"The service was O.K." they say

Nowadays no one mentions the waiters any more. Critics write mainly about chefs in BIG LETTERS, but when it comes to the analisis of the front of house, they just describe it as "the service". "The service was all right, but the food was amazing" is the most often heart opinion. Well, if we stay possitive, because mainly people do not even mention "the service".

I ask myself if it is due to the fact that the puplic has no clue what good and bad service is or means. There was a time, when working as a waiter was a big deal, with the all those spectacular preparation in front of the customer: Pealing an orange with fork and knife, flames in the air when the waiter added some kind of delicious liqueur to the pan, where the caramelized cream sat waiting for the crêpe suzette, pieces of poultry were carved elegantly and placed with its buttery sauce,... I imagine those as the golden years.

I'm not trying to take the credit from the great work of a lot of chefs and kitchen crews, but I believe a large percentage of those customers, who like to give their strict point of view about taste, aromas, design of a dish, ect, do not even have the gastonomic values to do so. Maybe it is indeed better "the service" is not mentioned too often.

But I still do not agree. The waiters in Madrid are known for being daily on time ( saying this I mean time even for a coffee and a fag before start), perfectly dressed in their pullished black shoes, black socks, ironed black trousers and white shirt, bottleopener, lighter, several pencils and fresh orderpad.

Do they say sallute and say goodbye at your arrival and at your leaving? Yes.
Are they helpful and cooperative 24/7? They usually are. 
Are they overfriendly obeying to every single wish each customer may have? Not always.
Do they always have a smile on their face? No.
Do they know what they are doing? Oh yeah!
Are they professionals, having knoledge about food, spirits, aperitifs, coffees, wines, ect.? The hell yes.

I really think the clientelle expects these workers to be always smily and polite, but do not have in consideration all the rest. If you want to have a good example of this, visit BAR PEYMA ( calle embajadores, 38 MADRID ).

 Long life to real waiters!!

"The Artist" and La Gabinoteca

Yesterday I went to the movies and watched "The Artist", directed by Michel Hazanavicius, and it gave me a lot to think about. We could spend hours arguing about the correct definition of the concept "art" and about the necessary characteristics for a person to be considered an artist. 

By the same token, we could start arguing about the features that make up the goodness of a restaurant.  Well, it is definitely possible to catalogue restaurants into "good restaurants" and "bad restaurants", but I think there are a huge amount of elements involved in the evaluation of a good restaurant that it is hard to specify. Good quality food and a friendly service are a must; there is no doubt about that! But on top of the basics, do we consider a proper location to be essential for a good restaurant? What about the interior design including the furniture, cutlery, glassware, crockery? Does the visit have to differ from others in such a way to even be considered as a whole new experience? When does the restaurant experience start and when does it end? Heston Blumenthal sends a package to your own house with sweets and candies, which are supposed to remind you of your childhood, starting at that precise moment the tasting menu that will end after the 4 hour feast at his restaurant Fat Duck. 

I had my thoughts about this and other stuff analyzing my recent experience at the restaurant "La Gabinoteca".
The restaurant is located in a side road off Calle de José Abascal, that is a very busy road in a posh area of Madrid.
In my opinion the best part of this place is the facade. They got rid of the thick walls and enormous glasses were placed instead, which give everyone the chance to see from outside what is happening inside and the other way round. There must have been 3 floors before, but they have achieved  to combine them into a unique space of different levels. This design transmits you the feeling of not being discriminated against sitting at the bar or at the entrance instead of sitting at the table, because the costumes sitting at the table might feel they would prefer to sit at the bar or at the entrance. The designers have taken advantage of all available spaces, bestowing each of them with a privilege.

It was a Wednesday and the place was packed. On top of that, their reservation policy is "no reservations", that I always consider to be a signal that business works.
 Lara and me sat at the bar located in the lower level, enjoyed firstly a pretty good Mahou "caña", and we ordered 7 different dishes. The prices per dish are very reasonable so that you can make a proper selection of what you fancy that day. The main idea of their food, in my view, is to offer good quality products, that only need a quick preparation, presented in very eloquent packaging. One of the dishes is a hen's egg with soft poached potato and truffle oil, which is served in a glass with a lit, like the containers used in Spain to sell a type of yogurt called "cuajada". The monkfish burger and the pedigree hot dog are presented in their original plastic brown-grey coloured packaging.
The lady at the reception desk was welcoming and the service at the bar was professionally kind.
Our experience was great and full of surprises! Even if the food was not the Best, because it lacked some punchy elements like contrasts and stronger flavors, I can review it as a good restaurant.

Name of the restaurant : La Gabinoteca

Web page: http://lagabinoteca.es/1200.html

Head Chef: Nino Reduello

Address: Calle Fernández de la Hoz 53

Tlf : +34 399 15 00

Better than guide books

Nowadays it is much easier and cheaper to travel than ever. Lots of low cost flights, better and more comfortable public transport systems in metropolitan cities, a wide offer of hotels and a ferocious competition among them, which makes their prices shrink , an internationalisation in the world of gastronomy, etc. These are some of the reasons why the number of travelers has increased enormously in the last decade.

Because travelers are more experienced, they have changed their criteria in most aspects. Planning a trip must be faster than before and more direct than ever. Technology has made this possible, thanks to the globalisation of internet and the development in the mobile phone industry. Travel agencies have gone through a tough time, and the ones that have survived, have been forced to change their strategy.  Everyone with an internet connection can plan a trip by him/herself. A spontaneous travel can work out perfectly well, because you have the chance to plan "on the way", even if you are already at the destination. In the past, you used to help yourself to a guide book, to have a feeling for the restaurant offer ,but nowadays you just have to  switch on your smartphone or your laptop and you can check out the opinion of others. Will you trust those sudden food-critics ? In my opinion this is a tricky situation, because no one knows, which criteria those other people are applying. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this because it's not in my interest, but it is true.

How about having the experience before you visit the restaurant? Great!!  That was my feeling when I saw Anthony Bourdain's show " No Reservation" in Madrid. I think the selection of colleagues he picks and the places he is taken to, give the audience some worthy recommendations where to go in Madrid. Here is the link to the TV serie. If you suffer of bad appetite, this is definitely a good medicine.

¿Madrid?

Madrid. Those who have  been once in Madrid know what it represents. Who has not been there, doesn't. It makes sense.
It is not one of the world most famous destinations, yet. If you haven't been to London, Paris, New York or Barcelona ( for example ) you don't really know what life is all about, but if you have never visited Madrid, it seems not to be a big loss.
This may sound as if I am offended about the fact, but I truly have to admit I'm not. I can even say I'm proud of it.
Proud because "the madrileños" are conscious about their lifestyle, costumes and culture and they believe that keeping it real and simple is the best way to make people understand.  It sounds strange to say that presently not doing anything is more difficult than making a big effort, but in the field of tourism, as well as in other industries, things have become contradictory.
Madrid was a unknown village in the middle of Castilla until 1561, when Felipe II decided to move the administration from Toledo to Madrid. The town started growing and people from all around Spain moved to serve the crown and to contribute to the development of the new capital.
Still nowadays Madrid is very Spanish. I mean it in a possitive way, of course. Spanish because those people who left their home town,carried their cultures with them to the new destination mixing them all up to create a new one.
Now lets talk about serious stuff, food. As I consider gastronomy one of the most important parts of a culture, you can conclude that in Madrid it is possible to find food from all around Spain. Traditional catalan, andalusian and vasque recipes  are part of the local gastronomy. Men and women, who are the x generation that lives in Madrid, open traditional galician fish and sea food restaurants not shy of admiting that they are and feel  "madrileños". In addition to this,  Madrid is the most important market place and  the main distribution center for food stuff on the Peninsula Ibérica , what gives the restauranteurs the chance to shop the freshest fish, sea food, meat and vegetables for the preparation of their daily rotation menus.
The combination of both describes a panorama of quality and variety.
The inhabitants of this town have a vital necessity of eating out regularly and that is why restaurants and market places can keep their prices reasonable, still mantaining their GDP. Of course there are bars and restaurants that sell and charge for everything but quality ( design, fashion, location,...), but in my experience they are the fewest.
Let's grap a pen and a paper, photo camara and the wallet and start discovering.