Essentia's agenda is fuming these days. With Holy Week on the horizon, this restaurant located in a polygon of Tarancón (Cuenca) has become an obligatory stop for those who go or come to the Levante. "All holiday periods or bridges represent a huge peak of reservations," explains chef Toño Navarro (31), who has been in charge of the kitchen of this place for four and a half years.
Located at exit 79 of the A-3, it opened its doors in 2016. The obsession to offer the best product was from the beginning in the roadmap of the Loriente family, who are behind this project that since then has only grown, both in space (it already has 15,000 square meters, with boutique hotel included) and in recognitions (they already have a Sol Repsol). "We have our own garden very close to here; we grow zucchini, beans, tomatoes, cauliflowers, etc., and rely on organic suppliers such as Finca Los Cuervos. Yesterday we were collecting the first teardrop peas," says Toño. Vegetables and fish abound in the proposal, although fame came to them for their extraordinary meats.
El chef Toño Navarro.
Specifically, for the Finnish cow, which was chosen in 2019 as the Best Beef in the World. It is an extremely tender and tasty meat that comes from the Ayrshire breed; then Essentia was one of the two restaurants in Spain that offered it on the menu. "We continue to maintain it, but it is one more dish," says Toño. That claim filled the agenda of local public, but also of other points of the Peninsula. And little by little what was a stop on the way to the Mediterranean became a gastronomic destination in itself. "People come from the Basque Country, Alicante and a lot of Madrid specifically to eat."
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Essentia is distributed in two spaces, the gastrobar, "which opens from Monday to Sunday throughout the day", and the restaurant, which closes at night from Sunday to Thursday. "In the first we have capacity for 100 people; in the second for 60," says Toño, who has clear goals. "We don't aspire to the Michelin star, we just hope people leave here happy." Tanned in the kitchens of La Máquina de La Moraleja, Portobello (Madrid) and Las Rejas (Las Pedroñeras), among other places, Toño disassociated himself from the gastro world for a while after a bad experience in Madrid. "I went back to my family's business, which focuses on the world of plastics." The bug was taken away by working on events. "Then I opened a bar in Tarancón, with which I endured eight months." Then he was offered the position of head chef in Essentia and, of course, who refuses to enjoy in a kitchen of 300 square meters and with that commitment to the best product. "Our secret is to offer an excellent raw material and handle it as little as possible."
Peas with egg.
From houses such as Discarlux, Norteños, Cárnicum, Finca Mingote or El Encinar de Humienta come selected pieces of Galician blonde cow (high loin, sirloin, matured chop), Angus (entrecôte and low loin) and 100% Iberian pork. "The fish maintain the level. At 7.00 in the morning they call us from the Galician cooperative Artesáns da Pesca, tell us what is there and send it to us, "says the chef proudly. "We bring genre from the best fish markets in the country." That implies that the offer on the menu varies daily according to what comes in.
Curiosities keeps a good handful this Manchego restaurant, which also boasts good taste in decoration: from the water purifier with reverse osmosis that leaves the glassware bright to its ham dryer with an experimental technology, in which more than a thousand pieces of the D.O. Jabugo and Guijuelo are pampered to achieve the perfect cure with a pioneering static cold system that renews and controls the flow of air, temperature and humidity, passing through a ripening chamber where their meats acquire flavor.
Homemade Torreznos of Essentia.
Sitting at the table it is difficult to decide – the comfortable thing is to go to the tasting menu, without a doubt. There is plenty and good to choose from. The seasonal tomato tartare and candied artichokes stand out in the first part of the menu. Typical product, essential homemade torreznos, which have become almost an icon of the house, and the candied suckling pig mask, on the recommendation of the chef. In the meats, the Galician blonde cow chop or the old cow chop, both matured 45 days, are exquisite. The Lodosa peppers confit with vine shoots are postulated as the perfect accompaniment.
The wine part is taken care of, like everything, to the maximum. With the help of Luis Moya, maître d' and sommelier, they have achieved a wide and interesting selection of more than 300 national and international references; in its underground cellar lie wines of aging and vertical of landmark houses such as Pingus or Vega Sicilia, together with lesser-known labels and limited productions.
If at this point the laziness of continuing route has taken over the situation, do not despair. The Ansares hotel (four stars) and its 70 rooms allow you to rest and prolong the experience. Life revolves around a typical Castilian patio and, in addition to a careful decoration -works of art and antiques brought from Asia abound- and luxury materials (such as recycled natural wood, limestone from the Roda area ...), they have common technological innovations in establishments with five stars. Do not forget to try their spa to have the round experience.
Address: Avda. de Adolfo Suárez, 30. Tarancón, Cuenca / Autovía A-3, km 79. Telephones: 969 322 397 (restaurant) / 969 182 993 (hotel).
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