This is the best restaurant in the world: Mirazur
If someone had asked the **founder and head chef of Mirazur, Mauro Colagreco** 10 years ago, if he suspected that his restaurant would become the best in the world, he would have said that the goal is never to obtain a position or a special classification. , no matter how much it is valued and lived as a precious stimulus. "If the imagination is focused on that type of objective, we will only do nothing but clip its wings" , a phrase that encompasses the philosophy and spirit of improvement of the cosmopolitan team that makes up Mirazur.
This 2019 is emerging as the year of consecration of this restaurant located in the French Riviera, in the town of Menton . Being worthy of carrying three Michelin stars since January of this year is not something that everyone can boast about and even less so win the number 1 spot in a classification of such magnitude. Happiness and pride are some of the many feelings that surround the culinary jewel that has conquered more than 1,000 critics, chefs and influential personalities from 26 regions.
An experience that its chef defines in one word: 'Emotional'
RAISE THE FOUNDATIONS
Sometimes, our own human nature makes us sin by looking at the success of others with a certain suspicion, we do not stop to think about the path that a person has traveled, the obstacles that they have had to overcome or the effort and the hours that it entails. a project that today manages to touch the sky with its hands . Because that is exactly what has happened to Mirazur , to Mauro and to his entire team, who strive every day to improve a restaurant that has risen through the French clouds.
When destiny comes into play, sometimes there is no way to avoid it and it was precisely in the Basque Country where the idea began to take shape. **"One day while eating with some friends they told me about a restaurant in an idyllic place between France and Italy **, which had been closed for three years and whose owner was known to them. Three years later they called me to propose a visit to the place," says Mauro, who mentions having in love in just an instant.
They started in 2006 with just five people, without material or human resources, and hardly any financial, a resounding leap into the void, which makes it even more valuable . Suspicion about this restaurant began to grow, and it is that when you stand out, you stand out, and the repercussion becomes more and more frequent.
They quickly managed to position themselves, the guide Gault&Millau highlighted them as 'Revelation of the Year' and in a matter of months they were worthy of obtaining their first michelin star . A stimulus, a caress that contributed to support the effort that the opening of the place demanded, "It took us two years to get clients to come to Mirazur" , comments Mauro to Traveler.es.
Today it is no longer just those five who raised the foundations of the place. The team grew, reaching a total of fifty people, a group that puts its effort and dedication into continuing to innovate in this restaurant that aims to provide diners an experience that Mauro defines in one word: "Emotional".
FROM BUENOS AIRES TO THE COSTA AZUL
Anguish or fear can invade us when we decide to change course. Mauro dropped out of his Economics degree to fully immerse himself in gastronomy and his father gave him the most valuable advice: "If you follow your passion you will do well" . No doubt he was right, says Colagreco.
More than 19 years ago he traveled to France from his hometown, after training at the Gato Dumas Institute in Argentina and working in the most prestigious restaurants in Buenos Aires : Catalinas, Rey Castro, Mariani and Deep Blue. He continued his studies at the Lycée Hotelier de La Rochelle in the year 2000 and twelve months later, he landed an interesting position at Cote d'Or , under the leadership of chef Bernard Loiseau.
Mauro Colagreco trained with the most prestigious chefs, Bernard Loiseau, Alain Ducasse and Guy Martin
Mentors are determined to play a vital role in our lives, and their influence on Mauro has been no exception. Of Bernard Loiseau he has inherited the passion and refinement in cooking modes , by Alain Passard the permanent creativity and the sublimation of the vegetal universe, the absolute perfection and rigor of Alain Ducasse , as well as the reaffirmation of the creativity and personality of Guy Martin.
The connection of the restaurant with certain places could not be closer and the culture of the countries continues to be a source of inspiration. **The flavors, recipes and cooking methods of Argentina, Spain, Italy and Brazil ** coexist in Mauro, the chef's legacies are poured into the gastronomic offer. The taste for good meat, his grandmother's homemade pasta, the Biscayan-style cod for Easter , the French refinement and the exuberance of the Brazilian lands of his wife.
MIRAZUR WITHOUT BORDERS
An amazing emotional experience. That is what we would experience if we decided to come and taste the creations of mirazur, surrounded by idyllic views of the Mediterranean Sea . There they would ask us if we have any restriction or intolerance to an ingredient, and based on that answer the creation would begin.
The restaurant located on the French Riviera managed to reach the number one position
A pleasant personalized menu is what we will receive after a while, and in case of visiting it for the second time, in no way could we expect to eat the same as the first, that is something inconceivable in the best restaurant in the world.
Being located near the border, they serve distinguished products from the Italian-French markets , buying from local producers and growing in his own garden , where they claim to have a repertoire of more than 150 local herbs and flowers. They even have their own avocados, sourced from a tree over 200 years old.
Mirazur celebrates a kitchen without borders , one who knows how to appreciate quality and freshness of products of each place, which is open to exchanges and different influences.
Mirazur celebrates cuisine without borders, sautéed beetroot from the garden with caviar cream
Dishes that combine warmth, aroma and purity of the South of France , coupled with an extensive regional wine list, combining, mixing and praising the culture of each country.
The future is making its way, and those who wish will soon be able to visit Pecora Negra, the new Colagreco pizzeria on the popular Sablettes beach , facing the old port of Menton. The objective from the beginning was to work on a popular product but with a simplicity that continues to be reinvented and of course with a Neapolitan pizzaiolo.
Since 2002 a French restaurant has not reached the podium. Love and passion have achieved it, two of the essential ingredients in Mirazur. Two components that are invisible to the eye, but capable of being savored in each bite in this 1930s villa, which offers panoramic views of the harbor and the aromatic perfume that is released from their own gardens.
This 1930s villa offers panoramic views of the harbor and the city of Menton
Address: 30 Avenue Aristide Briand, Menton, France View map
Telephone: +33 4 92 41 86 86
Schedule: From Wednesday to Sunday from 12:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 7:15 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday and Tuesday closed.