AlwaysTraveling: O Ya (Boston, MA)

Zach Aarons — August 21, 2009

Bottom left, Hamachi Nigiri with Spicy Banana Pepper Mousse. Right, Warm Eel with Thai Basil, Kabayaki, and Fresh Kyoto Sansho.

Restaurant: O Ya (view site)
Address: 9 East Street, Boston, MA‎, 02111 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Foie Gras Nigiri, Fried Kumamoto Oyster Nigiri, La Ratte Potato Chip Nigiri, House Smoked Wagyu Nigiri

In 2008, The New York Times’ restaurant critic, Frank Bruni, put O Ya at the top of his list of the “country’s best new restaurants.” The following year, Boston Magazine named it “Best of Boston 2009, General Excellence.” More accolades followed. Most importantly though, Jeff suggested that I go there, so I recently visited to see if O Ya could dispel my skepticism about Boston’s culinary scene.

O Ya is pleasant and unpretentious. The menu is divided into two sections. The front features nigiri and sashimi, while the back includes vegetables, meats, salads, soups, and several interestingly named categories: ‘truffles & eggs,’ ‘other stuff,’ and ‘something crunchy in it.’

We ordered omakase, which focused on the nigiri and sashimi. It began with oysters— one of two prominent appearances of this ingredient that seemed strategically timed. Though both dishes featured Kumamoto oysters, they could not have been more different. The first was a summery dish that opened up the palate with bright, delightful flavors: Fresh Kumamoto Oyster coupled with Watermelon pearls and Cucumber Mignonette.

At the meal’s midpoint, just as the memory of the fresh oyster began to fade, the evening’s best dish arrived, Fried Kumamoto Oyster with Yuzu Kosho Aioli and Squid Ink Bubbles. The fried oyster was light and fluffy, but possessed dark, savory flavors. Its squid ink bubbles paired elements of traditional Japanese cooking, avant-garde gastronomic technique, and good old New England-style seafood. The oyster was a masterpiece that melted away mellifluously. It was unlike any oyster I have ever tasted.

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AlwaysTraveling: El Bulli (Roses, Spain‎)

Jeff Zalaznick — June 16, 2009

In honor of tonight’s late opening of El Bulli (it usually opens in April) I thought it appropriate to publish my meal of July 24th, last year (above, Sea Anemone 2008). I do not know why it has taken me so long to share this, but for some reason I needed to let it marinate for a bit.

History:

For the unitiated, El Bulli overlooks the Cala Montjoi Bay in Roses on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain, and unbelievably, was founded as a minigolf installation in 1961 by a German couple who named it for their French bulldogs (a breed known colloquially as bulli). The year 1964 saw the restaurant’s first incarnation, which won its first Michelin star in 1976 with Chef Jean-Louis Neichel, and its second (1990) and third (1997) stars with Ferran Adrià, who started there in 1984 and took the helm in 1987. At last count, El Bulli employed more than 40 chefs and is a temple of molecular gastronomy . El Bulli has been judged the world’s best restaurant a record five times (2002 & 2006-2009).

 

My Thoughts:

1) El Bulli makes you feel better about yourself as a person and proud of yourself as an eater.

At El Bulli, you feel incredible about yourself. You have made it. You are holding court in the king’s castle. The culinary holy grail (above, Razor Clam / Laurencia). It is a totally surreal experience. Euphoria seizes your grip on reality. Finally, you can walk with your head held high amongst the culinary elite. You get to truly savor this feeling because as one of the eight thousand (out of two million) who will get to eat there this summer, there is no rush. I sat down at 7pm and finished well after 1am. We then sat on the terrace (a must) for a few hours— that’s an eight-hour meal. In order to truly appreciate this, one needs to be an experienced eater. It makes all the hard work worth it.

 

2) The El Bulli team is incredible.

The swagger and exclusivity that you would think would come with the territory is non-existent. Upon arrival, you are greeted graciously by Juli Soler (Chef Ferran Adrià‘s partner in crime) but so casually that you feel as if you made the reservation on OpenTable a few hours before, not as if you had been trying for years of your life (above, Water Lily).

3) I understand why El Bulli is considered the best restaurant in the world.

El Bulli was not the best meal of my life. But it was the most interesting, and food-wise, the most intense. It totally blurred the lines between what was edible and what was art. It humbles dining experts, as it makes you realize that there are still so many gastronomic boundaries to be explored and broken.

Everything at El Bulli is fun. Everything is perfect in its own way. This is exactly what is so impressive: the El Bulli Way is different. In this oversaturated food world, where trends take control and dishes start to seem similar, it is so seldom that we actually find something or someone who is doing it truly in their own way. That is why El Bulli is so special. They do it their way. And, their way is fantastic.

4) You got to have friends.

Losing my El Bulli virginity was a team effort by way of a wonderful marriage between my closest friend Zach Aarons and Camilla Gale. Had Zach not had the foresight to ask Camilla to be his wife, I would have never been asked to Provence for the engagement party. Had I never been asked to Provence, had Zach not had the good fortune to get a reservation and had someone not dropped out, then I would still be living the shameful existence that is never having been to El Bulli. Zach, good choice.

Honestly though, I was truly honored to be a part of this historic meal between the Gale and Aarons families, and I cannot thank both of you enough for including me. Now, the question is, where are we going this summer?

Overview:

Restaurant: Restaurante El Bulli
Address: Cala Montjoi, Ap. 30 17480, Roses, Girona, Spain‎ (view map)
Rating: *** (Michelin)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Parmesan “Air”, Hot & Cold Pea Soup, Spherical Olives, Sea Anemones, Rabbit Brains – menu changes constantly though so just go with it

Click here to see the entire El Bulli meal, in order, Dish by Dish >>