Michelin-starred dishes to take home for Christmas

For 16 years, the wine and gourmet products store Vila Viniteca, located in Barcelona's Born neighborhood, has been selling a Christmas menu composed of different dishes to take home, cooked by prestigious chefs holding one or more Michelin stars. This initiative has always been successful, but last year it exceeded all expectations as a result of the pandemic, and this Christmas everything indicates that the same will happen given the new restrictions imposed in Catalonia. Vila Viniteca will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2022 with the satisfaction of having consolidated itself as one of the leaders in the distribution of prestigious wines in Spain thanks to the leadership of Quim Vila and Siscu Martí.

This year, the chefs who sign the star menu are Dani García (from Leña restaurant), Rafa Zafra (Estimar), Marc Gascons (Els Tinars) and Nacho Manzano (Casa Marcial). Their festive dishes are already available at Vila Viniteca and can be purchased until January 5 or while supplies last. They can be reserved, but the only condition is to physically pick them up at the store on Agullers street, as they are not sent home. The great advantage of this proposal, in addition to the high quality of the dishes and their competitive price, is that by being served in comfortable individual portions it is totally flexible, so that the complete menu can be purchased (54 euros per person) or by individual dishes, as there are those who prefer to take only the starter, the dessert or one of the main courses. Each proposal is accompanied by instructions for its preparation and presentation at the table.

Marc Gascons, owner of Els Tinars, in Llagostera (Girona), has prepared a carpaccio of white prawn from Roses with a romesco sauce with truffle, artichokes and a vinaigrette with mushrooms. It is a very light and appetizing starter (with a selling price of 11 euros) that can be paired, for example, with a white wine from the DO Rías Baixas, the Pazo Barrantes Gran Vino de Guarda La Comtesse 2017, chosen by the sommelier of Els Tinars, Xavier González. Gascons, who like all restaurateurs will be affected by the new limitations decreed by the health authorities, highlights that this year chefs are facing another big problem: the prices of some products, such as seafood, have skyrocketed. "The larger prawns have gone from 90 to 170 euros per kilo; eels reach 1,700 euros and Canadian blue lobster 55 euros. Seafood this year is untouchable," he explains.

The award-winning Dani García has taken care of the first course, some roasted free-range chicken cannelloni "a la Leña" that have a spectacular flavor, aromatized with rosemary and fresh thyme. Each serving costs 18 euros and a good pairing, according to the director of the Dani García group's beverage area, Rodrigo González, is a Delamotte Brut champagne or a wine from El Hierro, Bimbache John Stone. Also for 18 euros, a typical dish of Asturian gastronomy can be acquired, pitu caleya ---a type of free-range rooster--- prepared by Nacho Manzano, chef of the Casa Marcial restaurant, in Arriondas. It is a hearty and tasty stew and pairs, according to sommelier Juan Luis García, with an Artadi Izar-Leku 2016 (DO Getariako Txakolina) or with a Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2018 (Rhône).

To finish, Rafa Zafra has prepared a succulent and original sweet bikini, with vanilla cream, dulce de leche, almond sponge cake and dark chocolate (7 euros per unit). What better than to accompany it with a Porto wine like Nieport Vintage 2019, according to Juanma Galán, sommelier of the Estimar restaurant, present in Barcelona and Madrid.

Despite the pandemic, Rafa Zafra is currently one of the most active chefs on the gastronomic scene, with a multitude of projects underway. He assures that without the Estimar restaurant in Madrid, he would have already closed in Barcelona, but, even so, the chef plans to redouble his commitment to the Catalan capital with the opening of a restaurant in Hotel El Palace, in the spectacular room that until a few years ago housed Romain Fornell's Caelis. The goal is to inaugurate the establishment in March or April 2022, under a name "very similar to Estimar," he anticipates. "Gastronomically, Barcelona now needs a change," he reflects. Zafra, who worked at El Bulli with Ferran Adrià. He will also open a brewery with a seafood cooking area in Seville, an initiative that particularly excites him because it means returning to his birth city. On the other hand, he is looking for a location to open a second restaurant in Madrid.