April 18, 2010 | High and Low Dining: Barcelona
Nicknamed “Los Torres gemelos” (“the twin towers”) by the Spanish news media, the chefs Sergio and Javier Torres, twin brothers and Barcelona natives, spent more than a decade in the kitchens of mega-chefs like Santi Santamaria and Alain Ducasse; they also run Restaurant Eñe in São Paolo. At Dos Cielos, the Barcelona restaurant they opened in 2008, the brothers blend the richness and elegance of modern Mediterranean cuisine with a distinctly light touch.
Diners arriving at the restaurant, which floats above the city on the 24th floor of the Hotel Melia ME, are typically greeted by Sergio and Javier, who lead their team of 12 cooks in an open kitchen from a long table that overlooks the crisp white dining room. On a recent visit, the eight-course tasting menu (diners can also create their own custom menu for an additional charge) got under way with two amuse-bouches — a cherry tomato injected with basil cream and a light-as-air buñuelo de bacalao (cod fritter) — two small bites that released big flavors. Then the courses started arriving, including a savory foie gras ravioli served in a broth flavored with dried tomato and black olives that offered a revelatory interpretation of classic Mediterranean ingredients.
Other standout dishes included a beautiful little vegetable stockpot composed of 35 different organic vegetables and wild mushrooms, followed by a rich squid-ink risotto topped by a bit of local sea cucumber. A filet of hake was made buttery soft after being cooked in a Gastrovac — the low-temperature, slow-cooking invention that Sergio Torres developed with help from a Spanish university. Another entree of wild hare, a confit of tender meat beneath an inky reduction sauce enriched with rabbit blood, delivered layers of intense flavor.
A palate-cleansing “pre-dessert” of tea-flavored gelatin topped with tart lemon sorbet was followed by a brightly flavored and visually sunny layering of citrus in multiple forms: cake, mousse, cream and fruit. Chocolate did not make an appearance until petits fours arrived with the coffee — making this exquisite and extravagant meal almost seem downright healthy.
Dos Cielos, Hotel Melia ME, Diagonal Pere IV; 34-93-367-2070; doscielos.com. The eight-course tasting menu is 80 euros, or about $105 at $1.32 to the euro. A 15-euro cheese course can be added; wine pairings are an additional 35 euros.
By: Andrew Ferren
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/travel/18Barcelona.html
