Cocina Hermanos Torres: Our First Three-Star Experience Outside the US
Our grand European adventure continued! After an incredible week exploring Bordeaux's legendary châteaux (you can read about how this journey began here) and a brief stop in Toulouse, we arrived in Barcelona for what would become an unforgettable week of art, architecture, wine, and of course, exceptional cuisine.
EMBRACING BARCELONA'S MODERNIST SOUL
Our first full day in Barcelona began with an immersive tour of Antoni Gaudí's architectural masterpieces. From the mesmerizing Casa Batlló to the iconic Casa Milà, and the UNESCO world heritage site Park Güell, each stop revealed new facets of his genius. The highlight was undoubtedly La Sagrada Família, where centuries of artistic vision continue to unfold before our eyes.
FOOD AND WINE WITH FRIENDS
That evening, we met up with our good friends from Atlanta, Katie and Taylor, for a food and wine tour through Barcelona's vibrant culinary scene. The combination of traditional tapas, local wines, and great company set the perfect tone for our week ahead.
A SPECIAL EVENING WITH FAMILY
One of the week's most memorable moments came when we shared that special 1983 Château Puyanché with Dio's brother and his wife in our Airbnb. If you've read about our visit to Vignobles Arbo, you'll remember this was the bottle the Arbo family generously gave us to share with Dio since she missed that extraordinary evening. The wine showed beautifully, proving to be the perfect bridge between our Bordeaux adventures and our Barcelona experience.
COCINA HERMANOS TORRES: A CULINARY REVELATION
Our week culminated in our first three-Michelin-star experience outside the United States at Cocina Hermanos Torres. a reservation we scored a few months before our trip! The restaurant's striking industrial-chic setting immediately set it apart from any fine dining venue we'd experienced before.
We were warmly welcomed by the Torres brothers themselves, who shared their vision for the restaurant. Inspired by childhood memories where their grandmother's kitchen was the heart of family life, they didn't want to simply create a restaurant with a kitchen. Instead, they created a kitchen that happens to have tables, bringing guests directly into that same warm, familial experience.
And from the moment we entered, it was clear this wasn't just dinner - it was culinary theater. With only 19 tables arranged around the central kitchen, we felt fortunate to secure a reservation for this beautiful Friday night. The chefs perform their craft on what is essentially a culinary stage, and notably, there's no background music - allowing the natural symphony of the kitchen to provide the evening's soundtrack.
Their custom kitchen design features induction cooking throughout, allowing the chefs complete mobility - something I'd never seen before in any restaurant. Even the staff's attention to detail extended to their footwear - custom red shoes featuring the restaurant's three Michelin stars on the heel.
What followed was a masterfully orchestrated progression of dishes, each paired thoughtfully with wines from around the world:
THE OPENING BUBBLES
We began with the 2016 Juvé y Camps Cava Milesimé Brut Reserva. This nice easy-drinking Cava earned 90 points from me and paired beautifully with our first courses: "Summer Lily" featuring cucumber with pine and a Collerola pine nuts ice cream sandwich, plus a selection of appetizers including piparras with smoked anchovy bonbon and Iberian ham with pickles and ginger.
BURGUNDIAN BRILLIANCE
Next came the 2020 Domaine Des Vignes du Maynes Aligo Rythm - I enjoyed mine paired with a light non-seafood appetizer while Dio was served cured squid with caviar. The wine showed a citrusy nose with minimal oak influence and an impressive finish - I scored it 92 points, appreciating how it elevated these my appetizer course.
GREEK EXCELLENCE
The 2021 Artemis Karamolegos Pyritis Mega Cuvee Santorini accompanied our bread and oil course (the oil was so incredible we've been on a quest to find it ever since), plus a fascinating combination of mussels "Moqueca" with prawns and king crab that Dio enjoyed. This wine from chalky Santorini soils showed remarkable minerality and citrus notes, earning 91 points from me. I particularly loved how it wasn't as sweet as our previous wine, showing super citrusy notes on the palate with high but balanced alcohol.
ALSATIAN ORANGE
For the seasonal white asparagus course, we ventured into orange wine territory with the 2021 Domaine Gross Riesling Rhapsodie. While orange wines aren't typically my style (as reflected in my score of 88 points), I could appreciate its quality and how well it paired with this spring delicacy.
LEBANESE DISCOVERY
The 2020 Sept Winery Merweh, our second orange wine of the evening, arrived alongside my pasta course while Dio enjoyed the lobster salad. The wine displayed a pronounced nose reminiscent of dates and proved quite refined on the palate. Though orange wines remain an acquired taste for me (I scored it 88 points), it created an interesting harmony with the dishes.
CATALAN PRIDE
The 2018 Joan Rubió Penedès Obstinat Xarel-lo emerged as one of the evening's standouts, earning 93 points from me. This local wine, made from grapes typically reserved for cava production, showed remarkable complexity. Its fragrant nose reminded me of aged Bordeaux, with beautiful jasmine notes and perfect balance, complementing the Maresme green peas with Iberian ham perfectly.
CHILEAN GRACE
From a magnum (and I believe I received the final pour), the 2017 Vinedos de Alcohuaz Grenache Cuesta Chica paired wonderfully with my suckling pig while Dio enjoyed red mullet. This wine's ruby color and sweet floral nose led to a perfectly balanced palate with integrated tannins. I scored it 93 points and had one of those "close your eyes and savor" moments that define great three-star experiences.
BORDEAUX RETURNS
The 2018 Château Le Puy Cuvée Emilien accompanied our lamb course. After a week of tasting legendary Bordeaux wines, I had to recalibrate my expectations - while this showed beautiful balance and earned 91 points from me, it's hard to compare with the VCCs, Moutons and Cheval Blancs still fresh in my memory!
A REFRESHING PAUSE
The white vermouth snow ice with lemon and rosemary provided a perfect palate cleanser before our sweet conclusions. And yes, that’s a glass of water!
SWEET BUBBLES
The 2022 Raphael Bartucci Vin du Bugey-Cerdon Méthode Ancestrale proved to be a perfect pairing with wild strawberry sorbet. Light, bubbly, and showing a beautiful strawberry hue, this delightful wine earned 93 points from me.
THE FINAL SWEET NOTE
Our evening concluded with the NV José Maria da Fonseca Moscatel de Setúbal Alambre 20 Years paired with an array of desserts including the "Cocoa Age" and various petit fours. While the pairing worked well, the wine's high alcohol content wasn't to my taste, reflected in my score of 87 points.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Before departing, we grabbed some pictures of their impressive wine selection, gaining deeper appreciation for the thought behind each pairing.
REFLECTING ON ORANGE WINES
I have to confess - even after experiencing orange wines in such a prestigious setting, I still don't quite understand the hype. I assume the orange wines we tasted at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant would be among the best examples of the style, but my scores reflect my genuine reaction. While I can appreciate their complexity and uniqueness, they simply don't excite my palate the way traditional sparklings, whites, reds and rosés do. Perhaps some wine styles, like some art forms, speak to different audiences - and that's perfectly okay. That said, I'll keep exploring orange wines when opportunities arise. After all, my wine journey has taught me that sometimes it just takes finding that one perfect bottle to change your perspective entirely!
A FITTING FAREWELL
The somm team crafted one of the most unique and interesting wine pairings I've experienced, with thoughtful progression through different regions, styles, and philosophies. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of local Spanish wines, though it was frustrating to learn that many of these exceptional bottles, especially the standout “Obstinat”, are nearly impossible to find in the United States.
After a week of enjoying traditional tapas and Catalan cuisine throughout Barcelona, this meal offered an exciting modern interpretation of those familiar flavors and experiences. As we prepared to leave Barcelona for the French Riviera and eventually Piedmont, we couldn't help but reflect on how this dinner perfectly captured the spirit of our European adventure - a beautiful blend of tradition and innovation, technique and soul, all elevated by exceptional wine.
For my complete tasting notes from this extraordinary evening:
