Three Michelin Star Restaurant: Lasarte

Images from our 3+ hour Gastronomic Extravaganza at Lasarte. June 12, 2018

The Michelin guide is a book of recommendations written by country. It includes restaurants and hotels and things to do. The Michelin star rating for restaurants is one of the most highly regarded recommendations in the world. There is no Michelin guide for the United States as a whole and only four cities currently have a guide (New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington DC). So many excellent restaurants in our own beloved Seattle are not eligible for this award.

Prior to this trip we purchased the Michelin guide for Spain and Portugal. Each guide is written in the region's native language. We were quite surprised to find the descriptions in the actual book are quite short, no more than two sentences. Most only describe the cuisine style and atmosphere. In January 2017 for my birthday we went to our first two-star Michelin rated restaurant, Marea in New York. I still dream about the lobster burrata. Still the three-star Michelin dining experience had eluded us until this trip. Planning a trip last minute while exciting meant it was difficult to get prime restaurant reservations. Sean had put us on the waitlists at a few restaurants but it wasn't until a few days before the trip that we received word that a cancellation had opened up a spot for us to dine at Lasarte for lunch on Sean's birthday, June 12th.

Our lunch reservation was for 1:30pm. Excited and eager we left our apartment at 12:45 and took the metro from our apartment in the Gothic Quarter back to Passeig de Gracia (the Champs Elysee of Barcelona). We were surprised to ascend the stairs of the metro and find ourselves just outside the Casa Batllo at 12:50. We walked the tree-lined street crowded with tourists taking snapshots towards the directions on the phone. Half a block from the famous Gaudi designed house we found ourselves outside of a very impressive hotel. Sean said he had looked at rooms there online which start around $600 a night. The hotel doorman let us in and we made our way towards the restaurant. At 1pm, the restaurant was closed, the one and only seating for lunch starting at 1:30. The restaurant was masked from view behind a long wall . Only a peeking view of the wine room visible from the lobby.

We waited for our set time in the cocktail lounge. An expansive ballroom sized space made up of small clusters of velvet lined sofas around tables. The space could easily accommodate 50 couples each engaged in intimate conversation over cocktails but the room was empty save for us and another party. It was an intimating space, impossible to not feel out of place there.

Sometime after 1:30, someone came to collect us for the restaurant. We were shown into the small lobby, a large black counter with the Maître D' and two hostesses who asked us if we had a reservation. It was quite tempting to tell them we just walked in off the street but we gave our name and were shown to our table. The restaurant has no windows but is illuminated from several large skylights above. The restaurant was spacious and airy, divided into four rectangle sections each with two tables (bringing the grand total to 8 tables). The center of the restaurant was bisected with a massive copper colored sideboard that extends the length of the restaurant. Each of the eight tables was decorated with a unique black metal sculpture. Ours looked like an octopus in a bathtub which was surprisingly fitting.

Table Sculpture

Compared to our meal from the night before, dining at Lasarte was overwhelming. The tasting menu was far more extensive and the army of waiters (all male dressed in crisp dark suits with copper colored ties and matching pocket squares with just one button of their suit jackets buttoned) standing at attention at the perimeter was difficult to ignore. Every moment they made a carefully orchestrated dance, like a ballet. Unaccustomed to that level of fine dining meant the excessive attention and the flourish of timed movements intended to be seamless and unseen became one of my primary points of interest. The way the waiters would silently beckon one another over so that they might deliver the plates of food at the same time in one sweeping motion. Unlike Montiel whose 9 courses were all but cemented in my memory and recalled by picture alone, Lasarte provided a personalized menu with all dishes and wines for which I am most graceful as I did manage to forget to photograph a few courses.

Image of the Personalized Tasting Menu Provided to take home

Course 1: “Appetizers”

Trio of Crunchy Bites followed by Foie Gras

The meal began with a trio of crispy crunchy bites arranged across the table. We started with a light tempura fried croquet shaped like a spoon. Followed by a wanton stick topped with lobster and a minced crudité of shrimp with wasabi aioli. The final bite was a beet crisp with white caviar. A salty crispy beginning that paired well with our glass of Cava.

Looking around the restaurant I couldn’t help but notice that only half the tables were occupied. Curious given that we had been waitlisted. A large space with so few people made it possible to notice each group of diners. The table accompanying our section had a Spanish couple who ordered ala carte, the table in the next closest section had a French couple the man with a dairy allergy, the table on the other side of the sideboard were Asian and made the curious request of having their meal be light on salt (they also made another unusual request at the end of the meal) and finally closest to the entrance was a group of four who arrived a good half hour after everyone else.

Following the crispy bites a small bowl with a gazpacho arrived, a sliver of fish buried at the bottom under an icy foam of jalapeno which the Spanish couple in our section complained vehemently to the wait staff about. Spicy food really is not well tolerated in this region.

Bread Service

All the Bread and Five Kinds of Butter

The only other place I have seen have such an elaborate bread service was at Marea. This one topped it. Our primary waiter, a young French man who spoke very good English, came to our table with a bounty of bread choices. He described each one and then made recommendations. The cart included a tray topped with a grate that allowed the bread to be lined up and sliced evenly. The crumbs from the bread would fall through the grate into the tray below and remain unseen. A genius solution to the mess of cutting bread. I am certainly putting that on my Christmas list. We took his suggestion of the rustic olive oil bread and some bacon brioche. He sliced each for us and was kind enough to pose for a photograph.

Accompanying the bread was some Spanish olive oil and five, yes five different butters (Classic, Mushroom, Tomato, Spinach and Beet). This of course led me to speculate how these were produced. The tomato butter was incredibly flavorful like the perfect love child between tomato and butter. I assume they must steep the ingredients in the cream before they churn it. At a three star Michelin restaurant, even the bread service is a show.

The final appetizer was smoked eel, carmelized foie gras. Cut into the size of a petit four it was the perfect decadent bite. There was some kind of sweet fruit gelee (possibly pear) sandwiched between the layers making it a balanced bite of creamy, rich, sweet and tart.

We had already seen half a dozen plates delivered and collected by now. We had not even begun the 10 listed courses yet. It promised to be a long meal.

Course 2: Marinated Hamachi

Marinated Hamachi with Sweet Potato and Corn

I would describe this course as a deconstructed ceviche. The morsel of Hamachi was marinated (providing a light chemical cookery much like in ceviche) it was served alongside a layered square of sweet potato and avocado (an exquisite display of knife skills) and a corn pudding. The fish was incredible, delicate yet flavorful. I didn’t find the sweet potato added much to the dish and the corn pudding was frankly confusing. All the components delicious but I didn’t really understand the story it was trying to tell. But it was very pretty.

Course 3: Oysters and Champagne

Oyster with Champagne Foam

Oysters and champagne are a classic flavor pairing. The peanut butter and jelly of fine dining. This preparation was exquisite. The oyster was served warm (I suspect sous vide) and the champagne had been made into a foam. Watercress had been frozen with liquid nitrogen but placed against the warm oyster slowly began to melt. A pearl of parsnips (quite literally created to look like a pearl) sat atop the quivering oyster. The combination of flavors and textures and temperatures was playful and exciting. The oyster surprisingly was nearly raw in the center but the outside was warm and coated in the thin skin of cooked flavor. The cold burst from the frozen melting watercress provided the crisp cool sensation you normally get when eating raw oysters and the champagne provided the perfect pairing. This dish combined creativity, execution, and flavor.

Course 4: Crayfish with Sheep’s Cheese

Unfortunately I am missing a picture of this dish but thankfully its memory is clear in my mind. A dark plate with two elegant tails of shelled crayfish served with pearls of coffee and a mound of soft sheep’s milk cheese. The coffee with shellfish was an unusual pairing but the crayfish with cheese reminded me a lot of lobster burrata. This was a tasty course (so much so the image is missing) but it was no lobster burrata.

Somewhere around now I decided to use the restroom and was personally escorted to door hidden in the seam of a wall. The bathroom had a large powder room and communal sink before two doors lead to the men’s and women’s restroom. While being escorted to the bathroom makes me uncomfortable (something that has happened at a handful of restaurants over the years), the door being built into the wall meant I struggled to get out. What I really needed was an escort out of the restroom. But after a bit of groping and half being convinced I had taken some kind of steward’s entrance, I ended up back in the main salon. Two waiters quickly flanked me and glided ahead to move the table out of the way so I could sit back in the corner booth as they pushed the table back into place. Trapping us like kids in a high chair.

I found myself comparing this meal a lot to being a toddler. Being waited on hand and foot, the soothing music, the meal having this sumptuous richness lulling you into culinary submission. It was impossible not to feel docile and placated and even a little sleepy throughout the courses.

Course 5: Squid Tartare

Squid Tartare

This dish was one of my favorites, it features a lot of complexity of flavor as well as exquisite knife work. There was a mound of hand-minced squid tartare with zested kaffir limes. It was topped with the rich yolk of an egg that would coat a spoon and sandwiched between the two was a consommé (broth) of lamb. The rich meaty flavor of the lamb broth with the creamy decadency of the egg yolk and the bright burst of lime was incredible. Despite being billed as squid tartare, the egg was certainly the star of the show. The exquisitely minced squid served as the textural element and as the mode of delivery for the yolk which once broken with the spoon oozed throughout the squid like sunny side up eggs with hash browns.

Course 6: Herb Salad with Lobster

Prettiest Salad Ever

Hands down this was the most interesting and artistic presentation of a salad I have ever seen. The plate was coated in a quivering gelee matrix of clear dressing, made from tomatoes, that was studded with gems of herbs, pureed vegetables and oil. While beautiful to look at it was necessary after taking the photographs to stir a spoon through the salad and combine the isolated moments into a single emulsification. Each bite tasted different. The mixture of fresh greens ranging from leafy to bitter. The dressing taking on different personalities depending on the combination of gems. Hidden amongst the forest of lettuces were a few bites of perfectly cooked lobster. Sweet and succulent, a treat for eating your vegetables.

Course 7: Wagyu Steak and Eel Ravioli

Wagyu Ravioli with Glazed Eel

Surf and turf! Just kidding. This was another very memorable course. The open-faced pasta was stuffed with bites of Wagyu beef from Japan. The beef had been delicately prepared and topped with caviar. Each ravioli was served with a bite of glazed eel giving it a balanced sweet note. Between the twin raviolis was an oyster foam. The beef just melted in your mouth like butter. This was my first time eating genuine Wagyu (I have had American Wagyu on a few occasions which is the same breed of cattle but domestic. It is certainly not the same thing. I imagine it is similar to having Iberian pigs but not fed exclusively acorns).

Course 8: Hake Loin

Hake with Goose Neck Barnacles

Hake is in the cod family, a sweet mild flakey white fish listed on many menus in Spain as Merluza. This preparation was pan seared skin-side down and served with Galician goose neck barnacles. When this dish arrived at the table Sean was excited. He recalled reading an article online about three sisters in Galicia who collect goose neck barnacles. It is a dangerous often deadly profession. The high risk occupation comes with high reward as the goose neck barnacles that only grow on the sharp faced rocks of Galicia sell for 200 Euro a kilo or about $100 a pound. Suddenly I was excited. The rush of eating something new along with an appreciation for the perilous journey these small bites of the sea had made to be on our plate. Quickly the goose neck barnacles became the star of the show, each of the three on the plate eaten with care. Tender and delicious with a flavor unlike other shellfish. They complemented both the subtle flavors of the hake as well as the coconut and red curry sauces on the plate. All around a good dish and thanks to Sean one with a story.

Link to the Slate Article

Course 9: Charcoal Grilled Pigeon

I was so distracted by the next dish that I did not take a picture of it but I remember the flavors well. Appearing much like duck breast was slices of pigeon arranged alongside white asparagus. Wood pigeon is a common game bird eaten in Spain. It is not the same species you find in Central Park or the Plaza Catalunya. It has a gamey flavor that paired well with the smoky flavor of the chargrilled preparation that made Sean joke that they had a Webber Kettle grill back in the kitchen. Asparagus must be in season as it has come up time and again across tasting menus in Spain. No complaint here. I love asparagus and having planted some in our garden this year, understand the patience required to grow it. Neither Sean nor I had eaten pigeon before although we had seen it sold live in the markets of Girona. Having experienced the depths of flavor and tender but meaty texture, I will certainly keep an eye out for it on future menus in Spain.
Desserts

Sweets Anyone?

Course 10: Thai Chili Ice cream with Papaya Salad

Thai Chili Ice Cream with Papaya Mango Salad

Another spicy ice cream! I am certainly inspired after these two tasting menus to develop a spicy ice cream or sorbet in my own ice cream maker. This was the first of two desserts, a playful mix of sweet and spicy. Much like the meal the night before, the dish was prefaced that the mango and papaya salad was intended to cool off the mouth from the spicy ice cream. Spoiler: The ice cream was not very spicy. Nonetheless this was a flavorful dessert that was most curious as below the chili and banana ice cream was a peanut sauce! The dish was meant to mimic the palate cleansing green papaya salad traditionally found in Thai cuisine. It had all the same elements. Chili, peanuts, and papaya. I especially enjoyed the gelee shaped to look like a chili pepper.

I have thus far not spoken about the wines as having 5 different wines with 12 courses means that none pair perfectly. All were good but the only one that really stood out was the sherry dessert wine. Sean had already announced that despite being a fan of Port and Madeira, he did not like Sherry. I think this particular glass changed his mind. A dark rich sweet sherry that paired well with both dessert courses. I don’t think it has made him a convert but it at least broadened his notion of sherry and mine.

Course 11: Chocolate, Whiskey, and Pecan Surprise

Delicious Chocolatey Bites

Chocolate mousse, chocolate ice cream, whiskey sauce and chocolate coated pecan bonbons. I could have eaten an entire bowl of the pecan bonbons. This dessert reminded me of a deconstructed chocolate pecan pie. Frozen and creamy and delicious. A perfect end to a very extensive meal.

Course 12: Petit-fours

Petit Fours Rise to the Occassion

We ordered espresso that arrived with our petit-fours. It was at this time my attention was drawn by the sound of a cocktail shaker. I looked over and saw that the Asian couple who had not finished a single glass of wine (they had half drank glasses from each course in front of them) had declined coffee and instead requested espresso martinis. I suppose that is one way to end a meal. The presentation of the Petit-fours was in and of itself a work of art. Each of the 8 bites (4 and 4) on its own glass pedestal. Now if that is not classy, I don’t know what it.

Nearly four hours after the meal began we were ready to depart. Very full and very satiated. The meal full of moments we will remember for the rest of our lives. Like when Sean got up to go to the bathroom and two waiters pulled back the table. While he was gone, one came around with a pair of tongs and collected his used napkin. A moment later he was back at the table. The waiters surprised and confused scrambled back to adjust the table. The head waiter coming over to ask what happened. Sean informed him the bathroom was occupied and he would wait. The waiter said he would inform Sean the moment it was free. If it had been me, I would have just waited for the bathroom to be free but Sean often returns to the table to wait. While we are chit chatting the head waiter returns and informs Sean that the bathroom is not occupied. That all patrons in the restaurant are at their tables and that the door is a sliding door so attempting to push or pull it would not open it. I had to try very hard not to laugh that Sean had been bested by a bathroom door. The waiter was kind enough to escort Sean to the restroom AND open the door.

A meal to remember

Three star Michelin dining is an experience to remember. I think now having been to restaurants with all four Michelin designations (plate, 1 star, 2 stars, and 3 stars), I generally prefer plate and 1 star restaurants. On the whole, they tend to be younger (and often more innovative) chefs early in their career and a lot more relaxed (and of course much cheaper). I find being waited on hand and foot a bit onerous overall. I prefer a more approachable (less classist) dining experience. I am convinced that the stuffy formal dining that is common of current two and three star Michelin restaurants will fall by the wayside as a new generation of chefs earn their place.

Up next One Night in Toledo (not Ohio).