A Night in The Bazaar: Not Just Smoke and Mirrors

This morning I woke up with a giant smile on my face. You see, last night I had the pleasure of dining at The Bazaar by Spanish culinary wizard José Andrés, and I was rehashing the meal in my head. The dining room at The Bazaar is a stunning amalgam of blacks and reds, back lit glass cubes, and graffiti-laden chalkboards: a marriage of modern design and organic lines. Whimsical, yet not over the top. Dramatic, yet inviting. And the best part, despite a world-renowned chef and a Beverly Hills zip code, completely *not* stuffy. Loud, boisterous, and elegantly casual would be a better description.

I documented every plate that Antanas, John and I consumed with photographs (see above slide show), so I will spare you every last gorey detail here, save for some highlights. Oh, there were many highlights. I was pleasantly surprised to note that The Bazaar offers both traditional and modern tapas as I am an old-fashioned girl at heart. With one exception (the Watermelon Nigiri, which my whole party thought was overpowered by wasabi) every dish we ordered was spot on. Well executed, well presented, and and absolutely exciting to eat. Among my favorites: cotton candy foie gras (hurray!), chicken and bechamel croquetas, (crispy on the outside with a molten bechamel center) and pa am tomàquet (the perfect bread, not too dense, not too airy, with a perfectly crunchy crust, porous enough to soak in the tomato goodness.) And the mini-brioche sandwiches with quince and foie gras...well, they had me singing "hallelujah." We moved to the quieter patisserie for dessert and a change of scenery. The patisserie space is dominated by a gorgeous white glass curlicue chandelier and is dotted with high (think bar height) and low (think pint-sized) seating and shared the Coconut Floating Island with Roasted Bananas and Berries with Coconut Cream and Lime. Both light, airy, and dreamy.

I was fortunate enough to eat in a couple of Michelin star restaurants in Italy this summer, and I have to say I was underwhelmed. Too often a restaurant with a daring or elaborate interior can't back it up in the kitchen. Or the service falls flat, or conversely, is overbearing. Or the chef just plain takes him/herself way too seriously. It is *only* food after all. The Bazaar's expertly balances all three and the result is a visual and sensual delight rarely experienced when dining out.

The Bazaar is smart, flirty, bold, well-groomed, technically competent, extremely good looking, and has that European accent that I love. If I could marry a restaurant, I would propose right this minute to The Bazaar. Or at the very least, I'd like The Bazaar to know I have a mad, mad crush and I'd like to hang out again real soon.

Related links:

The Bazaar
José Andrés at Amazon.com
Molecular gastronomy
Tapas

Do you have a new restaurant crush? Tell me about it.

--StellaCadente*

Follow me on Twitter @pomodorista

Comments

[CindyW on May 30, 2010 at 06:45 PM]

Oh, I am very jealous. I've long admired Jose Andres (from afar), and everything he does seems so beautiful. . . but somehow playful and humorous, too. Thanks for sharing your video!

[StellaCadente* on May 30, 2010 at 08:40 PM]

If you ever have a chance to eat at one of his restaurants, do it!