Kristian's Corner

Miscellaneous ramblings about food, wine, travel and more. If you like our restaurants, you'll probably appreciate the reviews for similar restaurants around the world. Check back once in a while, since I update my entries as I remember new things.

Here are some notes from my recent trip to Spain. The majority of our time was spent in Barcelona and Madrid. These notes are NOT edited in any way and only represent my initial notes. I'll flesh them out over the next week or so, as my cava-addled mind comes back online.

La Clara for tapas- 442 Gran Via des les Cortes, Barcelona - This is a nice little tapas bar with decent food. We didn’t really have a LOT to eat here, so it isn’t fair to judge it one way or the other. We realized afterward that this was the place that Mark Bittman and Claudia Bossols began their trek for the PBS series “Spain: A Road Trip” with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow. They don’t rave about it, but it’s hard to tell if they ate much there either.

Depeche Mode concert at Palau Sant Jordi – I can’t tell you how excited I was to be able to see this band, especially after traveling all the way to Bulgaria to see them back in the spring, only to have them cancel at the last minute due to a medical emergency. We really lucked out this time. Not only were we able to get floor tickets on the street for less than face value, but also walked in just as they came on stage and put on a fantastic show. The weather was beautiful, so the walk past the palace and through the streets of Barcelona at night made it even better.

Lunch at OM Hotel restaurant Moo – 265 Calle Rossello – Though we’ve never stayed at Hotel OM, it’s only because it was under construction the last time we were in Barcelona and, this time, because the dollar simply sucks and it would have cost a fortune to stay here. We did, however, have a fantastic lunch at their bistro MOO.

I just got back from a weekend at Miami’s South Beach for the Food Network’s Food and Wine Festival and I am both well rested AND worn out. While I was able to catch up on some sleep I’ve been missing the past couple months, I also partied like a rock star and have quickly realized that I’m not 23 anymore. It wasn’t the partying, so much, as it was the recuperating, which took a lot longer than I recall it ever taking before. So, here’s a brief review of the festival and South Beach.

This was the first time I’ve ever been in South Beach, even though I’ve read about its architecture for years and have seen it depicted in various movies. The famed architecture is definitely worth the trip! Its simply unbelievable how many beautiful examples of 50’s hotel architecture is still there and has either been renovated or is in the process of being renovated. I walked miles and miles between events and was simply blown away the cool vibe of the whole place. If it wasn’t for all the Guidos, Euro-Trash and Paris Hilton wanna-bes, I’d definitely visit their more often.

We started Friday evening with the BubbleQ, which was held on the beach in front of the Delano (gorgeous!) and included over thirty chefs presenting BBQ dishes which we washed down with bottle after bottle of Perrier-Jouet Champagne. Fantastic! Tom Colicchio and Guy Fiere were there mingling and it was a first-class event! After plowing through that hangover with some Cuban coffee the next morning, we headed to the American Express Grand Tasting a little further down the beach. We were there for ten full minutes; just long enough to realize that if you ‘enjoyed’ waiting in lines for everything, then this was the event for you. Not us. We skipped across the street, ordered margaritas as big as our heads and watched the people of South Beach, which was a hoot. Girls (AND 60 year-old women) with gigantic fake breasts/lips/butts/whatevah, guys with expensive sunglasses and Ed hardy t-shirts (you’d swear they are required to wear this ridiculous outfit, since all the meatheads seemed to be sporting it), Germans with socks and sandals, Midwesterners with their jaws hanging open while they fished in their fanny-packs for their cameras…I could go on and on, so needless to say, the people-watching is priceless in South Beach. Worth a trip just for that.

Saturday evening was spent at Emeril Legasse’s Tribute Dinner at the Loew’s Hotel. It was a beautiful event and the food was great, but it took a LOOOONG time from start to finish, and once again, we drank our weight in Champagne. The highlight was after the dinner when we spent time with Mario Batali (who has lost a considerable amount of weight), Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken and Emeril before heading over to the Deuce for a cold beer with a buddy from Australia who also happened to be there (his Muscat was the final wine pairing with Eric Ripert’s decadent dessert).

For Sunday brunch, we were invited to a private “Claws and Cru” event at Joe’s Stone Crab presented by Veuve Clicquot (uh-oh…here we go again). This, like the Grand Tasting on the beach, was another event I was happy I didn’t pay for, as I realized I’m simply not that crazy about crab claws (which are wicked expensive). I did, however, THOROUGHLY enjoy the nonstop Champagne and fresh berries. I enjoyed them so much, I had to take a two hour nap at the pool. Luckily it was under an umbrella-ella-ella, so I’m not as red as a rock lobstah. For dinner, we headed over to Talulah, a great little place owned by the husband-wife team of Frank and Andrea Randazzo. Andrea was named one of Food and Wine Magazine’s Hottest Upcoming Chefs in ’03 and has crafted a great menu that I think you’d really like if you ever end up in South Beach.

We stayed at the Gansevoort Hotel, which was posh, swanky, hip and all that stuff, but also receives serious props for some of the comfiest hotel beds I’ve ever crashed in. The first couple nights I thought maybe it was simply because I was so exhausted (I actually slept until 9:48 one morning! I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a teen), but they were simply heavenly. For how much the hotel was, however, they should be some damn fine beds. Since I was a guest at all the events and the hotel was my only expense, I didn’t flinch too much when they charged the card. I still flinched, though.

Overall, I liked South Beach. I’m not a fan of the Grand Tasting Village for the festival, as I feel they sell too many tickets and it ends up being a line-fest. However, if you want to see your favorite Food Network chef do a demo or get your cookbook signed by one of them, it’s pretty cool. That’s not my thing and neither is waiting in line, so I’d have to pass on that event if I ever went back. The other events were a blast, even if my reasons for that simply come down to the constant stream of bubbly that got poured down my gullet.

In Kristan's Corner you'll find links to my Wine & Food musings and my ever-so-popular Travelogues. Just click the links above.