Hola, Barcelona!

Some say the world will end in fire;
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted in Spain
I will not have lived in vain.

Hola! It's been a while! Did you miss me? Even if you do, I bet you won't recognize me coz' I have been busy stuffing my face on 3 different continents in the past 2 weeks. While the food in Hong Kong and Atlanta was amazing, I decided the end of my hiatus should be celebrated with a bang--- my trip to Catalonia. I started in Barcelona and ate my way through Costa Brava (the rugged northeastern coast of Spain) like a larva migrans through the skin, culminating in an epic pilgrimage to El Bulli.

Along the way, I consumed so much yumminess that I am only a few kilograms away (a nod to my European counterparts and the metric system, which is used by everyone else in the world, except...) from being eligible for bariatric surgeries. My cranial nerves I, VII, IX and X were maximally stimulated to the limits of their refractory periods. And my orgasms, food orgasms that is, were sufficiently climatic, prolonged and frequent enough that Jenna Jameson came up to me asking "How did you do that, Mr. Fantastic?"

Special shoutout to Wilson L., Siddique S., Philip S. and Elsy L., my fellow food-crazed gourmand, for making this trip of a lifetime possible, enjoyable and memorable.

Due to the sheer amount of calories involved, my Catalonia trip will be presented in a series of blog posts:

1. Barcelona
2. Alkimia (Michelin 1 Star, in Barcelona)
3. El Celler de Can Roca (Michelin 3 Star, in Girona)
4. Botic (Michelin 1 Star, near Girona)
5. Costa Brava
6. El Bulli  (Michelin 3 Star, in Roses)

So here we go, Barcelona!

Since this was my 2nd time visiting Barcelona, I spent most of the day in the Barri Gotic area, also called the Old City where Barcelona's Gothic past came to life. After marveling at the intricate interior of the Barcelona Cathedral, I descended into the Roman ruins excavated under what is now the Museo de Historia de la Ciutat de Barcelona. Emerging from underground, I proceeded to bask in the ambiance of the remarkably preserved  Medieval square Placa del Rei and wander in the narrow Gothic streets, until I stumbled upon Placa de Sant Jaume which is home to Barcelona's two most important government buildings--- the Palau de la Generalitat (seat of the Catalan government) and the Ajuntament (city hall). The majestic Placa de Sant Jaume quickly gave way to charming cobbled stone streets as I continued West on my way to La Rambla, when a lively farmer's market in front of Esglesia de Santa Maria del Pi caught my attention. While lively and busy, the farmer's market was no match for the gigantic Mercat de La Boqueria situated a few blocks away on the rumbling La Rambla. Having feasted on the freshest seafood possible in the Market, I kicked back at Cafe de l'Opera, a prime location on La Rambla, and rounded up the day at Placa Reial for yet more people-watching.

 

The 19th-century main facade of the Barcelona Cathedral, dating from 1298 AD. Unfortunately, it was under restoration.

 

The Barcelona skyline from the top of the Cathedral.

 

Basking in Gothic glory in Placa del Rei.

 

Barri Gotic was a labyrinth of  narrow, charming pedestrian streets.

  

The Italianate facade of the Palau de la Generalitat (seat of the Catalan government) in Placa de Sant Jaume.

 

Local farmers selling artisanal cheese and honey, among other produce, with Esglesia de Santa Maria del Pi in the background. 

 

Barcelona is rife with exquisitely decorated facades.

Mercat de La Boqueria on La Rambla. It is the biggest market in Barcelona and truly a foodie's dream come true. It sells every type of food imaginable. I wouldn't mind living in there.

 

Fruits.

 Sweets and candies.

 

Shellfish.

More shellfish.

 

My beloved blue fin tuna. It is not everyday that you get to stare a blue fin tuna straight in its eyes.

 

Sting-rays for dinner? I am down!

These are barnacles. Yes, you heard me right and you can actually eat them. If you are dying to find out what they taste like, stay tuned for my "Botic" post.

 

Assorted cured meats. 

 

Aw... aren't they cute?

 Iberico ham. The options were mind-boggling.

 

I couldn't resist the temptation, so I bought two slices, which were cut on the spot.

 

Well, I picked the most expensive kind I could find: €168.70/ kg . It was produced in D.O. Extremadura from acorn-fed pigs and aged for 4 years.

 

These two translucent slices cost me €6.75! The flavor was super concentrated yet not overwhelming. Though aged for 4 years, the meat still retained its moisture. The level of saltiness was perfect- I ate the two slices by themselves and I didn't need to chase them with water or melon afterwards. The €6.75 was well spent!

 

Inside the market, there were several  bar-like eateries, where they cooked up the freshest ingredients available that day.

 

All I needed to do was to pick, point and eat.

I decided to try the monkfish since the first words that came to my mind were "cheap," ""mushy texture" and "yuck." I wanted to see if I would be pleasantly surprised... and I was! The monkfish steak was nearly an inch thick with a turgid texture similar to that of scallops. The cook lightly seasoned it with salt, pepper, herbs and lemon juice, and grilled it. The freshness was immediately palpable on first bite.

 

The rumbling La Rambla never ceases to be interesting.

  

 Cafe de l'Opera occupies a prime location on La Rambla, where people-watching doesn't get any better.

I tried the Spanish hot chocolate, which was less a drink but more a chocolate syrup, similar to the glaze on top of a chocolate molten cake. It looked and tasted heavy, but rich. A sure hit with the chocolate fans.

 This ridiculously funny clown attacked me in the middle of the street, so I decided to take a picture with him.

La Rambla was lined with street performers, a lot of them with elaborate costumes and props. I think I saw this same performer 5 years ago. I felt bad for him for a minute, but then I realized he probably makes more money than a resident does.

 
Placa Reial.

 

Placa Reial was lined with bars and restaurants.

The statue of Columbus. Sunset in Barcelona.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns: a wake-up call

9 years of Catholic schooling plus a name that means "God's blessing" in Chinese were no match for logic, skepticism and intellectual rebelliousness--- I still ended up being an agnostic. Being a proud cultural Catholic (Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love touring European cathedrals), the closest thing to pilgrimage I will ever do is to make special journeys to food meccas. Oops... did I just equate Islam with Christianity and make "food" into a religion? Yell at me for all I care, as long as I can become a High Priest of Food minus the celibacy.

In any case, there aren't too many American chefs to whom I will make pilgrimages, partly because I am blessed to be living in NYC where the majority of top American chefs are located and partly because America is still slightly behind Europe gastronomically. However, I have always wanted to visit Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns since he was named 100 most influential people in the world by the Time Magazine in 2009 in an article written by Ferran Adria of elBulli (Roses, Spain). I thought if Ferran Adria, arguably the most influential chef of the 21st century, was willing to stake his reputation on Dan Barber's cooking, a special journey to Westchester NY would be called for.

 

The main dining room is a converted stone barn, nested amidst the beautiful farm. You can even go into the fields to visit the gardens or play with the farm animals, as long as you are OK with the thought of them going down your belly as food in a couple of hours. We ordered the 8 course Farmer's Feast--- compliments, 6 savory dishes and 2 desserts. In general, the dishes were well-executed with minimal seasoning and sauces to bring out the freshness of the ingredients . We were told 30% of the ingredients came directly from the Blue Hill Farm, while the rest were locally-sourced. Only the highlights are shown here and thanks James Y. for providing some of the photos.

Sesame-crusted Summer Squashes. The sesame crust added an additional layer of crunchiness to the already crunchy squashes.

 

Mini Tomato Burgers. Bite-size burgers that packed out-sized flavors.

 

Foie Gras Pate wrapped in organic chocolate brittle. The subtle sweetness and bitterness from the cocoa was a welcoming contrast to the richness of the foie gras.

Garden Vegetable dipped in salt water. It was impossible to get any fresher. 

Cod Fish Head served whole. Dan Barber took a page out of Chinese seafood preparation. While the dish was admirable for its bold and dramatic presentation (in Western standards anyways), it was a bit over-cooked, slightly dry and could use more seasoning.

 

Chicken Breast prepared in two ways. This was the best dish of the night. I have never tried chicken breast that succulent, tender and flavorful.

Roasted pork tenderloin with spinach.

Summer Strawberries with brown sugar.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns
http://bluehillfarm.com/food/blue-hill-stone-barns
630 Bedford Road
Pocantico Hills, NY 10591
914-366-9600

Epilogue: I was glad I didn't blog about this restaurant immediately after I tried it a few weeks ago. I didn't realize the significance of Dan Barber's work until I watched 2 life-changing documentaries recently:

The Future of Food
Food, Inc.

I want you to go watch these films, so I won't go into details here, only that they expose the grotesqueness of our modern-day food industry. While Dan Barber's food didn't blow me away, his mission to bring out the essence of his ingredients and his insistence on restoring the symbiosis among humans, animals and land were truly pioneering.

I ate Fluffy the guinea pig

We waited 2 hours for this baby to be roasted, but the wait was well worth it.

Roasted guinea pig (cuy). 

The skin was crispy like that of a roasted suckling pig. The meat texture was similar to a young pigeon's. The flavor reminded me of boar--- slightly more gamy than pork. It was the best game meat I have had in a while!

Deep fried goat with corn kernels the size of a nickel.

Goat stew with rice.

Grilled beef tripes.

My first encounter with authentic Ecuadorian cuisine was an eye-opening experience. The atmosphere was festive, the portions were generous and the flavors were bold. However, most dishes were on the salty side which explains the gazillion hypertension cases I saw in Washington Heights.


El Pequeno Coffee Shop
8610 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, NY ‎
718-205-7128

Strolling through the Flushing-Meadows Park, I ran into a couple of Ecuadorian/ Peruvian women (I couldn't tell the difference and I don't speak Spanish) selling ethnic food.

Cheese-filled empanadas deep-fried in oil heated by charcoal. Old-school!

Roasted whole pig. More roasted guinea pigs (cuy)! Yum-O!

Yakiniku Takashi: raw organ-eating at its best

Disclaimer: no Homo Sapiens Sapiens were hurt in the process.
Warning: an intolerable amount of nerdy medical jokes ahead.

There's no better way to celebrate my roommate's emancipation from the yoke of medicine, i.e. taking his USMLE step 2, than to consume the very organs that he's been so diligently studying. Takashi isn't your everyday yakiniku. It is infinitely more interesting than the cookie-cutter Korean BBQ places you find in Koreantown, and although its "regular" meat selection is not as extensive as Gyu-kaku's, it makes up for exotic cuts/organs that are fresh enough to be offered raw. We tried 2 raw dishes and grilled the rest.

Raw Hatsu (heart). Yes, we did it Indiana Jones style, and the heart was still beating when presented to us. Just kidding! The texture and flavor were extremely similar to that of tuna sushi to my surprise. The raw heart was probably a tiny, tiny bit firmer.

 

Raw Namagimo (liver) served with sesame oil, roasted rock salt and Shiso (Perilla) leaf. Interesting, the texture of each piece changed with each bite: first it was soft, then it became tougher. I wondered if the "soft" part was parenchyma and the "tough" part the liver capsule. Let's hope the cow wasn't a dirty whore with Fitz-Curtis-Hugh Syndrome. The slightly metallic taste of raw liver contrasted very well with the minty Shiso leaf.

Beef tongue. Look at how thick the cut was. Takashi offered us the best/ thickest part of the tongue, and it tasted as fantastic as any piece of beef tongue could ever be- slightly crunchy in texture with loads of flavor. It was the best dish of the night, giving me a food orgasm.

Shoulder with Ponzo sauce. The meat itself was fine but the Ponzo sauce was a bit too sour and overwhelming.

Shibire (sweatbread). This was actually the thymus. I ordered it in hopes of curing my "abnormal face" that came with CATCH-22. I wasn't sure if it worked or not, but at least now there are a few more T-cells circulating in my body. This dish was fantastic! The outside was slightly crunchy/crispy, while the inside had the consistency of a cross between tofu and fish balls. It went so well with white rice.

Mino (1st stomach). Often referred to the "king of stomachs" (a cow has 4), it was chewy with a very mild flavor.

Tetchan (large intestines). Not pictured here. This was more chewy than the 1st stomach but had more flavor, due to the fat attached to it. We spent 5 minutes debating what the fat should be called. Was it part of the "teniae coli"? Or was it part of the "greater omentum"? We settled on calling it "peri-serosal fat."

Along with the food, Takashi also served 3 house-made dipping sauce: soy and wasabi, green-tea salt, and ginger and spring scallions. They were all delicious and complimented the various cuts of meat in different ways. I seldom visit a particular restaurant twice, since the list of restaurants in NYC that I crave to try out is longer than Harrison's. However, I think I may have to visit Takashi soon for a "sloppy third." Next time, I will definitely have to try the Niku-Uni (chuck flap topped with sea urchin), the most expensive item on the menu. Special props to Matt P., who had never had raw meat before but came along and tried everything with us anyways.

Yakiniku Takashi
www.takashinyc.com
456 Hudson Street, NYC, New York