He had me at gazpacho.
I’m not normally a fan of the chunky, salsa-like tomato soup that makes its way onto so many summer menus, but Loquita’s new Executive Chef Cristian Granada served us up a bright, rich, creamy take on the classic that’s been “spherified” into a flavor bomb that bursts into your mouth and delights your taste buds in a way that’s usually only reserved for chocolate in my hierarchy of food favorites.
I was part of a lucky group of journalists and hospitality folks that Chef Granada welcomed to the patio of his new digs last weekend. I’ve spent a lot of time on that lovely, bougainvillea-shaded patio over the years, enjoying Loquita’s signature paella and fabulous selection of gin and tonics. Those are still on the menu — and in fact Chef served us a monkfish version and caviar version of the paella that was off-the-charts rich and savory. But the primary focus of the Colombian-born chef’s new additions he shared that day were part of a Pintxo Experience: A Taste Tour across Spain.
“Discover the rich culinary heritage of five iconic Spanish regions through a curated selection of pintxo — small bites with big stories,” reads the placemat outlining the new offerings. In addition to the spherified tomato gazpacho, which gets its vibrant spices from Andalusia, there’s also a translucent bread and tomato bite from Madrid, a nicely balanced compressed peach and jamón bellota from Basque Country, a jamón Ibérico tartare on a pork cracker from Valencia, and one of my other favorites bites of the night: an adorably tasty uni-prawn mousse in a mini cone that was inspired by the cuisine of Catalonia.
There was also a lovely asparagus and smokey romesco sauce I really liked. Clearly, I need to visit Catalonia sometime soon.
Recognized by both the Washington Post and the Michelin Guide as one of the standout Latin American chefs helping reshape fine dining, Chef Granada — who was part of the team at Xiquet by Danny Lledó, a Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant in Washington, D.C., as well as Executive Chef at El Secreto de Rosita, and oversaw the team at Sushería in Georgetown before coming to Santa Barbara — made a great first impression. I’m looking forward to seeing where he takes us next. See loquitasb.com.
Loquita Executive Chef Cristian Granada shares his Pintxo Experience menu | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
The Pintxo Experience | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
The monkfish and caviar paella | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
A special gluten-free version of the anchovy toast made for one of my colleagues | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
Sangria paired nicely with Loquita’s bites| Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
Uni-prawn mousse in a mini cone (left) and the spherified gazpacho spoons | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
Asparagus and romesco sauce | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
Compressed peach and jamon bellota | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg 
Anchovies never had such good company before! | Photo: Leslie Dinaberg
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