Viridiana

Frommer's Review

Viridiana -- named after the 1961 Luis Buñuel film classic -- is widely regarded as one of the finest restaurants of Madrid, renowned for the imagination of its chef and part-owner, Abraham García, who has lined the walls with stills from Buñuel films. (He is also a film historian, not just a self-taught chef.) Specialties are contemporary adaptations of traditional recipes that change frequently according to availability. Examples of the individualistic cooking include a salad of exotic lettuces served with smoked salmon, a chicken pastilla laced with cinnamon, baby squid with curry served on a bed of lentils, roasted lamb served in puff pastry with fresh basil, and the choicest langostinos (prawns) from Cádiz. An intriguing Spanish-Mexican offering is his (take a deep breath) flores de calabaza con jamón iberico y queso de Oaxaca en tortillas al mole poblano (squash blossoms with Iberian ham and Oaxaca cheese wrapped in Mexican tortillas and covered with traditional mole sauce). All the dishes are sublime, and the inviting ambience allows you to sit back and enjoy dishes that dazzle the eye, notably venison and rabbit arranged on a plate with fresh greens to evoke an autumnal scene in a forest.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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