectations.

Akelaŕe currently offers three different tasting menus, two current and one more of a “best of” from the restaurant’s long history (it’s the same age as me, having been founded in 1970 and climbed from 1 star in ’78 to 2 in ’82 to 3 in ’07).

Cava to start — always!

This “dish” served as an amuse for our 7 year-old son. It wins hands down for presentation. Sort of “bathroom” themed it consists of a number of playful items. A toast in which the “liquid soap” is used as a condiment. A cheese dish disguised as face cream, and a Shirley Temple in a cough syrup bottle! Great fun.

A tomato amuse. Even I, tomato hater that I am, enjoyed it.

A sort of ravioli, or unusual skin of food with one of those “caviar” not made from fish eggs. A kind of ajo blanco underneath. I remember it being delicious.

Reconstructed olives. These looked like olives, and somewhat tasted of them, but were reconstructed out of olive paste mixed with something else. They were delicious.
Fried zucchini “chips”.

Mussel fritters. Like a fried mussel, but in croquette-like ball form.

Bread, of course.

2012 Tricó Rías Baixas. 89 points. Light golden color; floral notes and lemon zest on the nose. Lively and fresh on the palate. Good acidity. Medium light body. This is pleasant to drink, very crisp and food friendly wine.

Cubed tear green Peas. The center batch is in an edible “plastic” bag.

Then a pea soup is added.

Lobster salad with Cider Vinegar. No shortage of lobster here! Particularly considering this is just 1 course in a big tasting menu.

White asparagus meringue. Smores anyone?

Pasta, Piquillo and Iberico Carpaccio, Mushrooms and Parmesan. This alternate version of the classic Italian carpaccio has the “meat” replaced with a pasta. It did look and taste pretty meaty, but pasta like at the same time.

Prawns cooked in “Orujo” Fire. Not quite sure what the fire part was, but this was a delicious prawn.

And in a very Japanese style, it also came with the fried head. Bugs of the sea!

This bread took on an “interesting” shape.

Hake in Seaweed steam. Plancton and Oyster Leaf.

Very thin and Light Beef Tartare and…

new Potato Soufflé and Aromatic Herb Bread.

The leaves and the Foie under the rain.

Okay the name was a little confusing. It had “salt and pepper” on top — except it wasn’t salt and pepper but I think a sugar and and some kind of chocolate maybe? Hard to say, but it was delicious and a huge chunk of foie.

2013 Ossian. 90 points. An unusual heavier Spanish white.

Rice with Snails and Periwinkles in Tomato and Basil film. Sounds funny, but was delicious. Tasted like some kind of Chinese fried race, maybe a snail sausage fried rice!

Whole-Grain Red Mullet with Sauce “Fusili”.

One of the fusili, which was some kind of corkscrew of sugar? filled with a broth. Interesting. Wasn’t oily or fishy like many red mullet preps too.

I’m not sure what this dish was. May have been mushroom.

“Desalted” Cod Box with Shavings. It just comes in the box.

It was plated like this and basically like a nice piece of cod.

Sea Bass “UMAMI”.

The “Umami” was this separate grouping of stuff that you could put on the seabass to add, you guessed it, umami. I think it was made of anchovies and other bits like that.

2006 Bodegas Muga Rioja Gran Reserva Prado Enea. VM 92. raised in large oak vats for a year, followed by three years in small, used American oak barrels): Dark ruby. Highly fragrant scents of redcurrant, dried cherry, pipe tobacco, leather and rose oil. Lively and precise on the palate, offering deeply pitched red fruit and floral pastille flavors and a hint
of black pepper. The youthfully tight finish features excellent clarity and lingering spiciness.

Roasted Pigeon with a Touch of Mole and Cocoa. The thing on the left was a kind of cookie with spiced pigeon meat inside — delicious.
Closer picture because this pigeon was SO GOOD. Just amazing. Tender rare meat, and an awesome rich mole sauce.

Carved Beef, Tail Cake “Potatoes and Peppers”.

The Tail Cake in focus. Like a meat tiramisu.

Some dessert amuses.

Melting Cupcake. Like a semi-fredo.

Xaxu and Foaming Coconut Ice Cream. The styrofoam looking stuff tasted like coconut gelato.

Gin & Tonic on a plate.

The Broken Jar of Yogurt, “Gatzatua” and Berries. This won the cool look award for the night. Everything was edible! It was made of yogurt too.

The different Apple Tart. I don’t know what the “plastic” was made of, but it was edible (and good).

The inside was basically a perfect crunchy apple tart like pastry. Really quite awesome.

Some various petite fours.

This was an amazing meal. The style at Akelaŕe seems to be playful reinterpretations of classic French/Spanish/Italian dishes. It uses modernist techniques, but not so heavily as to distort the dish into unfoodlike forms. And most importantly, the dishes retain solid flavor profiles with balance. They don’t always taste exactly like you’d expect, but they taste good and in the “frequency range” of whatever dish roll they serve in the meal. I.e. a savory, while perhaps having sweet notes, still tastes like a savory. As general rule the dishes are also complex, involving multiple ingredients working in harmony, but the chef has a fabulous sense of pairing and I don’t remember anything with a jarring or off-putting combinations as is sometimes a problem in extreme modernism.

Setting, as you can see, was magnificent, as was service. Not only were they extremely attentive, but they easily dealt with several different dietary rule sets, including our young son.

Certainly a worthy three star experience. Akelaŕe is crafting cutting edge food that sings on the palate.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Akelare, Akelarre, eating-spain, Michelin 3 Star, Michelin Guide, San Sebastian, Spanish Cuisine

Eating San Sebastian – Baztán

Jul04

Restaurant: Baztán

Location: Portu Kalea, 8, 20003 San Sebastián-Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain

Date: June 16, 2016

Cuisine: Pintxos

Rating: “Straight up” Basque Tapas

I’m choosing to use Baztán as a sort of light introduction to San Sebastian tapas — in part because of its normality.

San Seb is packed with Pintxos bars. Dozens upon dozens of them and they vary wildly in style, quality, and crowds. Baztán is a pretty typical type.

First of all, the offerings are dominated by straight up pintxos (stuff on pieces of bread). These, for the most part, sit on the counter. You grab a plate (or 2) and load up as many as you like, then hand it to a bar keep along with your drink order. If something needs heating he’ll do that. Most things here don’t and usually they are eaten pretty much as they sit on the bar. Let’s look at some examples.

Salmon and cream, salmon and anchovies, tortilla espanola, fried fish, seafood salad and anchoives, egg, peppers & anchovies, etc.

Peppers and olives, seafood salad, octopus, cheesy scallop, ham & goat cheese, fried thingy, chorizo, egg, and pepper.

More salmon, mushrooms & eggs, gazpacho, peppers, etc.

More fried stuff, black pudding!

Sangria.

Flan. Quite a nice one actually.

And lots of pictures of the bar.

More.

And even more.

There are some funny things on bread, like stacked meat balls, a couple sausages and even skewered French fries pinioned to the toasts! See the chorizo and fries on the right!

Here are the meatballs. Some shrimp, steak tartar etc.

The desserts.
Straight pintxos like this is a funny cuisine. First of all, if the bar is crowded at all it’s sort of a nightmare: Nowhere to eat, very hard if you have a large party. 1-2 people, no problem, you just grab some stuff when you order your drink. 8, that can be a challenge! There is also no particular rhyme or reason to the distribution of plates (sometimes they are at the bar, sometimes you ask the bartender) or a mechanism for getting his attention so you can pay, order, etc. I found it much like a crowded club bar.

Then there is the pintxos themselves. They certainly taste very good, and you can pick what you want to try by looks and in small increments, but I soon tired of all those slices of thick French bread. I’m not the sort to eat 10-15 slices of bread! So I ate about 2 and then resorted to eating the toppings off. Felt kinda like eating the fish off the rice at all-you-can-eat sushi.

Still, this was a fun and tasty experience, and a good intro as we delve later into more exotic tapas/pintxos formats.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Baztán, eating-spain, pintxos, San Sebastian, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas

Eating Barcelona – Catalana

Jun29

Restaurant: Cerveseria Catalana

Location: Carrer de Mallorca, 236, 08008 Barcelona

Date: June 14, 2016

Cuisine: Catalonian Tapas

Rating: Excellente!

Not only was this place recommended on Chowhound, but my parents independently “blundered” into it and loved it.

So I had to go back and try it with them.

Very “typical” super upscale Barcelona Tapas bar scene with a gorgeous wood interior.

And lots of sit at the counter space.

The layout of “white” salad (consisting of stuff in mayo).

A lot of the tapas are out in a halfway prepped form.

And more.

And seafood.

And veggies.

And pinchos (stuff on bread) like these croqueta.

On anchovies and peppers.

Or walnut cheese spread and pineapple.

Or these amazing salmon and cream cheese.

And of course, Jamon.

Or Jamon with other stuff, like peppers.

Mushrooms can be selected and cooked up together.

More types, including mushrooms with Jamon (capitalized because in Spain, Jamon is a proper noun).

Boquerones en vinagre. One of my favorite traditional tapas. Super fresh here with that nice tang.

Crab salad on toast. Like an upscale spanish version of a Subway “seafood salad” sandwich.
Salmon and cream cheese or cream fraiche. Awesome.
Jamon.
Tomato bread.

Steamed shrimp. Super fresh and tasty with that bright briny flavor.

Sautéed mushrooms. Colon sweeper! Yummy with garlic and olive oil.

Asparagus with sea salt.

Duck cannelloni. This is the raw form. They cooked it up.

To this amazing, rich, béchamel wonder! Soft and creamy.

Coconut flan. To die for.

And cappuccino.
There was even a dessert bar.

Overall, Catalana was fabulous. Very straight up, nothing too modernist or anything, but really good, really fresh Catalonian tapas and a great atmosphere.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Barcelona, Catalana, eating-spain, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas

Eating Barcelona – Ca l’Isidre

Jun27

Restaurant: Ca l’Isidre

Location: Carrer de les Flors, 12, 08001 Barcelona

Date: June 13, 2016

Cuisine: Catalonian

Rating: Awesome, best we had in Barcelona

This traditional family run Ctaalonian resteraunt I found off Chowhound and was recommended by many as one of the best in the city.

Classic city exterior.

A classic but updated interior.

The Menu.

A round of Cava to start.

Followed quickly by some Albarino. This crisp white from the corner of Spain above Portugal has turned out to be one of my favorite start whites and is a perfect tapas wine as well. This specific bottle was the 2013 Tricó Rías Baixas.

Bread with tomato. My son likes this classic.

Croquette with chicken and ham.

Anchovie from Cantabria. The salty kind.

An elaborate bread box.

Bread. Olive and rosemary I think.

Seabass tartar with parsley oil. A lovely “western” tataki or even a poke if you like. Soft fish and nice parsley notes almost like a pesto.
Toasts to go with the tartar.

Tomato salad with onion, capers and tuna. Classic Catalonian salad.

“Gazpacho” Vegetables cold soup with lobster and sea fruits. Before the soup…

And after. This turned out to be one of the best gazpachos I have ever had. It wasn’t super vinegary, but had an exquisite balance.

Simple pasta for “the boy.”

And accompaniments of cheese and red sauce.

Olive oil.

Langostin raviolis with lime and ginger vinaigrette. Deliciously light and aromatic with a serious spa vibe from the flowers and herbs.

Morel mushrooms with duck liver cream. Rich and stunningly delicious. Fresh morels too, in season, and that duck liver sauce… oh my.

2013 Ferrer Bobet Priorat Denominacio d’Origen Qualificada. An unusual blend for priorat, big and grapey.

Fries. You can find them at almost any Spanish restaurant, from street corner to Michelin 3 star.

Grilled wild turbot with potatoes and garlic.

Codfish with “romesco” sauce.

Beef tartar. Surprisingly spicy. Lots of capers too. The meat was very good but the spice was a touch distracting.

Roast baby goat with small onions. Very tender (for goat) and decently strong.

Fillet of beef grilled.

Fries and crisps (for the tartar).

A selection of Spanish cheeses!

Vanilla ice cream.

Apricot tatin with milk ice cream. Very nice “cobbler.”

Eggs with chocolate fondant and sabayon with rum. The sabayon was inside the egg with the chocolate at the bottom. Yum! Didn’t quite get that interesting Marsala/citrus blend that my favorite Zabione gelato gets – but still deliciously eggy.

Catalan cream with burned sugar. Consistently a little looser than creme brule. Same flavor, but I prefer the firmer custard (or even flan).

Chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream. Several of us thought this was the best chocolate souffle we have ever had. It was VERY intense though and perhaps needed even more ice cream (not pictured).

Coconut milk ice cream with toffee. These not only looked cool, but were awesome — ice you like coconut ice cream (which I do). Basically coconut ice cream rolled in coconut and then (optionally) dipped in toffee.
Gels and little cakes.

There was some contention in the group about Ca l’Isidre, with the pescatarian contingent not feeling the love and the rest of us thinking they knocked it out of the park — particularly with the starters and desserts. This is basically classic Catalonian as far as I can tell, with a touch of modern prep and presentation. The execution and ingredients though were really top top notch. Many dishes (like the gazpacho and morels) were really singing.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barcelona, Ca l'Isidre, Catalonian cuisine, eating-spain, Spanish Cuisine

Eating Barcelona – Paco Meralgo

Jun19

Restaurant: Paco Meralgo

Location: Carrer de Muntaner, 171, 08036 Barcelona

Date: June 10, 2016

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

Rating: High quality tapas

Our first night in Barcelona kicks off with the highly rated Paco Meralgo tapas bar.

The frontage.

The tapas menu is extensive.

Paco Meralgo is typical of the modern Barcelona type of tapas, with a sleek modern space and lots of stools all around the room.
Albariño makes

Gazpacho. Tasty, but a little less intense then I really prefer.

Tomato bread. Our 7 year-old loves this.

Sephardic special. Salmon, toast, and creme fraiche. Really good.

Egg and tuna salad.

Local salami. Taste the pig!

Anchovies on toast. These are the salty darker ones. I prefer the vinegary white ones, but these are tasty too, if you don’t mind swelling up.

Cod fritters. Very light and fresh.

Fried squash blossoms stuffed with cheese. Delightful and light version of this Italian dish.

Brie on toast (melted).

Squid and beans. Lovely chew and a great slightly spicy flavor.

Fresh prawns in garlic sauce. Hear in Spain you always get the heads.

Filet mignon in garlic oil. Amazing garlic flavor and tender meat.

Check out the oil.

Vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate truffles.

Crema catalana on its home turf. A bit more liquid than creme brule under the crispy sugar top.
Profiterole with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Overall, great classic tapas. One of the two best straight Barcelona-style tapas we enjoyed on this visit.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Albariño, Barcelona, eating-spain, Paco Meralgo, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas

Thirds at Smoke Oil Salt

Jan15

Restaurant: Smoke Oil Salt [1, 2, 3]

Location: 7274 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046. (323) 930-7900

Date: January 14, 2016

Cuisine: Spanish

Rating: Good “New American” Spanish

After a year’s absence, the Hedonists return to Smoke Oil Salt for some more creative Spanish food — particularly given that they have a new chef.

Owner Stephen Gelber was on hand making sure we didn’t get into too much trouble!

Yarom brought: Cattier Champagne Brut Premier Cru Chigny-lès-Roses

olivos. olives, toasted almonds, pickled vegetables.

Bonus bottle from my cellar: 2011 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Muti. 90 points. Fresh citrus…lemon, lime, grapefruit tinged w/floral notes. Razor sharp base minerality puncuated with clean even finish. Great wine for the summer!

Butternut squash soup. Nice little shot of soup.

2006 Domaine Ponsot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 90. A ripe, pretty and spicy green fruit nose leads to textured, sweet and seriously intense flavors underpinned by firm acidity and evident minerality, all wrapped in a linear, long and precise finish. Impressive if not overly complex at present yet this wine always requires time in bottle to deepen as well as flesh out.

pulpo con tomate. smoked octopus, caramelized onion, sliced chorizo, tomato chutney.

Frank brought: 2012 Marchand & Tawse / Pascal Marchand Clos de la Roche. Burghound 91-94. This is aromatically similar to the Clos St. Denis except for the presence of plenty of sauvage character and a more pronounced earthiness. As one would reasonably expect there is more size, weight, richness and power to the big-bodied flavors that possess very solid volume on the balanced and impressively persistent finish. There is fine depth and this should amply repay medium to longer-term cellaring.

agavin: this was drinking great, having not yet closed down, with a strong intense berry quality. Many thought it WOTN.

Grilled Catalonian onions with Romesco. An awesome dish, and almost certainly the best grilled onion we’ve ever had!

Brian brought: 2005 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. Parker 96. The 2005 Castillo de Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, a classic among classics, is back in top form with the excellent 2005 vintage. It’s produced from a blend of 89% Tempranillo and 11% Mazuelo (aka Carinena), a difficult grape that is in high esteem at the winery (they exceptionally produced a varietal Mazuelo in 2000 to celebrate their 150th anniversary) as they consider it adds acidity and aging potential to the blend and has been selected specifically to make part of the flagship wine’s blend. In 2005, the Tempranillo was harvested on September 30, the Mazuelo on October 3, and fermented separately in stainless steel vats. The Tempranillo ages in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo in French ones, both for a period of 30 months. The wine matures for a further two years in bottle before being released. It’s extremely backward and tight, showing very young, with a balanced nose between spice, tertiary and cherry fruit aromas. It’s a powerful, still young vintage, with plenty of glycerin, body, round tannins. An austere wine (is it the Mazuelo?), it is complex and ever-changing in the palate. It has a sense of harmony that only the best wines have. Very long and elegant. I loved its serious and austere overall feeling. 100,000 bottles produced. This is a true vin de garde which develops complex notes of violet and meat with time in the glass. This is a Gran Reserva greatly marked by the Mazuelo, which should give it great ability to age. At this quality level it represents very good value. Drink 2014-2030.

charcuteria de iberico. charcuterie board of iberian meats & cheese. A really great charcuterie plate!

From my cellar: 2007 Spectacle Vins Montsant Espectacle. Parker 98. The 2007 Espectacle is 100% Garnacha sourced from 120-year-old vines located at La Figuera on the northern edge of the Montsant DO. The vineyard is managed by Rene Barbier’s Clos Mogador team and is aged in one 4000-liter vat at Celler Laurona. The 2007 Espectacle reveals a sexy bouquet of mineral, Asian spices, incense, truffle, and black cherry compote. This leads to a full-bodied, plush, succulent, impeccably balanced wine which admirably combines elegance and power. It will evolve effortlessly for several more years and have a drinking window extending 2013 to 2022 if not longer. It is Montsant’s benchmark wine and a world-class expression of old-vine Garnacha.

pan con tomate y longanizas caseras. catalan tomato toast with house-made sausages.

Kirk brought: 1997 Clos Mogador. 91 points. Clos Mogador’s 1997 boasts a saturated ruby/purple color, a fat, dense, concentrated, black currant, mineral-infused character, full body, layers of concentration, sweet tannin, and a 35-second finish. Impressive and pure, with nicely integrated toasty oak, it will drink well for 10-15 years.

lomo. charred iberico pork tenderloin, xato sauce, picaeta sauce. Decent, but not as good as some of the other dishes.

Sebastian brought: 2001 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 93. The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is gorgeous, structured, impressive. Full-bodied and backward, with great depth, purity, and heady aromatics, this 20,000-case blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, and 15% miscellaneous amounts of the other permitted varietals will easily rival the 1998. A deep ruby/purple-tinged color is accompanied by a sweet perfume of salty sea breezes, seaweed, melted licorice, kirsch liqueur, creme de cassis, and iodine … a classic Vieux-Telegraphe aromatic display. Powerful as well as firmly structured, this is a wine to lay away for 4-5 years. It should prove to be uncommonly long-lived, lasting a minimum of two decades. It gets my nod as the greatest Vieux-Telegraphe since the 1998.

Mushrooms. An amazing mushroom dish. Really delicious.

Larry brought: 2000 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 95. The Burgundian-styled 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape is drinking at point today. Possessing beautiful notes of forest floor, truffles, spice, garrigue and sweet cherry and kirsch like fruit, this beauty has notable freshness and purity, medium to full-bodied richness, fine tannin and a layered, integrated texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. There’s no need to delay gratification here and I’d enjoy bottles over the coming 4-5 years.

Kale and Parsley salad. Very nice, fresh and bright. Like eating parsley at Passover — in a good way.

Arnie brought (again :-)): 2007 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard. Parker 96-100. The 2007 Syrah Reva is dazzling. It possesses striking inner perfume and beautifully delineated fruit. Blackberries, blueberries, freshly cut white flowers, licorice, tar and asphalt are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. Alban gave the 2007 Reva 44 months in untoasted French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.

patatas bravas. fried potatoes, serrano ham, chorizo, fried egg. Another awesome dish.

Lana brought the Ornellana: 2008 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia. Parker 97. The 2008 Ornellaia continues to blossom in the bottle. Dark cherries, chocolate, espresso, blackberries and mocha are just some of the many notes that explode from the glass. A rich tapestry of licorice, tar and camphor notes develop in the glass, adding considerable complexity. The 2008 is a huge, structured Ornellaia endowed with massive structure. It has come together beautifully since the early days when it was a tannic beast. Readers who can be patient will be rewarded with a spectacular bottle of wine. This is a fabulous showing. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.

churrasco. wood-fire grilled sirloin cap, piquillo and picaeta sauce.

2005 Gruaud Larose. Parker 90. The 2005 Gruaud Larose has a deep ruby/purple color, excellent concentration, and clean, pure black and red currant fruit, licorice and spice. It is medium to full-bodied, lush, and very soft and round. I’m surprised how drinkable it is already, although it is certainly capable of lasting 15 or more years.

Paella with chorizo, banana, short rib, and fried egg. This was the most disappointing dish. It looked fabulous, and the sausage was great, but the banana totally didn’t work for me.

Spanish cheese plate. A nice cheese plate, although similar to the meat and cheese earlier.

Chocolate mousse.

All in all another great evening of pure hedonism. SOS is rocking on even minus the original chef. The dishes are largely similar in style, with some being even better, a few more middling (like the short-rib rice). It is right in there in the current “wood table, paper menu, small plates, loud room” thing that dominates new restaurants in LA right now. The food is quite Catalan/Valencian and very good. It’s quite salty, sometimes a little too much. Not crazy salty (like I’d sometimes get in Japan), but noticeable. Flavors are very strong (a good thing IMHO). The service was 11 out 10. Everyone pulled out all the stops.

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or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!