"Here you come to surprise you." With this forceful letter of introduction, brothers Unai and Patxi Fernández de Retana direct 'El Clarete' (1 Sol Repsol), in the center of Vitoria-Gasteiz. A commitment to seasonal products and a winery where even the most knowledgeable always discover something new.

Do not look for the letter on the table, nor wait for a waiter to bring it to you. At the restaurant 'El Clarete', the menu is a surprise that you will discover with the succession of dishes that come out of Unai's kitchen, "where the best of the Basque pantry is recreated", as they recognized him when choosing him the best restaurant alavés from 2017. "We like the diner to have a pleasant and fun time during the meal, but also to leave with the pleasure of taking a supplement of amazement in what he eats and drinks," says the chef.

Unai, in the kitchen of his restaurant.
Unai, in the kitchen of his restaurant.
In 1998, when Unai took her first steps through the kitchen and Patxi had just returned from her tour of America, they received that call that changed their lives. The former owners of 'El Clarete' transferred them to that mythical place in the old part of Vitoria, where they drank wine in pots, txikiteos and hunting pintxos, and which had been transformed into a trendy bar in the 90s, with a door input and output one to avoid collapsing the flow of attendees.

The winery is the territory dominated by Patxi.
The winery is the territory dominated by Patxi.
"The future is in the past," says Unai, who uses the familiar and indigenous recipes to get that touch of novelty at home, such as the classic artichoke carpaccio from Ribera, black olives and salad, which they crush and serve with croutons. of celiac bread, ham, chives and soy dressings. That dish has gone from the tasting menu to the short offer at the bar at the entrance, "the other table", along with the canned antxoas or the housewife's mushroom croquettes, which perfectly combine with vermouth and muscat homemade, "that we make to our liking" in a small winery in Zaragoza.