Finding the "Grand Eat-ons" in Barcelona

I am here having breakfast in one of the most beautiful places in the world, but am still thinking about my breakfast in Barcelona, before I went on the cruise. It started out as a search for an early morning coffee with my new friend, Bobby, a mixologist from Las Vegas. We met on the plane, and got to Barcelona before the guests, about 7 a.m.

I was a little irritated because we couldn’t get on the boat until 2:30, but it ended up being one of the most fortunate inconveniences ever. After wandering around the city for a while, we stumbled upon Boqueria, the central food market. I was overwhelmed. What Disneyworld is for my 7year old daughter, Boqueria was for me. The smells of the fruit, the presentation of the fish and meat, it was as stunning as the Grand Tetons.

I know I am mixing metaphors here, but that is my point of reference here in Wyoming. It was magnificent. It didn’t take long for Bobby and I to find a tapas bar that looked interesting for coffee. It was 9 am, but we didn’t stop with breakfast. For the next two and a half hours, we ate our way through about 20 or 25 different tapas – baby squid with fried eggs, grilled shrimp, fried codfish with pepperoni. Fantastico!! The place was about 15 feet by 10 feet. When the chef needed a lemon, he would call out to the vegetable stall next to us, and the owner would toss over a lemon. If he needed more cod, he called out to the fish monger. I don’t know what was better—the food or the theater. I only had 4 hours in Barcelona, but they couldn’t have been more memorable, or better spent.

Wyoming? Because its beautiful!

What a crazy 48 hours. After being on a Crystal Cruise around the Mediterraean for a week, I got on a plane in Dubrovnik, flew to London, changed airports, flew to NYC, slept 6 hours, then went back out to the airport with my family to get to Jackson Hole, WY for a long planned family trip. We had a change of planes in Minneapolis, where for the first time in my life I tried California Pizza Kitchen. $11 for a lousy, small pizza. Now I know why there was a long line at Burger King.
I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to all the traveling, but now that I am here, it is fantastic!!! We are staying at Jenny Lake Lodge in the Grand Teton National Park. We had only 35 minutes last night to make it from the airport in Jackson to the Lodge if we wanted to have dinner in the dining room, and, yes, I was determined, jet lag and all, to make it in time, even if my expectations weren’t high. I mean, a hotel in a national park, run by a concessionaire. Instead, I was incredibly impressed. I had bison carpaccio with gorgonzola. Who would of thought of that combination. The meat was slightly charred at the edges and raw in the middle. Just perfect. My daughter, Chen, had fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with sweet potato, and my wife ordered the other antipasti winner – a ceasar salad made with grilled romaine. Fantastic. Other highlights: Elk chops grilled to perfection with mushroom risotto and a creamy fat gruyere soup – as delicious as it sounds. We washed it all down with a Pinot Noir Acacia. Anyone who is thinking of coming this way, should not miss this place.

Splish Splash

This summer has been wonderful for the Salumeria and I felt I needed a little treat. So before I left on business, I stopped into for a bite. Michael White has put together such a beautiful space in what was the old San Domenico. For me, I love to be in a place that is cool and elegant at the same time. I found a little seat on the edge of the dinning room where I could see everything, and then I began. All the plates by Richard Genori, the legendary Florentine porcelain maker. Wood panels polished to a radiating shine, and sea shells mounted like torches around the room to illuminate the undersea world Chef White has created on the footsteps of Central Park. I could talk about how wonderful the meal was all night, but let me just lay down the highlights of the night.

First, the Uni crostini with lardo. The Uni comes from Santa Barbera, where they live in deeper, colder water, feeding on the the forests of kelp of the pacific coast, unlike their purple cousins which are found in tide pools. It was so delicious, like a cat's tongue, trembling and delicate. The uni just melts. If all you do is drink a glass of prosecco and have this dish, you've made it a worthwhile evening.

I was drinking a sexy little glass of Ansonica d'Elba from Cecilia. I had asked the sommelier for a glass of wine that was simple, bright, young, fresh. And he delivered. Usually the Ansonica can be a little to heavy on the nose, but this was fantastic! Bright and subtle and a little fruity. So now I'm savoring the taste of the sea from the Uni and drinking this wonderful Elban Ansonica, and then it just gets better. Michael brings out this dish of 'Tagliatelle' of sepia with soffritto crudo and grated botarga was without compare. It was genius, light, but each flavor perfectly matched for one another, and balanced beyond with the Ansonica.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better Michael brings out the Fusilli with braised Octopus and Bone Marrow. The sommelier poured a glass of Verdiccia from Pia Valta, 2004 that with the braised Octopus was...killer!

I finished with a glass of Amaro at the bar, and as I looked at the lines cascading across the walls, I thought about the cruise I am taking across the southern coast of Europe and what better a way to begin a journey into the Mediterranean then by having a meal like this in my very own city of New York. Thank you Michael White, and congrats to the whole team at Marea, you have a beautiful restaurant, and I wish you all the luck...not sure if you need it!


....coming soon! Casella...Cesare Casella. Double-0 Rosemary heads to Monte Carlo.