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Chef Dani García.

Dani García on bringing a taste of Andalusia to LA and Miami

Journalist

The Spanish chef reveals his latest US expansion plans and how a certain burger chain changed his life

Chef Dani García is not afraid of creating headlines nor dreaming big. A protégé of Spanish Michelin culinary royalty, Martin Berasategui, Garcia first built his trailblazing reputation with an avant-garde restaurant in his hometown Marbella. Now he is conquering the US with his technically daring, wide-angled approach to Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine. His philosophy is “local thinking and global cooking that has no barriers.”

At least two openings are planned for 2025, in LA and Miami, and García is clearly thrilled. Closest to his heart is Casa Dani (a location of which already exists in NYC), whose name is derived from Southern Spain’s tradition of naming small family restaurants as if they were the chef’s home. The menu focuses on traditional Andalusian dishes, especially seafood, given a fresh edginess. Think truffle and onion tortilla, cod bunuelos, and fried artichokes in an Iberico ham emulsion. Fresh Andalusian tuna belly cooked in a salt crust, glistening over crisp pan con tomate is likely to be a huge draw. Casa Dani will open in LA’s Westfield Century City this Spring (that is the aftermath of the dreadful fires allowing). It is a flagship location, a high end culinary hub facing Santa Monica Boulevard. Its design will evoke an Andalusian dining room arranged around a garden courtyard.

Come fall, Leńa Miami is scheduled to debut on Miami Beach, as a temple for grill lovers revolving around intense flavors and the tradition of cooking over embers, charcoal, flames, and smoke with meat the star of the show. It will showcase Iberian specialties from sobrasada (paprika spiced, spreadable pork sausage from the Balearic Islands) to charcoal-grilled top loin of Iberian pork marinated in koji. The dramatic decor using stone and wood as primary materials will evoke a sense of the primal.

Casa Dani in NYC.

Casa Dani in NYC

García is the globally renowned Spanish chef who achieved a certain notoriety when he returned his three Michelin stars within 22 days of winning them at his eponymous dining room located in Marbella’s Puente Romano beach resort. No stranger to controversy, García created further shockwaves when McDonalds in Spain approached him to recreate his iconic ‘bull’ burger sauce served at Leña for the fast food burger chain. García is upbeat: “McDonald’s changed my life. I went from selling 25,000 burgers a year at Leña to 50,000 a day. Mindblowing.”

The Dani García group now has over 20 restaurants in 6 countries and 3 continents, and counting. Though his head office remains in Marbella, García admits: “My ambition has changed. I’m proud to be taking an understanding of Spanish cuisine globally.

“I want to create a revolution in mid-range dining using all our conceptual and technical knowledge,” García tells me. He is already achieving this with considerable verve at Leña, Madrid. When I visit, the restaurant is packed with a well-dressed crowd, ordering lavishly and has an almost nightclub vibe.

A dish at Smoked Room in Madrid.

Aburi mackerel with citrus tomato dashi at Smoked Room, Madrid

“I want to invert the pyramid,” he continues the next morning, as we stroll around Madrid’s 1930s Mercado de Vallehermoso, a proper old-school market excelling in ravishing seafood. I count eight different colors and sizes of prawns alone. “I want everyone to experience incredible produce like this.” García exclaims, gesturing excitedly at a huge mound of gleaming octopus tentacles. “Deep down, I am still the young chef who loves a food market. That’s even though I am no longer in the kitchen every day. My name is not on the door, so guests don’t expect it. Now, I get so much satisfaction from encouraging the creativity of my talented teams.”

Conversation leads on to how different Casa Dani, LA will be. García’s enthusiasm is endearing. “I couldn’t believe it when I first visited Santa Monica’s Farmers Market on Arizona Avenue on a recce. It exceeded my expectations. I was amazed by the sheer abundance and quality.” García is clearly chuffed that the market is frequented by A-list West Coast chefs Thomas Keller and Josiah Citrin besides Hollywood stars.

García describes his approach as cocina contradición (a play on words meaning to cook both with tradition and without). “We think in a new way which I believe will appeal to LA diners. For example, we will have ajo blanco, a traditional almond, garlic, and olive oil soup from Andalusia that I adore on Casa Dani’s menu. My old-new recipe adds coconut milk, giving the soup a more distinctive flavor. It is familial yet enhanced in a modern manner. Rather like Marbella, my hometown, that has acquired much glitter without losing its essence.” García clarifies: “I don’t feel I have to stay wholly traditional; it is tradition through my DNA, through the filter of what my grandmother and mother taught me and the meals I remember from childhood.”

Leña in Madrid.

Leña in Madrid

Although García is clear that he is on a mission to democratize haute cuisine, he hasn’t altogether abandoned it. We reconvene later in the day to experience his newest project in Madrid: Smoked Room. It is down a hidden black corridor that is dramatically lit from the floor and directly linked to Leña’s dining room. What Garcia terms ‘fire omakase’ is a dining room with a dramatic single crescent-shaped table with seats facing the open-fire kitchens, with mirrors above. The vibe is decidedly James Bond lair deluxe. Smoked Room Madrid won two Michelin stars within six months of opening and Garcia gives full credit to his team.

Executive Chef Massimiliano Della Vedouve explains: “Smoked Room was born from Leña and smoke is the connecting thread. Here we take Leña’s cooking over fire to a more mature haute cuisine: experimenting both in the seasoning and the finishing touches to transform ingredients and the mindset of diners.”

At Smoked Room, the Japanese influence is pronounced and the smoke subtly, elegantly enhancing: sensational grilled goose barnacles Bourguignon-style; wild pigeon and sea urchin chawanmushi; and grouper fish stuffed with smoked Iberian pork belly wrapped in seaweed and chocolate, miso and Islay whisky smoke. Will Smoked Room follow Leña to Miami? García mentions they are looking at the city’s ambitious Brickell development and smiles enigmatically. Watch this space.

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