Lanzarote, Canary Islands - Trip number 60 around the sun.
Well I hit the big six-oh this trip, and fortunately for me there happens to be a great restaurant on Lanzarote, called Restaurante Esencia en La Tegala in the village of Macher. I caught word of it in some online article about the Canaries, then I googled it. It sounded interesting, that’s all.
Well, it was much more than interesting!
The building itself is very cool looking, with one glassed in triangle flying out over a cliff. We got to eat in the point of the triangle, watching clouds literally pour over the volcano then disappear as the lights slowly came on in the village below.
We had two servers, who wore white gloves to pour wine and change out silverware after every course. It ended up that we had a great time talking with them about the food and wine, and I think they really just took delight in someone enjoying the food so much.
I settled right away on the five course tasting menu with wine pairing, the Menú Degustación.
Gail ordered a teriyaki seared tuna, and her favorite island wine, the Yaiza Malvasía (orange label).
She also tasted small bites of all my courses (and enjoyed them all! I am proud of my vegetarian wife for really stretching her food boundaries!) and in the end had dessert and a complimentary drink with me.
We started with homemade, hot bread (Regular and sesame, would you like more?) served with aove, butters, tomato (red) mojo sauce, and a selection of red, black and flor de sal salts. Holy hell, the bread alone was killer, especially when I made a bite of hot regular bread with tomato mojo sauce and black salt!
I was thinking, “If the bread alone is this good…”
They started me with a pre-dinner drink of a special, house made Sangria. My first sip I thought it was too sweet, but when I sipped it with the breads and toppings it suddenly became very complimentary. The food totally changed the taste of it.
Gail was on her first glass of chilled Yaiza Malvasía, when they brought us both a special “welcome” appetizer on a spoon. It was shredded fish with a mini local potato and veggies in vinegar. I ate it as one big bite and just let it roll around and soak in on my taste buds as my eyes rolled back in my head (that is for you, Steve D!)
Gail’s tuna with teriyaki showed up with my first course. I have to say it was seared to perfection (I know - I got to eat about half of it by the end…) but it was a little too rare for her. She likes fish done, dry and flakey. Anyway, she ate slowly and accompanied me as I enjoyed the next five courses.
My first course was a Crema Fría de Lentejas con Foie y Crijiente Ibérico. That’s a Cold Lentil Cream, Foie Gras and Crunchy Iberian Ham. You know, the “best” kind. The ham, foie, lentils and two flowers were presented to me in a beautiful, grey glass, square bowl. Then the server poured the cold cream over it all. It was paired with a crisp Rosé. The soup brought out the minerality of the wine.
Gail ate a few bites of tuna. When I finished the soup I savored a bite of tuna, then washed my mouth with water and another hot bread.
My second course was Brownie de Conejo al Chocolate. That is a Rabbit and Chocolate Brownie.
Rabbit
Ok.
Chocolate Rabbit brownie.
With picante sauce.
And caramel onion carrot cream. With little colored candy sprinkles on it for fun.
Chocolate.
Rabbit. You know… fuzzy wuzzy, hopping around.
This course was Fucking Amazing. I mean, how did the chef even think up this combination?
It was served with a very crisp white French wine (chardonnay maybe… I forgot), and the wine worked because it is clean and simple next to the complex tastes of the brownie.
This course gives a whole new meaning to those Easter chocolate bunnies.
We have rabbits at home, but now I will be looking at them as little chocolate treats hopping across my yard.
This one new taste alone was worth the entire cost of the meal. I was just floored.
But there was more to come...
A Birthday Wish, From Me To You. Click to Play WHile You Are Reading.
Yes, fish. Lomito de Atún en Adobo con Salteado de Chicharos to be exact. That is a Tenderloin of Tuna, Marinated with spices and Sauteed Chicharos (beans). It was paired with the same orange label Yaiza Malvasía that Gail was drinking (and she took this opportunity to snag a second glass).
Goddamn.
Tuna and beans.
Who woodda thunk it?
The beans added a whole 'nother layer of taste to the seared tuna. And then the crisp Malvasía perfectly brought out the earthiness of the beans.
The beans were kind of the solid-soft texture of cassoulet (white) beans cooked in herbs, but with more of the taste of refried beans (but not exactly).
As amazing as the chocolate rabbit combo was, I think this was actually my favorite pairing.
At this point I just want to lick every plate clean. It’s amazing.
Even Gail agrees.
Sometime around now the sun set, the lights came on, yet still the clouds flowed on and on.
I looked over with jealousy at people just starting the fish course…
But I was off to the Carne (meat) course of Magret de Pato con crema de Manzana Confitada y Salsa de Piña y Jengibre.
That is Duck Breast with Candied Apple, Pineapple and Ginger Sauce. I love a good duck breast, and make a pretty mean one with blue or blackberry wine sauce. But apples?
Turns out to be amazingly great. The kicker is the ginger (or really, I tasted it as cinnamon, but whatever. I did not make it.)
It was paired with a solid red wine. The first taste of wine was good, but after the ginger (cinnamon) duck it popped, like WOW! I AM HERE!
Cinnamon.
Ginger.
Whatever…
Duck.
Jesse Kristos. (And that's for you, Kathy D)
I am eating so slow at this point, savoring every bite, smiling like crazy. People at other tables are wrapping up, paying, leaving. I am enjoying every second, just hoping it won’t end.
But it does.
Fortunately Gail could not finish the three big chunks of tuna (small appetite) so lucky me: my present from her was I finishing her tuna.
So for dessert I had a Couland de Gofio y Chocolate con Sorbete de Frutos Rojos y Crumblede Hierba Huerto. OK. The translation is "Gofio Couland" and Chocolate with Red Fruit Sorbet and Grass Orchard Crumble.
Huh???
It was a sort of cupcake thing with excellent red (raspberry?) sorbet and crumbles. Anyway, the sweet part was that they put a little candle in the “cupcake-Gofio Couland” and the older server sang “happy birthday” very sweetly, in Spanish. This was paired with a big gin and tonic on the rocks.
I am thinking, WTF???
But boy did it work.
The Cupcake-slash-Gofio Couland turned out to be Chocolate Cake with melted chocolate inside. And the gin and tonic was really different and not really herbal, and the whole thing was amazing together once again.
They comped a gin and tonic to Gail as well, and she ordered a chocolate cake dessert that came in three big chunks.
Damn.
We lingered, listening to Sting, then U2, and Norah Jones on soundtrack.
A perfect evening, and I don’t want it to end.
So what do you do?
I finished with an espresso.
They served me a simple coffee with a cupboard of three sugars, and little chocolate truffle and butterscotch stix treats.
In the end, we closed down the restaurant; an amazing meal over three hours!
This was €72 well spent. Every pour of wine was generous, the food spectacular and beautiful, and the tastes different. The simple four bites of food and five sips of wine at the famous St. Francis Winery pairing costs over $150, so this meal is a real deal. Gail’s dinner, dessert, and 2 wines, the water and coffee totaled to €114.
That was a small price for a great experience.
Our (younger) server noticed how much we were enjoying the whole meal, so she brought the chef/owner out to meet us.
You know, you do not tip in Spain; it is included in the cost. But I tipped the chef, and the two servers, just because it was such a great experience.
Restaurante Esencia en La Tegala. One good reason to visit Lanzarote.