The Perfect Paella

Need to know how to make a perfect Paella?  We just completed our fifth Spanish Winetasting "Paella Dinner" at Sam's -- my good friend, Jose Luis Relinque did us the honor of joining our Executive Chef/Partner Lewis Rossman and his team as our guest chef.  Born in Seville and raised in Barcelona, Jose Luis is the Executive Chef/Owner of the critically acclaimed Iberia restaurant in Menlo Park.

This interactive event is a blast – Jose Luis set up three large Paella pans on stands in our Terrace room, overlooking the ocean. Our guests helped cook three different kinds of Paella under the masterful direction of Jose Luis, stirring religiously until the Paellas were perfect, while sipping Spanish cava.  Sam’s Executive Chef/Partner Lewis Rossman and his staff prepared great appetizers, and delicious, authentic tapas – Chorizo Bilbao (sausage) with a honey and sherry glaze, charred asparagus with romesco sauce and manchego and marcona almonds, braised calamari with corona beans, and anchovy fritto with lemon aioli and serrano ham bocadillo - wow!

Dessert was a masterpiece by our sous chef Simone, who combined the top Spanish dessert ingredients to create an apple custard tart with almond cream and cinnamon. The wines were also a great match with the meal.

Be sure to stop by and try Iberia restaurant if you are in the area – it’s an authentic, and very charming restaurant with some of the best Spanish food on the West Coast.  The dining room inside is colorful and romantic, as is the cozy bar de tapas near the wood-burning fire.  Our favorite is the outside patio garden, with is large and shaded by a huge old Oak tree.  Jose Luis also has one of the larges Spanish wine collections in the United States (a 15,000 bottle collection), and won the prestigious Wine Spectator Magazine's Award of Excellence.

Stay tuned for our next Paella dinner, and check out the photos!