Despite its ill-timed opening right before the lockdowns, Txoko demonstrates that the pandemic is no match for the imaginative Spanish cuisine coming out of this Miguel Vecin-led kitchen.
Timing is everything, so they say. However, those who opened a restaurant right before the pandemic descended upon the world, could not have foreseen this worst-case scenario. Suddenly, the last place anyone wanted to be was inside a restaurant. For the most part of its existence, Txoko— the fine dining Spanish asador concept of the Bar Pintxos group— is suddenly deemed dangerous territory. Time, it seems, was not on their side.
The predicament is especially unfortunate since the food is arguably some of the best in the city. Chef and owner Miguel Vecin classifies the concept as “classic Spanish with a contemporary twist,” while business partner Carlo Calma Lorenzana prefers to describe it as “a more refined version of Bar Pintxos.” However, while these might make Txoko more relatable to those who have not dined there, I feel this is an oversimplification of their food and does not quite do it justice. Feeling much more confident about dining out being fully vaccinated and knowing that proper safety protocols are strictly implemented, I knew that revisiting Chef Miguel’s reimagined Spanish dishes was in order.
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For instance, his version of patatas bravas— the tapas bar staple of fried potato cubes, alioli, and spicy red sauce— is a demonstration of a technique that takes twenty-four hours to prepare. There is a whole process of slicing, freezing, and frying in order to attain the multiple layers of a moist, tender inside and a paper-crisp outside. The napoleon-like wafers are then generously dotted with the traditional salsas if only to remind one of the dish’s provenance. Is it worth the trouble? If you appreciate how this tedious procedure exponentially multiplies the crunch, then yes.
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