Jose Andres has been chosen as GQ’s “Chef of the Year.” Alan Richman explains that even when immersed in molecular cooking techniques, it is the Spanish master’s simplicity that is appealing. Richman details five tapas plates that seduced him at Andres’ Jaleo, Minibar, and Zaytinya in D.C. and The Bazaar in L.A., from Ferran Adrià-influenced parmesan eggs migas to straight-forward selections of Iberian ham and Middle Eastern spreads.
Along the way, we learn that Andres was forced to master tortilla Espanola by an insistent Jean-Louis Palladin, who was not pleased with the version he’d ordered at Jaleo, and also that the chef is in his sixteenth year of playing with a recipe for modern patatas bravas despite the fact that everyone already likes them the way they are. Last month, Esquire named The Bazaar their “Best New Restaurant of 2009,” making us curious what Andres has in store to build on his stardom in 2010.
Jose Andres: big Chef, Small plates [GQ]
Earlier: Jose Andres Sets the Table for Brunch at The Bazaar
