@EpochTaste D7 July 24–30, 2015 www.EpochTaste.com The Luscious Cuisine the modern of Northern Spain By Manos Angelakis When referring to Northern Spain, gastro- informal gastro-bar, we had a Catalan Bell- experiencethai nomes always reach for superlatives. I con- ini made with Cava accompanied by charcoal sider it to be the best place to travel, eat, and grilled octopus slices and roasted potato dipped drink in the world. And this comes from some- in garlicky mustard vinaigrette. THE BEST NORTHERN THAI IN THE CITY! one who has spent many years traveling in At practically every bar, wedges of tortilla search of culinary excellence. Española—the classic potato and egg frittata— In Northern Spain along the Pyrenees, the are always to be found. 4 STARS ON YELP! & GOOGLE strip between Barcelona in the east and San In Bilbao, fried shrimp coated with black ses- Sebastian on the coast of the Atlantic has a ame is another enjoyable specialty to accom- very high concentration of Michelin starred pany your glass of Fino. Cooked snails at a bar restaurants. The city of San Sebastian has more in Porrerà in Tarragona are as delectable as Michelin-star restaurants per capita than any they are in France, even though the cooking other city in the world (excepting Kyoto, Japan). method is a bit different. The names are world-famous, including such And let’s not forget the charcuterie platters— luminaries as Juan Mari and Elena Arzak at garlicky, spicy chorizo; creamy, fatty, and nutty Arzak Restaurant; Eneko Atxa at Azurmendi; “jamón Ibérico de bellota” from Iberico pigs Pedro Subijana at Akelarre; Carme Ruscalleda fed only acorns; “lomo de cerdo,” a cured and a Sant Pau; the eponymous Martín Berasategui air dried pork tenderloin; and, of course, the in Lasarte-Oria; Quique Dacosta at the Denia illustrious pâtés—a mixture of cooked ground beach resort; and the three Roca brothers at pork with additions like vegetables, truffles, El Celler de Can Roca. All have been given the or nuts. There are also the ubiquitous cheese Michelin 3-star rating, the be-all and end-all platters sporting a number of different regional FREE of any chef’s ambitions. cheeses and dried fruits, nuts, and cubes of DELIVERY The city of Barcelona has more than 20 “membrillo” (quince paste). (10 BLOCK RADIUS) Michelin starred restaurants, having recently In the better restaurants, you might be served added Ferran Adrià’s Japanese venture Pakta. such rare delicacies as pickled fruit chunks El Celler de Can Roca—considered the best res- with lobster, or poached monk-fish tail with taurant in the world—is located in Girona, about spherized sea essence, or star-crab with two an hour North of Barcelona. Can Fabes, close kinds of caviar—black and red—and poached to the city, delivers some of the finest classic vanilla pod! Spanish dishes in the country. The most important tip for tourists is to never But you don’t have to go to a Michelin-starred reserve at restaurants earlier than 9:30 p.m. In place to have exceptional food in Northern most Spanish cities, dinner starts at about 10 Spain. Go “tapear” (pub crawl) and you will p.m. and goes to after midnight or even later. find that most “tascas” (tapas bars) have a As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the number of mouth-watering regional dishes. Romans do.” Actually, in this part of the world, if a res- For gastronomes, life is great in Northern • ALL YOUR FAVORITE Thai classics, taurant or bar doesn’t have superior food—at Spain. So … why are you waiting? plus a few unique V{iv} style twists least three or four exceptional items—it will • NEW SAT & SUN BRUNCH at V{iv} Hell’s Kitchen location! not survive. Manos Angelakis is a well-known wine and 12 - 4 pm. Includes free soft drinks, coffee/Thai Ice Tea Examples of great tapas in Catalonia are food critic based in the New York City area. montaditos, also called pintxos or pinchos in He is a certified Tuscan wine master and an • ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR on Mon & Tues, the Basque region. These tapas of cooked and expert on Greek, Chilean, and Catalan wines. 12-8 pm on Wed - Sun uncooked food on slices of baguette are all He judges numerous wine competitions each deliciously inex- pensive. year and is the senior food and wine writer • AMAZING PARTY EVENT SPACE, v{iv} At Cèntrio, an for LuxuryWeb magazine, LuxuryWeb.com great place for a date or a fun night Bar & Restaurant ‘Tapear’ is a MANOS ANGELAKIS 717 9th Ave. (btwn 48th-49th St.) 212-581-5999 • vivnyc.com Spanish word for HELL’S KITCHEN going from bar to MIDTOWN EAST 38 E. 34th, (btwn Lex & 3rd) 212- 213-3317 • vivthai.com bar eating tapas! 體驗文人墨客的 善 詩情雅意 ( 二樓 ) QUIQUE GARCIA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES 品味朝鮮王朝的 美 美味佳餚 (三樓 ) Experience Firsthand the Romantic Life of Korean Dynasty 1 2 MANOS ANGELAKIS MANOS ANGELAKIS South Korea’s top chef, Sunkyu Lee, cooks authentic Korean Royal Court Cuisine Totally different and distinctive cuisines and interior designs on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors. 3 4 DIANAARTUROVNA/ISTOCK 5 1. The three Roca brothers, 2. Grilled shrimp coated 4. Star crab with vanilla (L–R) Josep, Joan, and with black sesame seeds. and two kinds of caviar. 212-594-4963 Jordi, at their restaurant El 10 W 32 St, New York, NY 10001 3. Creamy and nutty “jamón 5. A view of the San Celler de Can Roca, which www.misskoreabbq.com Ibérico de bellota,” made Sebastian harbor. Open 24 Hours was crowned the world’s from pigs fed only acorns. best restaurant on June 1..