We were in London and Cataluña, including Barcelona, on november 13 - 27, 2010. We have separated the trip in two entries ("London November 2010" and "Cataluña and Barcelona November 2010").
We visited numerous medieval towns in Cataluña, where we discovered the extraordinary wines of the Empuria Apellation, among which the best are those of Castillo de Perelada. We also did the Dali triangle (Figueres, Cadaques and Port Lligat, and Gala´s Castle at Pubol), without a doubt, a trip that all Dali lovers must do at least once in their lives.
We stayed at the Hotel Perelada Wine Spa & Golf (c/Rocabert s/n, Perelada), a good hotel, with large rooms and perfectly well located to explore the region. Its restaurant is quite good and reflects the extraordinary Catalan cuisine, consider by many the best in the world.
We had lunch at the Restaurante Mas Pau (1 Michelin Star, Carrt. Figueres, Olot, Avinyonet), a gastronomic delight with experimental flavors based on sea and land fruits, with an eclectic decoration in a remodeled XVI century farm house.
In Barcelona, we stayed at the Hotel Colon (Avenida Catedral 7, Barcelona), which although has only 4 stars, it provides large and clean rooms and is perfectly located across the Cathedral. Across the square is the fantastic Taverna del Bisbe (Avinguda Catedral, 6-8), where it is possible to enjoy breakfasts, lunch and dinners of excellent quality and at very reasonable prices.
The two lunches at the Circulo del Liceo (Rambla 65) were very memorable because of the architecture and decoration of this typical building from the Modernist days, and with an elevator of wood, velvet, stained glass and bronze, which is in itself a trip back to the Belle Epoque. Service was impecable.
Finally, dinner at Restaurante Silvestre (Santalo, 101) was a bit disappointing because despite being a restaurant en vogue (it was full), the service was impersonal and plates that did not make justice to the huge possibilities that this region provides given its products and wines which are among the best in the world.
Salvador and Illuminata
Showing posts with label 1 Michelin Star. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 Michelin Star. Show all posts
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
La Grand'Vigne, Les Sources de Caudalie
We had dinner at La Grand'Vigne, a 1 Michelin Star Restaurant of Chef Nicolas Masse, at the Hotel and Spa Les Sources de Caudalie in Graves, Bordeaux (http://www.sources-caudalie.com/#/GrandVigne/). Despite being a great restaurant, we are not fully convinced that it deserves a Michelin star. The place is beautiful, within the Chateau Smith Haut-Lafite complex. The decoration is "rural elegant," and the welcoming by the Maitre'd was first class and very cordial. We chose the Menu Degustation, very fresh and varied, and based on regional ingredients that included Quail Eggs with Asparragus, Foie gras, Sole and Veal. The wine, Chateau Le Bon Pasteur 2002, Pomerol, was perfectly balanced and was a clear example of a good Pomerol in full maturity.
But there were some details that lower its level, for example, the view is of a terrace in which guests of the hotel have drinks, as opposed to a view of the beautiful gardens, so that it is impossible not to see people in various stages of undressing walking by. But the worse were the flies on the cheese tray....
These are small details that can change the category of any restaurant immediately. Unless they correct these issues, they risk loosing their only Michelin star.
Salvador and Illuminata
But there were some details that lower its level, for example, the view is of a terrace in which guests of the hotel have drinks, as opposed to a view of the beautiful gardens, so that it is impossible not to see people in various stages of undressing walking by. But the worse were the flies on the cheese tray....
These are small details that can change the category of any restaurant immediately. Unless they correct these issues, they risk loosing their only Michelin star.
Salvador and Illuminata
Bordeaux, France, June 2010
We will post several separate entries covering our Bordeaux and Paris trip on June 21-30, 2010. In Bordeaux, we stayed at the Hotel Chateau Grand Barrail (Rue de Liborne D243 Saint-Emilion), an excellent choice. It is an old Chateau, restored to modern standards, and surrounded by vineyards. Service is very good. It is located between the horrible town of Libourne and the extraordinary medieval town of Saint-Emilion. It is well located to visit the appellations of Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, and Lalande de Pomerol, but not to visit those in the left bank (Haut-Medoc, Graves) to which it can take up to two hours to get due to the traffic in the city of Bordeaux.
In general, a trip to Bordeaux is recommendable only to wine lovers, but not for the everyday traveler, even if sophisticated. With the exception of Saint-Emilion, the area is not the most beautiful in France. Rather, it is an agro-industrial zone with lots of trucks and large deposits along the roads. The wine zones themselves, i.e., the appellations are spectacular, particularly the Chateaux in the Haut-Medoc. Nevertheless, and unless these Chateaux can be visited from the inside, for which previous appointments and even recommendations are required, they can only be seen from the outside.
Salvador and Illuminata
In general, a trip to Bordeaux is recommendable only to wine lovers, but not for the everyday traveler, even if sophisticated. With the exception of Saint-Emilion, the area is not the most beautiful in France. Rather, it is an agro-industrial zone with lots of trucks and large deposits along the roads. The wine zones themselves, i.e., the appellations are spectacular, particularly the Chateaux in the Haut-Medoc. Nevertheless, and unless these Chateaux can be visited from the inside, for which previous appointments and even recommendations are required, they can only be seen from the outside.
Salvador and Illuminata
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Paris November 2009
We collected 3 Michelin Stars in Paris on 11 - 17 November, 2009. It was a trip focused on Art, with the excellent exhibits of Tiffany at Luxembourg, Louis XIV at Versailles, the Otoman Empire at the Grand Palais, and Titian et al. at Le Louvre.
We chose the Hotel De Sers, the old Residence of the Marquis de Sers because it was the onlt 5 star hotel at a reasonable price and because of its excellent location between the 8me and the 16me, and two doors from the George V. Big mistake. The decoration was rather Kitsch, a mixture of classic with minimalist. The room was tiny, and the shower did not have a curtain or door because, we were told "that's how the design is." Absurd, not recommendable under any point of view, despite whatever any Hotel Guide may say.
The first evening we rushed to Le Relais de L'Entrecote in Saint Germain (20, rue Saint-Benoît), one of our all-time favorites because of its unique environment, always full and noisy, and where all one can choose is the wine, the desert, and the meat's term, (the salad, les frittes, and the meat are obligatory). A great disillusion, because they seem to have changed the formulas! the salad dressing is different, the meat sauce is also different, and the fries were overcooked, causing Illuminata's protestation and thus the appearance of fresher fries. We asked if they have changed ownership, but this was flatly denied. We don't believe them.
Lunch at Devez (5, pl de l'Alma), highly recommendable because of location and views, service, and the quality of the ingredients. Very wortwhile, quite different from a typical tourist bistro.
On Saturday, lunch at La Tour d'Argent (1 Michelin Star). Service, decoration, and food was impeccable. The wine list is the size of a large phone book, we decided for the 2000 Cantemerle 2000, perfect with th Duck. We were approached by the new owner, Andre Terrail, the son of legendary Claude Terrail, who died in 2006. This time we were not able to visit the wine cellar because it is being repaired, but Andre asked us to call him next time so that he can personally show it to us. He gave us his card. The improvement is evident, and it is obvious that they are doing their best to recover their stars (they went from 3 to 2, and now they are at 1).
Dinner at Les Bouquinistes was expensive and unimpressive. It is one more bistro from the Guy Savoy Empire, with refined French food but in an environment that is too aseptic and artificial. Don't go there.
Finally, dinner at Le Cinq (2 Michelin Stars), at the George V Hotel. Everything was spectacular and perfect, with great attention to detail. The decoration is opulent and grandiose, yet not tacky like in the case of Alain Ducasse. The Autumn Prix Fix is a gastronomic trip without comparison, exquisite, with strong flavors, paired with exceptional and perfect wines for each dish. The sommelier was first class. Expensive, but highly recommended.
P.S. Some people believe that we have the best gastronomy in the world: it is true that Lima has become a gastronomic capital, and we can eat almost as good as in Paris (perhaps AS good). Nevertheless, in Lima we don't have restaurants in the true sens of the world: gastronomy is not just food, but the entire experience. We dont have ambiance or decoration. We lack grandiosity. And we lack service, not just referred to attention (which in general is bad), but also referred to all other details: fine crystal, starched table clothes, linen napkins, and decent wine lists...
We chose the Hotel De Sers, the old Residence of the Marquis de Sers because it was the onlt 5 star hotel at a reasonable price and because of its excellent location between the 8me and the 16me, and two doors from the George V. Big mistake. The decoration was rather Kitsch, a mixture of classic with minimalist. The room was tiny, and the shower did not have a curtain or door because, we were told "that's how the design is." Absurd, not recommendable under any point of view, despite whatever any Hotel Guide may say.
The first evening we rushed to Le Relais de L'Entrecote in Saint Germain (20, rue Saint-Benoît), one of our all-time favorites because of its unique environment, always full and noisy, and where all one can choose is the wine, the desert, and the meat's term, (the salad, les frittes, and the meat are obligatory). A great disillusion, because they seem to have changed the formulas! the salad dressing is different, the meat sauce is also different, and the fries were overcooked, causing Illuminata's protestation and thus the appearance of fresher fries. We asked if they have changed ownership, but this was flatly denied. We don't believe them.
Lunch at Devez (5, pl de l'Alma), highly recommendable because of location and views, service, and the quality of the ingredients. Very wortwhile, quite different from a typical tourist bistro.
On Saturday, lunch at La Tour d'Argent (1 Michelin Star). Service, decoration, and food was impeccable. The wine list is the size of a large phone book, we decided for the 2000 Cantemerle 2000, perfect with th Duck. We were approached by the new owner, Andre Terrail, the son of legendary Claude Terrail, who died in 2006. This time we were not able to visit the wine cellar because it is being repaired, but Andre asked us to call him next time so that he can personally show it to us. He gave us his card. The improvement is evident, and it is obvious that they are doing their best to recover their stars (they went from 3 to 2, and now they are at 1).
Dinner at Les Bouquinistes was expensive and unimpressive. It is one more bistro from the Guy Savoy Empire, with refined French food but in an environment that is too aseptic and artificial. Don't go there.
Finally, dinner at Le Cinq (2 Michelin Stars), at the George V Hotel. Everything was spectacular and perfect, with great attention to detail. The decoration is opulent and grandiose, yet not tacky like in the case of Alain Ducasse. The Autumn Prix Fix is a gastronomic trip without comparison, exquisite, with strong flavors, paired with exceptional and perfect wines for each dish. The sommelier was first class. Expensive, but highly recommended.
P.S. Some people believe that we have the best gastronomy in the world: it is true that Lima has become a gastronomic capital, and we can eat almost as good as in Paris (perhaps AS good). Nevertheless, in Lima we don't have restaurants in the true sens of the world: gastronomy is not just food, but the entire experience. We dont have ambiance or decoration. We lack grandiosity. And we lack service, not just referred to attention (which in general is bad), but also referred to all other details: fine crystal, starched table clothes, linen napkins, and decent wine lists...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
One Michelin Star in Copenhagen (Era Ora)
On December 15 I managed to escape the craziness of the climatic meetings to enjoy Era Ora with 3 good Brazilian friends (1 Michelin Star), an italian restaurant in the Christianshavns neighborhood, a pleasant and quiet area and of classic Scandinavian arquitecture (i.e., very laconic).
We decided for the Prix Fix that included a long selection of exquisite portions based on seafood, pasta, meats, and cheese in the end, paired with wines for each plate. This last option was deemed the best given the variety of dishes, although it was very tempting to study the large wine list, the size of a medium phone book that apparently holds 72,000 labels.
Service was professional and first class, with attention to detail but without constant intrusions, an example that unfortunately is found more and more rarely in Peru.
Quite expensive for most budgets (ca. US$500 per person), but given that everything in Scandinavia is expensive and that their food is uninteresting at best, it was a necessary and repeatable escape.
Salvador
We decided for the Prix Fix that included a long selection of exquisite portions based on seafood, pasta, meats, and cheese in the end, paired with wines for each plate. This last option was deemed the best given the variety of dishes, although it was very tempting to study the large wine list, the size of a medium phone book that apparently holds 72,000 labels.
Service was professional and first class, with attention to detail but without constant intrusions, an example that unfortunately is found more and more rarely in Peru.
Quite expensive for most budgets (ca. US$500 per person), but given that everything in Scandinavia is expensive and that their food is uninteresting at best, it was a necessary and repeatable escape.
Salvador
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