Sukalde
Av. Bilbao 460
Cuisines: American
About
After studying under prestigious food god Ferrán Adria and putting in time at Spain's El Bulli and NYC's Dania, globetrotting Chilean chef Matías Palomo opened Sukalde in 2006 to much critical fanfare. If you can get a reservation, Sukalde will offer you a truly memorable dining experience. The focus is on tasting portions of dishes created from unusual ingredients and prepared in unconventional ways; you need to be an adventurous diner to truly enjoy a meal here. The tasting menu changes frequently but is never short on publicity-stirring gimmicks. One menu was inspired by the last meal served on the Titanic and featured dishes to the tune of tuna tartare topped with soy sauce beads and lemon peel puree, followed by grilled Konzo, a rare Pacific fish doused with apple puree spiked with cilantro and "curry air." It has to be said that much of the fuss about inventive cooking may be lost on seasoned diners familiar with inhaling their appetizer. The dining room is a shrine to gastronomic innovation, simply decorated with quasi-religious purity -- white walls, soaring ceilings, archways, dark wooden floors, and a harmonious ambience aim to prepare the diner for gastronomic transcendence.
