Felicidades a José Andrés

José Andrés remains one of my favorite chefs in the U.S.. While I have not yet been to Minibar, and still hope to go in the near future, Jaleo still shines as one of the few traditional Spanish restaurants I've been to in the States.  Their pan con tomate is excellent, and even better, at Jaleo they seem to have mastered the art of making an authentic gazpacho (this is not salsa people!).  While I also enjoy the other restaurants that make up the José Andrés empire in D.C. (Zaytina and Oyamel), Jaleo is a consistent favorite that stands out among the poor attempts at Spanish cuisine outside of España.

"José Andrés is a chef for the future. He's an food innovator, pushing different flavors and techniques in ways that have not been seen before. And he's a traditionalist, with cooking that's deeply rooted in a cultural context," Barber said in an interview. "He manages to be at once wildly innovative and deeply traditional, forgetting nothing of the past but reinterpreting it for the future."

Thank you to the Washington Post for publishing such a great article on the recent award humbly accepted by Andrés from The Vilcek Foundation, recognizing his amazing contributions to the arts.  The Foundation decided to focuses on the culinary arts this year stating, "Culinary arts are in a period of wild experimentation. For literature, I don't think the same statement could be made."