The history of Michelin rated restaurants was to encourage food enthusiasts to travel beyond the city to dining destinations. The star count of one, two, or three quantifies the worthiness of the journey.
Mugaritz
Mugaritz in the outer parts of San Sebastian, Spain is a true destination dining experience more than worth the plane flight and drive into the countryside.
Opened in 1998, the restaurant is now a revolutionary classic.
The name Mugaritz refers to the property’s 200-year-old old tree – it is the “frontier oak”. The restaurant is a Basque farmhouse which was built and designed to respect the surroundings.
Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz
Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz has more than proven himself to be the natural heir of the title of Spain’s most pioneering chef after Ferran Adriá. His creativity, innovation, and versatility excel as he emphasizes local produce. His cooking has been labeled “Techno-emotional Spanish cuisine”.
Andoni’s philosophy focuses on eating as a path to a multi-sensory experience with the use of story-telling, history, aromas, textures, flavors, games, memories, desires, and other such emotions.
The Dining Experience
Service also plays a role in the experience. The hospitality is phenomenal and oozes with Spanish charm. It is a fine dining setting with no stiffness or snobbery, and everyone feels like a VIP.
Come hungry and eager for the 24-course tasting menu. With it, you will have a choice of whether you want to keep the menu closed and be surprised for every course or to read the descriptions of each course and anticipate its arrival based on the title and description.
The meal is not just about the amazing food. It is interactive theater as there is a sense of play which is unpredictable, thrilling, mystifying, and entertaining.
The Mugaritz herb garden. The garden greets guests as they walk from the parking lot to the entrance. Chefs come out to the garden throughout the day to cut herbs for the day’s menuThe dining room. Minimalist and no frills. It’s all about the food and the dining experienceFried herbs from the garden with clashing aromas. Fried chive with its flowers. So simple, yet the detail of intricately frying the little flowers is so complex. An explosion of flavors and texturesSmoked toast, 100% lobster. Everything, except the rock, is 100% lobsterGrilled toast on bone marrow with herbs and horseradish ashEdible stones on “dirt”…Baked potatoes! As heavy as a stone, but it won’t crack your teethTime to take a break from the table and take a tour of the kitchen. Behind the scenes access to meet the chefs and learn more about the Mugaritz processMorcilla foie gras macaron. A fantastic, fascinating treat in the kitchenAlong with the tour, you can also take photos with the chefs. Here’s Joserra, our funny and charming maître de’s selfie on my phone before taking our photoCold peach and razor clams. Refreshingly cold with razor clams so fresh it is like you are eating them straight from the fisherman on the boat“Bloody Mary” tomato. I love bloody marys. I love heirloom tomatoes. Naturally, I loved thisPoultry Royale, a game of Astragals Royale. Time to play a game with your table. Winner gets caviar!Grilled squid with onion. Perfectly cooked squid with sheets of squid inkRed mullet in a butter of its own liver with an almond and bread crustingSweetbread of suckling lamb with seasonal mushrooms. Topped with garlic flowers. Flavored with Chinese inspiration. The garlic flowers have an incredible potency and freshnessSheets of “entrecula”. Grilled steak emulsion and salt crystalsPreparing our first dessert. “Baking” the cake and brushing off the hot ashes from the grillThe cake with iced rye cream and aged toffeeMoving from the dining room to the outdoor area to have a change of scenery for the rest of our dessert coursesFrozen almond turron. I love all three words individually. Put together, and it is even betterMocha in its lightest version, as light and crisp wafersDuring the meal, Joserra discovered we had a birthday celebrant. He came out with a treat from the kitchen – they baked a cake!But, they enjoyed it as well (or so he said for a funny story). The remnants of the cake!The grande finale: The 7 Deadly SinsEnvy in the form of chocolate coinsGluttony in the form of hazelnuts covered in chocolate truffle – and a lot of themGreed in the form of nothing!
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