DSTAgE
One Product, One Dish: “Calamari a la Romana”
Bonito – Yellowfin Tuna, Fermented Cabbage
Frozen Horchata, Filet of Anchovy
Housemade Vegan Chorizo, Egg Yolk, Sesame Bread, Txakoli
Roasted Cauliflower, Olive, Caviar
Fresh Pappardelle, Tomato Water, Beer Yeast, Koji
Charred Corn, Corn Custard, Goat Cheese, Chili Oil
Red Pepper Rose, Cheese Bread
Potato, Monte Enebro, Shaved Truffle, Honey
Mushroom, Manchego, Cereal Syrup
Kokotxa “Del Padron” – Hake Cheek, Pilpil, Crunchy Pepper Seeds
Smoked Eel, Pickled Radish, Chicken Skin
Wild Pigeon, Soju, Cherries
Rhubarb, Ginger, Cava
Tremella Mushroom, Shaved Foie Gras, Onion Cream
Bread with “Chocolate” – Not Chocolate but cereals and their starches
Cotton Candy, Popped Corn Ice Cream
Sea Puff Pastry – Seaweed, Finger Lime, Caramel
A look at the server’s shoes asks “What the fuck is DSTAgE?,” a question repeated on the Restaurant’s Michelin Man and one that Chef Diego Guerrero hopes guests will understand as “Days to Smell Taste Amaze Grow & Enjoy.”
Unmarked at Calle de Regueros 8, though two Stars and a full book of reservations assumes most seeking DSTAgE will know where to look, it is upon entry that guests are led past seats to a counter and open kitchen, greetings from staff quickly followed by Beverage selections and the first of eighteen courses featuring nothing but Squid – its inner Pen and Entrails used for fibers and Sauce that mimic Breading plus Butter.
Rooted in Spanish products but brought up in the Basque with eyes on the likes of Adria and Berasategui, it is from here that diners are led on an adventure from Japan to Italy with frequent stops in modernist cooking, the first aerated and frozen Horchata topped in an incongruent Filet of Anchovy.
Described often as a “concept,” entirely Vegan Chorizo next to an Egg Yolk with bright acid indistinguishable from Pork, one may be surprised to learn that Caviar pairs well with Olive-lacquered Cauliflower preceding a continuous curl of Pasta topped tableside with Yeast.
Not shying away from abrupt shifts, Charred Corn over Custard with Chevre and Chili Oil anything but subtle, Chef Guerrero’s Red Pepper Rose harkens memories of Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese while its follow-up of Potato, Truffle and Honey gently cleanses the palate for what comes later.
Elaborating on the production of “Cereal Syrup” more so than a Mushroom and Manchego it coats, the reason revealed later, Kokotxa in piquant Foam achieves great depth while Eel and Pigeon wrap up savories in a traditional manner along with Bread to sop up the Sauces.
Wrapped around a two-story courtyard, designed rustic yet modern as Guerrero’s Food, Dessert begins with a bit of knifework making Rhubarb bloom amidst fragrant Cava before moving on to sweet Mushrooms amidst melting Liver and Onion Cream.
Recalling the Syrup from earlier in course sixteen, Bread with “Chocolate” using no Cocoa but achieving that flavor through residual starches, Popped Corn Ice Cream asks guests to wrap it in spun Sugar before finishing with two bites of crisp Seaweed suggesting the idea of Key Lime Pie.
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