BY JENNY BOONE

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It’s been a few years since I’ve visited Barcelona, but the gentle breeze rolling through brought the smell of Las Ramblas immediately back. Saffron, chorizo, manchego, fresh catch. There might as well have been rows of beautifully cured Jamón Serrano hanging along the wall. I was definitely back in Spain again – and yet physically I was walking into the tucked away corner entrance of a nondescript office building in the Westchase area of Houston, Texas. 

I was at the hottest dinner ticket in town – the once a month Underground Dinner by Chef Luis Martinez. With only 18 seats available each month, it’s one of the most exclusive and hardest to get tickets – and not just because of the stellar food. 

Luis Martinez is a singular and unique chef in the Houston restaurant scene. While some “celebrity chefs” are so called because they go on TV or are featured on multiple media outlets, Chef Martinez is a “chef FOR celebrities”, as he has cooked for countless big names, including Robert DeNiro, Alex Baldwin, Celine Dion, Danny DeVito, Gene Hackman, and the Crown Prince of Morocco.  In fact, the Prince so loved his cooking that he flew Chef Martinez to Morocco to host several events and be his personal chef. 

So, with the knowledge of his background, the pedigree of his talents, and with the smells of Spain filling my nostrils, I knew one thing for sure: this was gonna be fun.

While the incredible smells of Spain greeted me as I walked in, it was the sight of a long and beautifully laid out dining table that really set the mood of an intimate and upscale dinner party. Chef Luis mingled enthusiastically with everyone as the live Spanish musician played piano and the small group of Underground Exclusives clinked our glasses with eager anticipation, as we couldn’t wait to begin our tapas tour of Barcelona. 

Underground Dinner: Barcelona: The journey

We started with a couple dynamic small bites:

– an empanada with manchego, dates, and spinach 

-padrón peppers (similar to shishito peppers) topped with Mahon cheese and orange zest. 

Within a few bites the tone for the evening was set, both in the sophistication of flavors and the subversive and subtle unique twists on classic Spanish dishes. 

Next up was the first of many seafood dishes and one of the best of the night – Pulpo con papas, which was octopus carpaccio with a citrusy mojo verde sauce and a flower of mashed purple potatoes. Fresh, simple, fun. 

This followed by squid ink pasta topped with grilled shrimp and saffron aioli, and a Boquerón con brandade, which was a bacalao purée topped with white anchovy and smoked paprika oil. Layers of tangy, smoky, umami. I’m not one for anchovies or bacalao, but when all combined it really made the perfect bite. 

To cleanse our palate and introduce the next phase of dishes, we were served a Malaga-style chilled almond soup with crab and grapes. Very interesting flavors, and definitely prepared the palate for the last 2 seafood courses:

-seared tuna topped with what looked like caviar, but was citrus vinaigrette solidified by liquid nitrogen into little ovals. 

– stuffed calamari with white beans and balsamic vinegar 

A short break between the seafood and meat courses was filled by more live music and entertaining dining companions sharing stories about favorite dishes from past Underground Dinners and corporate events Chef Luis has done in the community. 

As Chef Luis chatted happily with everyone, the next two plates concluded with much fanfare, as they featured some of the most authentic and delicious Jamón Serrano I’ve had stateside. 

The Jamón croquette topped with Chef’s famous cilantro sauce was an instant winner, but I savored every bite of the Grilled bread topped with garlic and tomato spread, confit piquillo peppers, and piled high with Jamón. Another simple and delicious dish elevated by the flavors combining to make The Perfect Bite. 

This theme of making sure to combine every element on the plate to make the perfect combination of flavors was never more apparent than with the next dish – Spanish potato omelet with black boudin and apple brandy sauce. Everything was fine by itself, but combine all three in one bite and you suddenly understood what all the fuss was about. 

The last two meat courses, as pork belly and tenderloin dishes tend to be, automatic home runs. But again, the play on flavors in the Crispy Pork Belly with roasted chestnuts and poached quail eggs and the Tenderloin with Foie Gras crust, fog purée, and cauliflower cous cous were what made them standouts. 

As the evening wound down and the tones of a saxophone softly playing “Just the Two of Us” guided us toward dessert, there were relaxed and smiling faces from every diner around the table. Nobody had any room left for dessert, but that didn’t mean we weren’t going to give it a valiant try. 

And I’m so glad we did. To put the finishing touches on the plate, Chef Luis brought out a tank of liquid nitrogen and demonstrated a mini cooking lesson for everyone as he made the little frozen goat cheese cherries to go with the perfectly cooked churros and Spanish chocolate to dip them in. 

It was such an amazing meal, and we felt very lucky to be a part of it. As everything was winding down nobody was saying their goodbyes. It was obvious that everyone was so comfortable and relaxed, having made new Foodie friends while enjoying an outstanding meal, that nobody wanted the evening to end. One of the couples shared that they were such huge fans of Chef Luis that not only had they been to every single Underground Dinner, but they hire him to cater their own Underground Dinners at their house as well as an annual summer event. Another couple mentioned that they do cooking classes with Chef Luis where he teaches them and their friends to hold unique dinner parties. It was then that I realized why tickets to the monthly Underground Dinners were so hard to get – I had to compete with the Chef’s super fans!

Next month Chef Martinez will take his Underground Dinner on a trip to Cuba. The chef shared with me his excitement of unique menus, custom culinary culture and plans to poll the guests to determine where they would like to take their taste buds next. As we were leaving I joked with my spouse “well, at least we don’t have to compete with the Prince of Morocco to get a seat next time”. “Sometimes he comes too!” Chef Martinez joked as we walked out. Or, at least I think he was joking. I guess we’ll see if we’re one of the lucky ones to enjoy Chef Martinez’ “perfect bites” again soon. 

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PHOTOGRAPHY: JENNY BOONE