Restaurante El Carel — Restaurant in Comillas

English: This was the best restaurant experience during my recent trip to Spain. The location was ideal, right in the main intersection for us as we walked near El Capricho and the Palacio. The food is absolutely phenomenal, and the chef has put intricate detail of superior skill to create some of the most fantastic dishes. The burrata-garlic cheese dish was rich, creamy, and so full of flavor. The pork ribs were cooked to perfection with tender, moist meat that easily parted from the bone. The fried potatoes were perfectly cooked with a crispy exterior and tender, delicious interior. The rice pudding was the best I've eaten, with a milky, creamy texture and a very pleasant surprise of lemon pop in each bite. My favorite was the pork dish, the cochinillo. Let me start by saying that I am a very strict judge of pork flavor, tenderness, and texture. 10 years ago I became a certified judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society, and I have judged several profession barbecue competitions across the United States. The cochinillo at El Carel was one of the best bites of pork I have ever put in my mouth. The tenderness, flavor, and texture were an absolute delight. I didn't want it to end. The exterior had a perfectly cooked crust and the interior had a rich combination of fat and meat that perfectly complemented one another. In barbecue terms we call this portion of the pork shoulder the "money muscle", and the very skilled chef used this exact cut of pork to perfectly create the ultimate pork dish. I was also very surprised with the delectable apple and potato slices on the side, that seemed to add just the perfect amount of sweetness, tartness, and carbohydrate balance to the intense meat experience. If you are in Comillas, you must eat at El Carel. If you love meat you must try the cochinillo. I will have memories of it for years to come.

Español: Esta fue la mejor experiencia de restaurante durante mi viaje reciente a España. El sitio es ideal, justo en la intersección principal para nosotros mientras caminábamos cerca del Capricho y el Palacio. La comida es absolutamente fenomenal, y el chef ha puesto detalles intrincados de una habilidad superior para crear algunos de los platos más fantásticos. El plato de burrata y queso con ajo era rico, cremoso y lleno de sabor. Las costillas de cerdo se cocinaron a la perfección con carne tierna y húmeda que se separó fácilmente del hueso. Las papas fritas estaban perfectamente cocinadas con un exterior crujiente y un interior tierno y delicioso. El arroz con leche fue el mejor que he comido, con una textura lechosa y cremosa y una sorpresa muy agradable de limón en cada bocado. Mi favorito era el plato de cerdo, el cochinillo. Permítanme compartir que soy un juez muy estricto del sabor, la ternura y la textura del cerdo. Hace 10 años llegué a ser un juez certificado de la Kansas City Barbecue Society y he sido juez de varias competencias profesionales de barbacoa en los Estados Unidos. El cochinillo en El Carel fue uno de los mejores bocados de cerdo que me he puesto en la boca. La ternura, el sabor y la textura fueron una delicia absoluta. No quería que terminara la experiencia. El exterior tenía una corteza perfectamente cocida y el interior tenía una rica sabor que se complementaban a la perfección. En términos de barbacoa, llamamos a esta porción de la paleta de cerdo el "músculo del dinero", y el muy hábil chef usó este corte exacto para crear a la perfección este plato de cochinillo. También me sorprendieron mucho las deliciosas rebanadas de manzana y papa al lado, que parecían agregar la cantidad perfecta de dulzura, acidez y equilibrio de carbohidratos a la intensa experiencia de la carne. Si estás en Comillas, debes comer en El Carel. Si te gusta la carne debes probar el cochinillo. Tendré recuerdos de él en los...

After visiting the Capricho de Gaudí house in early November, we did a quick Google search for open restaurants. El Carel popped up as the closest option. A lunchtime crowd filled the restaurant (incredible as it was the off-season). We asked the waiter if it was worth waiting for a table or if we should go somewhere else. He responded: “This restaurant is a reference point in Comillas.” As he walked away, we had a good laugh about the self-rating but we invested 10 minutes of our time for the next available table. Well, the waiter was right. Everything we ordered was spectacular. The salad with burrata, dry fruits and sundried tomatoes, topped with a pesto sauce, was an instant hit with us. The four of us shared a whole fish (the catch of the day), a side order of delicious wok vegetables and a hefty serving of potatoes. The atmosphere was idyllic. The service...

The food was okay, but the service and the attitude of the staff was awful and extremely arrogant. The lady who served us was very rude, not even trying to be polite. Her tone was very strict and arrogant and she asked us a little of questions in Spanish even though she knew we were the foreigners. When she was tired of us not understanding a word, she suddenly switched to English (which she could actually speak apparently) just for one minute. The rest of the evening she continued to speak Spanish. Language barrier is okay, I don’t expect everyone speak English, but the attitude, the tone, politeness should be “must have” when you run a restaurant. We will never return...