By Executive Chef Steven Brand, Barcelona Brookline
One of the most delicious days of my life was the third day of our trip. First thing in the morning we went to the beach outside of Valencia and went for a dip in the Mediterranean. After swimming for an hour we walked across the parking lot to Lo Golero, a bar and restaurant which specializes in rice dishes, since they grow the rice right next door.
The meal, which we enjoyed barefoot, was spectacular. Apparently the owner of the restaurant dug oysters and clams for us while we were swimming, so the meal began with these. The oysters were raw, and the clams were steamed with a puree of almonds, bread, and garlic.
There were several highlights of this meal: the smoked eel on pan con tomato, fried eel belly to accompany, and the three paellas. One paella was duck, one squid ink, and one mariscos. Gretchen picked wines to accompany, a white priorat, and a rose made by Gramona, who we visited the day before.
After a very full-bellied car ride, we arrived in Valencia. The mission in this city was a restaurant called Casa Montana. This restaurant is situated in a rough part of town, with a completely unassuming exterior. The dinner we had was sublime.
Starting with very high-quality anchovies and ending with egg yolk flan, this meal was a solid ten. Some of the highlights include salt cod brandade broiled on top of toast, raw tuna with seven spices, and seared oxtail with green garlic. The most surprising dish that we had was dried fava beans that were cooked with beef jus and tomato and garlic. So simple and so rich and delicious. All of these are worthy of being recreated at a Barcelona near you (and will be).
