My time in Salamanca, a UNESCO heritage world city in Madrid, is a veritable time travel across centuries. But it is my last dinner in the golden city — named after its yellow-tinted local stone — that encompasses this the most.
At El Alquimista, chef César Niño’s five-course menu celebrates local produce, Spanish cuisine, and his Catalonian roots. We sample Ajo Blanco, a velvety Spanish almond soup that we chase down with pull-apart bread and swipes of hummus. Umami-rich vegetarian farinato sausages follow, and lightly sautéed trumpet mushrooms served in a wild nettle sauce. With every dish, Niño narrates a story rooted both in the past and the present.
