I ate lunch at Macarena with a friend from high school. Motivated in part by melancholy, I deliberately chose the restaurant for its setting and the cuisine. In a couple of months she’ll be moving to Spain, permanently, out and away from the decline and fall of the American empire.
Gorging on nostalgia is my superpower. Already, days later, the memory of one of our last meals together denotes an ending. Youth is long gone and about to disappear forever to another continent.
Throughout the meal, a member of Macarena’s staff methodically carved thin slices of Ibérico ham. Despite the many distractions of cooks, servers and customers within her eye line, she concentrated her full attention on the position of the knife as it met the rose-colored flank.
The mobile station is situated at the back of the restaurant and right in front of the open kitchen. If diners are in the mood for a close-up performance, they can request a table-side carving of ham—80 grams for $36. The presentation is as old-fashioned as the delivery of a sizzling platter of fajitas or a flaming baked Alaska.
It’s misleading to think of the ham on display as the menu’s main signpost. While the other dishes suggest a collection of familiar Spanish culinary traditions, the ideas are executed by chef Sergio Box with modern palates in mind.
The redesign of Bird Dog’s former interior complements Macarena’s Mediterranean influences. The walls have been painted green, the color of olive trees lit up at night. A series of large still life photographs copy El Greco’s use of poignant black backgrounds. The padded booths are comfortable and contemporary without feeling cold.
Like many tapas menus, Macarena’s includes a trifecta of fried foods—croquetas, fritters and churros. We opted for something lighter: eggplant chips ($12) drizzled with honey and lime. Wafer thin, they offer the same satisfying crunch as potato chips, minus the illicit feeling that comes with eating junk food. Had they been heavily salted, no one would have been able to claim them as a healthy alternative snack.
It came as a surprise to my friend when I suggested we order gambas al pil pil, or king prawns in a roasted garlic cream ($18). Seafood is usually last on my list of must-haves. True to form, I ate one and left the rest for her. My struggle to eat fruits de mer begins and ends with texture. On paper the dish sounded like a Spanish scampi but the prawns were softly and delicately poached, dashing my hopes for a sautée. The cream sauce lacked the zing promised by the mention of garlic but it merely tasted bland rather than unpleasant.
Spaniards hold annual festivals celebrating the roasted calçot, a green vegetable that is similar to leeks or spring onions. David Linares, Macarena’s co-founder and CEO, told us that it’s impractical to import calçots from Spain. In their place they serve baby leeks ($14). The preparation is sublime. They come out of the oven melting with tenderness. Better even than a roasted artichoke heart.
Macarena serves as many paellas as they do tapas. The portions are significant and designed to be shared at the table. Our paella de presa Ibérica ($52) combined pork, chickpeas and seasonal vegetables. When the ingredients were mixed together as a bite, it tasted, unexpectedly, like Asian fried rice, sans an egg.
Many years ago, I ate an ice cream sundae at Kokkari that I’ve never forgotten. The saquets de crema ($12) at Macarena have joined that pantheon of memorable desserts. They’re a variation on profiteroles. Small packets of puff pastry are filled with a cold vanilla cream and a side of melted hot chocolate.
When bitten into, the chilled cream bursts out of its packet and spreads across the tongue. It’s a thrilling bite that’s suggestive of something naughty. I’m not sure I didn’t blush after eating them. If we had only ordered the rich dense glass of layered tiramisú ($12), we wouldn’t have gone home disappointed. But the saquets were as fulfilling as an erotic dream remembered late in the day.
Macarena, open Mon to Thurs 11:30am–9:30pm, Fri 11:30am–10:30pm, Sat 11am–10:30pm, Sun 11am–9:30pm, 420 Ramona St., Palo Alto. 650.407.2897. macarenarestaurant.com
