Artichoke purée with seasonal (and local!) vegetables, at Casa Elena.
It's time to eat, as well as with the senses, with the head. This means that we must pay more attention to the origin of food, its environmental footprint and the impact that our good habits have on the culture and economy of a region. Slow food philosophy is called this that more than a trend we have to make it become a habit.
There are already many km 0 restaurants that have committed to reducing CO2 emissions produced by the transport of food and that are committed to the consumption of local products purchased directly from local producers –most with organic and non-transgenic certification–.
In the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, Catalonia and Galicia, the offer is quite wide and it is not difficult to locate establishments that are governed by these respectful standards, but in the center of the peninsula we were orphans of certifications. Until the one from Casa Elena has finally arrived.
In a typical manchega house rehabilitated in Cabins of the Sagra , this Toledo restaurant can boast of being the first and the only one in the downtown area to obtain the official slow food label granted by the Slow Food Spain Ecogastronomic Association.
At Casa Elena, the interior design is as relaxed and elegant as its traditional haute cuisine.
THE ARTIFICE
We could say that the final project of César Martín, its owner, was the one that shaped the current Casa Elena (he used what he learned in Holland at The Hague University and in the various internships carried out even in Polynesia). But this would be to leave an important part of history, or rather its history, in the inkwell, since the restaurant occupies her grandmother's old house, which was later a restaurant run by her mother, Ana (and in which César worked during his adolescence).
A family saga has reached the 21st century adapting to avant-garde gastronomic standards without forgetting the love for the land and traditions. You just have to chat with César for a while to realize it: "All this would not have been possible without my mother, she is the one who has been in charge of the decoration", he confesses proudly while showing me several pieces of furniture masterfully restored by Ana.
César Martín Cedillo takes care of the dining room at Casa Elena, his restaurant, with mastery and excellence.
INTERIOR DESIGN
There are many decorative elements that cannot be ignored in Casa Elena. The first that welcomes you are some incredible wooden beams, like a polychrome coffered ceiling matching the entrance counter, which give the space a regal and elegant character at the same time.
The hydraulic tiles recovered from **the bar area (the old kitchen that still preserves the wood-burning stove and the stone sink)** draw so much attention that one hardly notices the cement rub they made in the pavement to pass a pipe during the time the restaurant was transferred to other owners.
César tells me that he has found a Catalan company that, if you send the pattern of the drawing, will make as many identical pieces as you need to cover the damaged area. A mixture of love and anger invades me as I watch her, but, As if it were a decorative scar, I understand that it is these small details that bring authenticity to Casa Elena.
On the other hand, on the upper floor, the white microcement floor and walls, the bistro-type chairs and the vegetable fiber lamps are so current that they could well appear in an interior design magazine for their relaxed aesthetic very much in keeping with the slow food cuisine that is practiced at Casa Elena.
The main hall, with wooden beams and whitewashed walls, occupies the old stables of the house. With capacity for almost 50 people, the dining room is practically full, even though it's Tuesday. Gossip (sorry, it's an intrinsic part of my profession) at nearby tables and I see that there are groups that have come to eat the stew that they make to order.
I prefer to go for the long menu, which includes eight appetizers (eight!), two starters, two main courses and, as if that were not enough, a table of La Mancha cheeses and two desserts (€60). All well watered by the excellent wines that César has located less than 100 kilometers from this town in La Mancha. (€30).
The hydraulic tiles recovered from the bar are a sign of love for the authentic at Casa Elena.
YOUR SLOW FOOD DISHES
In front of the kitchen is Alberto Avilés, the chef who shapes this renewed traditional cuisine that bets on the seasonal product. His experience and love for the background stew acquired during his time at the two-Michelin-star restaurant Coque can be detected in his dishes.
While I open my mouth with my Arlini artisan vermouth, one after another the eight appetizers on the menu come out of the kitchen in the form of small and tasty bites: the grilled octopus, with false escabeche, roasted tomato vinaigrette and potato and pea parmentier is already a classic at Casa Elena and the oxtail ravioli on fresh sheep's milk cream and carrot and curry gel is so intense and fluffy that you would instantly wish that instead of one you had been served a dozen.
But no, we still have, before getting to the main dishes, the artichoke puree and the crispy rice in pepitoria with fried rooster comb and fermented cream.
The contrast of flavors of the meat juice on which the Wild Sea Bass Tenderloin rests and the Fallow deer loin marinated in wine and spices with textured beetroot is a nod (perfectly executed) to seasonal game dishes.
At the end of the cheese board and the two desserts (Lavender in textures with peach and Chocolate and coffee cream, curable almond and mascarpone ice cream) I feel like going out to the terrace to enjoy after-meal talk, but the weather is not good . So I have yet another spring visit to this temple of slow food where time passes very slowly and the flavors remain forever (and not necessarily on the retina) .
Fallow deer loin marinated in wine and spices with textured beets, at Casa Elena.
THE STIMULUS DINNERS
By this we are referring to the totally dark sensory dinners that Cesar has imported from Dubai. The idea is simple but at the same time very effective: the diner has to find out only using smell, hearing, touch and taste the ingenious dishes devised by chef Alberto Avilés for this special gastronomic menu: four appetizers, a starter, two main courses and two desserts, plus drink pairing (€50).
You also participate in oenological challenges in which the objective will be to guess the grape, the area or even the brand or cellar of the wines tasted. They take place every Friday and Saturday night (prior reservation) and another plus to take into account is that Casa Elena contributes by contributing 5% of the profits from this activity to the NGO Acción contra el Hambre.
In this dining room at Casa Elena, the incredible natural light stands out, the kind that is missing in the space where they hold dinners in the dark.
Address: Calle Nueva, 15, Cabañas De La Sagra, Toledo See map
Telephone: 925355407
Half price: Short menu: €45 / Long menu: €60 / Stimulus dinners: €50