El Bulli .. not on top any more
 

I am enclosing the latest review and award message for the newest top number one restaurant of the top 50...
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110419/lf_nm_life/us_food_restaurants_noma

My husband and I just received an e-mail from El Bulli asking us to be patient for ouf reservation. We asked for any night during the week of June 13-18. The wrote back they are closed that Monday and Tuesday and have two private parties on the16 and 17 which leaves only Wednesday the 15. We are still anticipating the booking.

I wonder if anyone has eaten at restaurant Noma which is somewhat near Elkano? We are booked in at Elkano Thursday the 9; of the two (Noma + Elkano) which or both would be your choice? We are celebrating our 36 anniversary and wish to have at least 3 or 4 "world class" dinning experiences albeit every single meal actually will be remarkable!

I just wish to add this article

http://www.time.com/time/world/artic...rss-topstories

I am guessing El Bulli's already in a bit of a decline. If you know you're going to shut down and are losing scads and scads of money, how hard would you try?

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...e-permanently/

Well, El Bulli is closing forever at the end of July, so you wouldn't be able to brag much about it since nobody would care. I thought that people had gotten over "foam" which was why its time has passed.

As for that list of best restaurants, it is almost completely based on ephemeral fads. You might want to do some more serious research if you are really looking for fine dining.

here is the top 50 list
www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners

curious, I think you´re wrong...Noma is in DENMARK and Elkano is in Getaria, BASQUE COUNTRY!!!!!!!! Just some thousands of miles away...

curious, I think you´re wrong...Noma is in DENMARK and Elkano is in Getaria, BASQUE COUNTRY!!!!!!!! Just some thousands of miles away...

kerouac, you are so right and we do want the more integrity firm restaurant for our experiences. We were looking for the one avant-garde experience and most likely we will look elsewhere. Offerings please..

I am sorry for the question about which...yes Mikelg the Noma is no where near Spain. My fingers got away from me.

The Basque Country has the largest number of Michelin starred restaurants per capita in the world. That just shows how important food is for us...we don´t go to these restaurants and leave them for visitors, mainly...there are so many excellent restaurants here that it´s difficult to choose. In any case, Elkano is a great option, mainly for fish.

I am hopping on this thread because I will be in Deba, near San Sebastian and Getaria. (I will also stay in San Sebastian where I will eat mostly pintxos, as Arzak is not really in the budget). Maybe the OP meant Arzak or one of the other Basque places on the list?
I may try Elkano for lunch.
Any suggestions in Deba or Elantxobe?

One of the reasons we chose Elkano is because of the fish and we hope to eat shell fish (Percebes) and all things indigenous since that is the true reason for our visit...NOT for foam.
We are also eating at Etxebarri. Those 2 are our only bookings thus far.

Hi StCirq, thank you for the article. I have known that because I have been having a running dialogue with El Bulli. If we had the opportunity to "dine" there it merely would be for the oddity not for the sumptuousness had at most restaurants.

I thought percebes was "barnacles" in English...a true delicacy, available in many restaurants. Etxebarri is an excellent option in a beautiful surrounding. I´d recommend Boroa in Amorebieta, as well (not far from Etxebarri) or Azurmendi and Horma Ondo in Larrabetzu.

Yorkshire, I don´t think you´ll find many places to eat in Elantxobe, small and steep town, no room for many cars thus not many possibilities to eat there. You may try Zallo Berri in Gernika (the chef is going to NY on a tourneé of Basque cooks in the US), I just had some visitors and took them there and they loooooved it.

Thanks for the recommendations mikelg!

>I thought percebes was "barnacles" in English<

Exactly - barnacles are crustaceans, as are shrimp, crabs, and lobsters, so "shellfish" is appropriate. Biologists have described barnacles as "a little shrimp-like animal, living in a limestone house, standing on its head kicking food into its mouth with its feet."

I have only read about them, but everything I've heard is that they're wonderful!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CCEQ9QEwBA

It´s like putting all the sea flavour in your mouth with just a bit...absolutely delicious

I am looking forward to the savory precede morsels and then some.
As for dining at El Bulli..it was just for the foam of it. Ha Ha
Now it is a game to see if we actually do "win the lottery" and get a booking.
Truly, with all the restaurants in the offering, I believe my husband and I shall be feasting regardless. I am reading of so many tasty restaurants we would need three years of constant eating to put a dent in the choices.

I meant, "just a bite. There´s only one correct way to eat them, so if in doubt (and you will doubt, for sure), ask the waiter.

What about Mugaritz, Akelare or Martin Berasetegui?

Egbert, Martin Berasetegui Restaurant seems a lovely next choice. The cost for "lovely" appears to be something to take a deep breath about.
We are luncheoning at Etxebarri and dinner at Elkano thus far and possibly for the "foam" of it at El Bulli (maybe we will skip it since it has fallen away plus if we go to M. Berasetegui it is redundant.)

If you were to expend the financial dinning dollar throughout out a month long itinerary .. where would you go to celebrate. Madrid, la Rioja, Bilbao, Lekeitio, San Sebastian, Roses, and Barcelona. We would like at least one choice for Madrid and Barcelona. Not every meal needs to be a starred restaurant for certain..just solid respect for the chef's talent with food and in a inviting environment. A street corner food wagon might be stellar too.

Mikelg, I think you had suggested Sant Pau, Carme Ruscalleda's restaurant. I se that it is very near Barcelona (29 miles north) and maybe that would be a choice spot for an anniversary meal.

If you are so interested in the Adria style, see if you can get a reservation at Tickets, their new restaurant in Barcelona. I had an excellent meal there just after they opened in March. And it cost me a lot less than a dinner at El Bulli.

I usually can't afford these great restaurants. I believe lunch at Martin B was $185 usd per person last time. Maribelsguides.com has plenty of great suggestions. Revulgo on tripadvisor seems to give really good advice, he lives in Madrid. I've been following him and I have a wish list in Madrid that includes: Viridiana, Sant Celoni, Ramon Freixa, Goizeko, Sergi Arola gastro, La Terraza del Casino. La Trainera in Madrid is a stunning seafood place where percebes is a specialty. Oh and the whole grilled rodaballo is the thing one must have at Elkano. Sounds like you have an incredible trip planned!

Sant Pau, in Sant Pol de Mar, is absolutely a must..and you can get there on a lovely train that runs along the very coastline. Three hours of unexpected dishes, overlooking the garden and the sea, wonderful desserts, a long list of selected wines and a nice little village to enjoy the afterlunch...

Egbert, we too cannot afford the exorbitant rates asked by those restaurants "of great renowned." Moreover we are intrigued by the sensitivity to creative luscious memorable meals and then spend. We are extending ourselves because of our stellar anniversary..36 years..only since 2005 have we gone on vacations. I have had a private practice that I could not leave for extended days nor could my husband from his work. I made a corporate decision in 2005 to JUST DO IT and so we are now over indulging. 30 years no trips..now all out..woohoo.
We are hungry for dense experiences..not necessary to spend a fortune.

Mikelg, since we are returning our car when we get to Barcelona, you really think we should train up to Sant Pau for lunch or dinner?

Train would be just fine, maybe better for lunch as I´m not sure what time the last train departs from Sant Pau. In any case, a rental car in Pepecar or any other cheap rental agency should not be very expensive (it takes a bit over half hour more or less to get there)