A Chef From The USA Hooked On La Rioja
Mat Schuster of Canela restaurant in San Francisco discovers La Rioja's Michelin stars.
American Chef Mat Schuster (third from the left) and the staff of Venta Moncalvillo restaurant (La Rioja).
Author: Rodrigo García Fernández/©ICEX.
An American chef with a passion for Spain. A successful Spanish restaurant in the cosmopolitan city of San Francisco. A journey to two small towns in La Rioja in search of avant garde cuisine, top-quality products and culinary inspiration. Spanish chefs Ignacio Echapresto and Francis Paniego welcomed Mat Schuster to their restaurants with open arms a few weeks ago. Schuster, the owner and head chef of Canela restaurant on the West Coast of the United States, gives us a first-hand account of the sensations and lessons that he encountered in these two Michelin-starred Spanish restaurants, which are located in small towns in La Rioja. “It was magical”.
What made you decide to travel to La Rioja?
I first explored La Rioja two years ago, mainly to visit some of the wineries where we get our wine. I fell in love with the food at the same time, completely. One of the bodegas prepared a suckling lamb for us on smoldering grape vines and my fate was sealed.
Why did you choose Venta Moncalvillo and Echaurren restaurants?
The north and south of Spain are so vastly different. Although we do get inspiration from all over Spain in our restaurant Canela, the north is unique for the combination of stellar food as well as wine. After exploring the region a few years ago and having some unforgettable experiences, I knew I had to return for a more in depth study.
Since most of our contacts in the north of Spain are with wineries and not restaurants, we consulted Carlos Piserra at Bodegas Larraz for suggestions. Carlos makes an outstanding pie franco (ungrafted vines) wine from La Rioja called Caudum, and we had originally met him through mutual friends who live in Logroño. We loved the wine so much, we arranged to specially import 1/3 of their production to be the only restaurant in the USA to sell it.
Since they also sell to many top-notch restaurants in La Rioja, we thought they would have some good suggestions for us. Carlos suggested 2 restaurants, Michelin starLa Venta Moncalvillo in Daroca de Rioja and two Michelin star El Portal del Echaurren in Ezcaray. We had actually dined at La Venta two years prior, and it was our favorite meal of that trip. You could say it was meant to be! We had not dined at Echaurren, but were aware of their reputation with years of tradition as well as innovative new methods of cooking.
Both restaurants are located in small towns (especially La Venta Moncalvillo), that are so completely different from San Francisco. What was this experience like for you?
Venta Moncalvillo is in a very small town in La Rioja called Daroca. There are lots of little pueblos that dot the landscape in the area and most people live in different ones, but are usually not too far apart. Most people have enough land to at least have a small garden which is definitely different than San Francisco. It brings a great sense of seasonality knowledge as well as ingredient knowledge to every person of the town.
During my time at La Venta Moncalvillo, Chef Ignacio Echapresto was nice enough to let me stay at a flat he owns in Lardero, which is right outside of Logroño. Many times, before or after my shift in Daroca at Venta Moncalvillo, I would head into Logroño. I had only visited Logroño once before for its famous pintxos and did not know much about the city. I wandered Logroño and made it my own. I had a favorite place for pastries, cooking equipment and even a place to go do hot yoga - which reminded me of San Francisco where our restaurant is.
El Portal del Echaurren is located in Ezcaray which is definitely bigger than Daroca but for sure much smaller than Logroño. Ezcaray is nicely situated between Logroño and Burgos, but not super close to either. Additionally, with my work schedule at El Portal, I didn’t have much time to make the trek to the larger cities. But there is something magical about Ezcaray. As much as Logroño is pintxo bars and shopping, Ezcaray is mountains, animals and farmland. One of my favorite sounds I would hear on a daily basis was the clanging of cow bells from the cows that are seemingly everywhere in the town. I spent my off-time in Ezcaray exploring the mountain trails, riding bikes through farmland and shopping the local ingredients at the artisan food shops in the tiny town. The town is very picturesque and you can tell the locals have a real sense of pride about where they live.
What ingredients, dishes and techniques caught your attention from each of the restaurants?
I was fortunate to learn new things every day. And although I always love learning about perfecting traditional Spanish recipes such as rich pil pil, creamy croquetas, and savory potaje (stews), the avant-garde techniques are what stand out in my head. Learning how to work with Manitol at La Venta Moncalvillo was a super fun day. It is a powder that you mix with sugar and color to make hard shells in seconds. The molten liquid is poured into silicon molds to produce shells of chestnuts and Cava corks, or anything else you can imagine. These shells are filled with delicate mousses and creams, or again, whatever you can think of.
At El Portal del Echaurren, I learned how to make “caviar” out of wine using Agar Agar and cold sunflower oil. This is another technique that can be applied to countless different flavors. They were using it at the time to top a cajeta custard of foie gras.
Did you have any time to explore La Rioja, its landscapes, art and wineries?
One of the first places I fell in love with on this trip was Navarrete, a small, medieval town outside of Logroño in La Rioja. I stayed there for a few days before I moved to the flat in Lardero. I was in a small hostel right on the Camino de Santiago and watched as pilgrims would walk, hike, skip, stagger and wander through the cobble stone streets. My window looked out onto a very popular bar there called Bar Deportivo which is run by the Spanish Chef wife and her Italian husband. Each day, they would greet and feed the travelers on the trail as well as locals who would flock there for stuffed Piquillo peppers in ink sauce, roasted lamb and potatoes and cold beer and wine. I would sit out on the patio, read my book, and enjoy the foods, drinks, sights and sounds in my off-times from La Venta. It was magical.
Another town I explored was Nájera, a small pueblo with many historical influences from Romans, Jews and Muslims alike. It has a river flowing through the town which adds to its beauty. I got a little lost in my rental Citroen driving through the small cobblestone streets that would seem to dead end for reasons unknown to me, but I’m sure not to locals. I ended up with a nice plate of entrecot de buey (delicious steak) at a local asador.
We can’t forget the walled city of Laguardia as well. I have been there before and it is one of my favorite towns in La Rioja Alavesa (it is a subregion of DOCa Rioja which is located in the Basque Country). It sits up on a hill overlooking the vineyards of the region. One of the days we were there, there was a Basque traditional dance festival and we watched as the youth of the town danced in traditional outfits.
We also borrowed bikes and made a small trek from Hotel Viura in Villabuena de Alava through Samaniego to Remírez de Ganuza (one of the bodegas that we carry at our restaurant Canela). We had to stock up on Erre Punto Tinto, an awesome carbonic maceration wine that is not sold in the United States. Then it was on to Bodegas Ostatu where they were preparing us a special lunch and wine pairings. It was amazing.
Had you been to Spain before this experience?
Had you been to Spain before this experience?
My partner is from Madrid and we have been coming to Spain’s northern or southern regions once or twice per year for about 10 years. Although it is roughly the size of California where our restaurant Canela is, Spain is such a diverse country with each region sometimes feeling completely different then the region it neighbors. I have never been bored here! I am already thinking about where I will go next when I return.
