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| American Dream Cuisine™ |
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| In
Barcelona Receives |
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Society |
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6 Stars
& Stripes
Cuisine & Service |
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The Ultimate
Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes™ |
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"A classical Oriental touch of tender pink and earthy gold
- and
that made all the difference..." Thorsten Piosczyk |
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The admiration and dedication written on each team
members face, amidst a flurry of activity deep inside the command center of
L'Orangerie, was for their passionate leader Executive Chef Daniel Bausá
as he focused on each inspired creation being prepared for delivery to guests
of this successfully acclaimed restaurant.
My fortunate introduction at this
precise moment truly gave me personal insight into the everyday workings of a
Master Chef and his team whose current cuisine theme for this month during
Culinary Year is “Oranges”. Never at a loss for creativity, Chef
Bausá inaugurated his idea to change food themes each month throughout
the year in an effort to highlight some of Barcelona's most sought after
locally grown produce. Of course, an orange is an orange unless it is carefully
utilized in the hands of Chef Bausá's inspired innovative art. The theme
continues monthly and consists of "Asparagus" for April and "Strawberries" for
May. This brings to mind the awesome resourcefulness necessary in this sort of
"Iron Chef" test of talent.
Our auspicious arrival at L'Orangerie gave us
the opportunity to be in the care of a perfectionist, a man who makes each dish
its own event. To our delight came an aperitif of Cavas, sparkling wine from
the northeast Spain traditionally made with native grape varietals. This was
followed by an elegant bottle of Voss artesian water from Norway demonstrating
that the far reaching search for perfection has no bounds. |
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A difficult choice of 8
varieties of house baked breads was offered next, delicately paired with the
famed artisan French Echiré butter. By doing so, the restaurant began to
set itself apart from the rest.
Two kitchen greetings of small tapas-like
treats later, we were faced with the incredible King Prawn Tatare with Orange
Foam. This was followed with Confit of Cod with orange mousse (pictured right)
served with chorizo bread and goat cheese. I guess I was totally mesmerized by
the three dimensional beauty of my entrée that I failed to hear the
affirmative comments from photographer Arno about his Duck Breast in Puff
Pastry with leeks and cardamom compote. |
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Please
take a closer look |
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| "I was totally mesmerized by the three dimensional beauty of my
entrée ..." - Thorsten Piosczyk |
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| It became obvious to us that such passion for the best
that life has to offer and the desire to share it with others is a rare trait
in this fast paced world of ours. It takes hard work and tireless dedication to
shop daily at the local markets for the freshest locally grown produce, dairy
products and great meats. Chef Bausá develops and maintains personal
relationships with all his suppliers thereby guaranteeing a steady stream of
the finest ingredients to be used in his inspired kitchen workshop. In his
spare time he even finds the energy for cooking classes, which provide him with
a way to pass along the expertise gained over many years in the business.
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Daniel Bausá & Thorsten
Piosczyk |
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It came time now for a
fitting end to our delightful evening of colorful and exotic cuisine. Chef
Bausá exited the kitchen and waded through the packed restaurant
stopping here and there to the applause of his admiring patrons. With him was
sommelier Alex Duran who was responsible for the continuous flow of classic
Spanish wines personally chosen for pairing with the wondrous flavors and
textures of his mentor's cuisine. With over 350 selections all available by the
glass, L'Orangerie is certainly a step above the rest. |
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| We were totally content with the full blown
demonstration of world-class cuisine presented to us in the past few hours. We
decided to take our double espressos outside to sit and soak up the dramatic
nocturnal panoramic view of the city of Barcelona. We strolled past the three
works of art sculptures representing "Earth", "Light" and "Water", essential
elements adding to the allure of a recently published description of the resort
as ". . . .20's glamour with a modern design". |
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by
Thorsten Piosczyk & Arno Goudschaal
Editor-in-Chief: John
Lomitola
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