Spanish Vacation: El Celler de l'Aspic

Day Ten continues....

After our two excellent winery visits, it was time for lunch at El Celler de l'Aspic. This is considered one of the best restaurants in the Priorat region. Located in Falset, the restaurant seats about fifty people. Its owner, Toni Bru, creates innovative Catalan cuisine.

We actually sat in a small dining room on the second floor. There was some type of function going on in the main dining room on the first floor. This made it a more intimate lunch as we were all alone up there. And what a feast was coming up.
We began with an interesting white wine, 2006 Sant Bru. This is a blend of White Garnacha and Chardonnay. It was a nice crisp wine, with delicious citrus flavors. It lacked any bitterness and had a decently long finish. A good choice.

Our Salad came with Figs and Sliced Duck Foie Gras, with a vinegarette. What a start! The figs have to be some of the best figs I have ever eaten. Perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy. Far too open figs are over ripe or shriveled. But not these in the least. Plus, the Foie was so silky smooth and so creamy. I could have made a lunch of just this salad.

We moved on to a Seasonal Mushroom "Paella." This was a rice dish with different types of mushrooms. Though I am not a big mushroom fan, this was an excellent dish with very intriguing flavors. As I have said before, if a chef can make me eat what I usually do not, the dish is excellent.

Then came Hake with Aromatic Herbs. A simple dish but the fish was tender and sweet. I have really come to enjoy Hake and this was certainly one of the best pieces I have had so far.

We moved on to a red wine, a 1999 Capafons-Osso Mas de Masos. This wine is a blend of 35% Garnacha Peluda, 20% Garnacha Pais, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carinena and 5% Syrah. This wine spends 12 months in French oak. This is an interesting wine, with bright berry flavors on the palate meshing with some spicy notes. It is nicely balanced with moderate tannins. It went well with our beef.

Our next course was the Solomillo Steak with Black Morcilla Sausage in a Red Wine Sauce. The steak was tender and flavorful. The Morcilla were delicious and the sauce complemented both foods. There was plenty of food on our plates.

We ended our meal with a white chocolate soup with wild berries. An excellent dessert and a great way to end this superb lunch. I was very satisfied, and full. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in Priorat.