é by José Andrés
- Badger
- May 8, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 8, 2018
After trying for years to get a "ticket" to é by José Andrés, just by luck, I was able to score one for a Tuesday night!
I'll warn you this post is incredibly picture heavy, the preparation of each dish is a major part of the show and experience.
é is within Jose Andres' Jaleo restaurant in the Cosmo. You still check-in at the same host stand, and from there the experience begins.
You're given a golden ticket ala Willy Wonka and brought to a table in Jaleo to congregate with your fellow diners for the evening.
A couple minutes before they bring you back to the restaurant within a restaurant, they brought what looked like twigs with flowers and got to try the edible branches. They were good and fun, but not so tasty that you wanted another.
I ordered a gin and tonic to kick things off and ended up finishing it once we got into the é dining room.
Then showtime! The chef came and got us, walking us through Jaleo to the é mini-restaurant.
Past the Jaleo paella station.
And into wonderland!
This mini-restaurant was bar seating around the kitchen/food prep area.
We were greeted by the chef and his assistant/s, explaining we'd be going on a journey through Jose Andres' mind.
We were given warm towels wrapped in herbs, all being held in a mould of Jose's hand.
Finishing off my gin and tonic and was presented with the best Cava rose I've ever had (pictures of the wine pairing at the end).
The start of the show.
The first bite was a sphere of sparkling Cava-sangria. It was refreshing and a true party to start an amazing meal.
Next dish being prepped as we all ooh and ahh'd over the first pop.
Meanwhile the mini-pizza's were being made, we were brought beet and rose bites that were a single pop of flavor and incredible.
Then a savory cookie that looked like the stones they were over.
Then our mini-pizzas were ready!
The "Spanish" pizza was wafer thin and incredibly flavorful.
While we were busy trying to figure out how they made the pizza dish, the next one was started.
What's going on here... is that a PBJ?
It even looks like a PBJ sandwich.
But it wasn't. It was the lightest meringue "toast" with thinly sliced strawberries and foie gras. Amazing!
As soon as we finished eating and trying to figure out how they made the PBJ look-alike, the next course and wine was brought out as uni and lardo. Two of my favorite things! The crispy cracker underneath provided a perfect contrast of textures.
Next up a play on the Spanish classic of Jamon with pan con tomate. The puff cracker underneath had a tomato gelee and it perfectly encapsulated the classic flavors.
Immediately after the bites, the preparation and show for the next course.
Some LN2 action and show going on.
While additional plating is going on.
Plating what was looking like effectively fancy dippin' dots.
The dish of edible sangria tasted like a frozen slushy mixed with dippin' dots, but the boozy version. A definite crowd pleaser.
Some asparagus plating going on.
True precision
Some caviar going down
Saucing
Frozen egg yolk spheres.
Amazingly beautiful and tasty asparagus with effectively a deconstructed bearnaise.
Up close, so much detail, yet incredibly precise and familiar flavors.
Next up, Santa Barbara spot prawns!
They're so vibrant!
A saffron espuma
Visually simple, stunning and most importantly, incredibly flavorful. A perfect prawn to dip in the espuma, I was in heaven.
Then the start of the next course/show.
Carefully placing mandarin pieces.
Next flower petals.
Then shavings on top.
And finally saucing.
Another beautiful dish that tasted amazing. It was an elegant foie gras with the bits of bread crisps, sauce and mandarin making this an incredibly cohesive dish.
Several boxes brought out along with the shell of the body of crabs.
The presentation was fun with crab meat in the crab shell. A spoon with crispy bread and vials to the side.
A broth made from the crab shells which you pour over the crab meat and mix everything together including the contents of the spoon. Everything worked amazingly well together - the sweet crab, the umami from the sauce, and the crunch from the crisps.
As we worked on our crab course, the next one began.
Precision.
A deep green sauce being poured.
Dollops of sea flavored balls.
Plating the fish.
A fantastic white fish coated in a squid ink crust with a squid-ink/green sauce that worked great together.
Up close.
Plating began for the meat course while we were enjoying the fish.
In the oil bath were yellow "packets" which were mashed potatoes in a thin casing that held them together.
Plating the potatoes
Plating the braised beef.
Final saucing
Stunning dish of braised wagyu beef with a jus, pomme puree and morel mushrooms. They paired fantastically with the Rioja.
Simple and complex at the same time.
As we were enjoying the incredible beef dish, they brought out a huge mound of cotton candy and moulds.
Hmm what're they making here?
Lots of pressing and moulding going on.
Check those "empanadas" out
This turned out to be such a fun, simple and tasty treat. It's only cotton candy with literally crushed Corn Nuts inside. The combo of sweet and salty played off each other perfectly and reminded me of being a kid at an amusement park.
Then starting the first dessert course.
A nice malty cream/mousse and nice wine pairing.
Off on the other side of the bar, they lit something on fire and it burned for several minutes.
While the fire was burning, prep for the next dessert began.
A chocolate-hazelnut cream with a "walnut" and strawberries with a berry crumble. It was very tasty and refreshing at the same time.
Prep for the next dessert began and instantly knew this would be an intriguing one.
There goes "egg yolks", but are they?
Final prep.
The Catalan Egg dish was amazing. First of all, it had the texture of a perfect egg, but was all custards and caramel. I could have had another!
It was served with the coffee/alcohol mix that was burning a couple minutes prior and was very tasty and rich.
Small bites being prepped.
A cherry "bomb" filled with pure cherry essence and a great peanut butter tartlet.
More LN2 being used.
The final sweets for the evening, all were fantastic.
Then the final goodbye dish. In the mint plat were a few mint shaped thin-chocolate mints, they were the perfect way to end the meal.
And like that, our incredible meal came to an end. The chefs lined up and said a quick goodbye and bow just like a show does. They were all not only amazing chefs, but also very personable.
The great Spanish wine pairing lineup for the evening in order of the way they were served.
And we were presented with menus at the end for memory's sake.
é by José Andrés was absolutely incredible. It honestly exceeded my expectations and was probably the most fun I've had dining anywhere. Not only was the food excellent, but the staff were engaging, cracking jokes and answering our pesky questions of "how'd you do that?".
If you ever have the chance, absolutely try é, you won't be disappointed!
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