Dinner with The Roca Brothers of El Celler De Can Roca

By Mai Pham

Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 9:47 a.m.

Mai Pham The Roca Brothers — Joan, Josep, and Jordi Roca — share a laugh during an on-air interview. 1/22

Mai Pham Cloth tea napkins are imprinted with the El Celler de Can Roca Logo. 2/22

Mai Pham Campari and grapefruit bon bons burst with a gush of liquid when you place them in your mouth. 3/22

Mai Pham Achovy skeletons are used to make crisp chips. 4/22

Mai Pham Truffled brioche topped with freshly shaved truffles. 5/22

Mai Pham Sierra Mayor Iberico Ham, considered the best in the world, is served during the cocktail hour. 6/22

Mai Pham Sierra Mayor, Jamon Iberico de Bellota. 7/22

Mai Pham Chairman and CEO of BBVA Compass Bank (far right), Manolo Sanchez, gives opening remarks next to the Roca Brothers. 9/22

Mai Pham The menu for the evening is 18 courses, starting with a "World Tour" course made with dishes inspired by each leg of their tour. 10/22

Mai Pham First course presentation "The World on the BBVA Tour - From Argentina to Turkey." 11/22

Mai Pham "The World" - Five bites representing Argentina, Miami, Birmingham, Houston, Turkey. 12/22

Mai Pham Memories of a Neighborhood Bar. A small pop-up bar displays several bites typical of their neighborhood bar in Girona, Spain. 13/22

Mai Pham What does the moon taste like, Houston? Made with white and black truffle and a distillate of soil taken from the grounds of their restaurant in Girona, Spain. 14/22

Mai Pham Host restaurant Caracol was the setting for the El Celler de Can Roca dinners. 15/22

Mai Pham Black Pearl Oyster, Melon Juice, Cucumber, Celery and Apple. 16/22

Mai Pham Stones bearing the El Celler de Can Roca logo were placed on each table. 17/22

Mai Pham Lobster Parmentier with Black Mole. 18/22

Mai Pham Wine pairings by Josep Roca, which included this Valbuena Vega Sicilia 2008 D.O. Ribera de Duero, were impeccable. 19/22

Mai Pham Cochinita Pibil (suckling pig) tartare with peanut cream and chipotle balsamic sauce. 20/22

Mai Pham Jordi Roca's Sponge Cake Ice Cream Cupcake, tinged with a hint of bergamot, was extraordinary. 21/22

Mai Pham "Chocolate anarchy" by Jordi Roca — 7 types of chocolate sourced from 7 different locales, prepared in different ways. 22/22

Dinner with The Roca Brothers of El Celler De Can Roca

The Worlds' No. 1 Restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, and the team behind the restaurant — brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi (known as the "Roca Brothers") — are in Houston for a world tour sponsored by BBVA Compass. "Our restaurant is where we are," said Joan Roca at a press conference yesterday. To recreate the experience of their restaurant, the Roca Brothers closed their restaurant for five weeks, taking their entire staff with them. The result? An 18-course dining extravaganza, which will take place over the course of three days at host restaurant, Caracol. The meal included a course called "What does the moon taste like, Houston?" inspired by Houston's heritage as Space City.

_{Up Next:}