Spanish--With Its Own Accent

Javier Mel’s creations may not be as radical as those of Spain’s Nueva Cocina movement--at his Viva Madrid! in Claremont, you won’t find anything like olive sorbet or caviar junket, such as you might at Gaminiz in the Basque country near Bilbao or elBulli in Roses north of Barcelona--but they do edge away from Spanish culinary tradition. What you will find, among many familiar classics, are dishes unlike any served so far in Southern California’s Spanish restaurants.

For his cordero a la miel, based on the ancient Moorish style of braising meats with honey or fruit, Mel simmers lean lamb chunks in honey and meaty juices with dry-cured olives. But he finishes the dish in an untraditional way, strewing nuggets of white cheese over the meat and then piling on wispy leaves of deep-fried spinach.

Viva Madrid!’s kitchen takes full advantage of the fine Spanish ingredients that have recently been promoted by the Spanish government here. Cabrales, a sharp blue cheese from Asturias, garnishes a grilled beef rib eye splashed with a reduction of Spanish brandy. Several regional goat cheeses (cabras) show up as tapas or garnishes. Sweet, smoky piquillo peppers come stuffed with seafood. Mojama (spelled “mohama” on the menu) is smoked cured tuna; sliced paper-thin and served on grilled bread rubbed with good Spanish olive oil, it makes an outstanding tapa.

Viva Madrid! offers 40 tapas on its regular menu and 10 more as specials. An excellent tasting menu may be put together with a selection of these small dishes, which can be as simple as a few marinated olives or as complex as rabo de toro, a meaty oxtail stew with white beans.

Imagine a banquet starting with a little bowl of almejas a la marinera (Andalusian-style steamed clams), followed by alcachofas en salsa (artichokes trimmed almost to the heart, braised in a rich Sherry sauce) and then a plate of small squid stuffed with a bit of paprika-laced Spanish-style chorizo, served in a pool of garlicky tomato sauce (a similar treatment is given to large mushroom caps called rellenos champinones). The truly hungry could add a chicken kebab (pincho moruno) or a serving of the famously satisfying Spanish comfort food tortilla espanola, an omelet-like potato torte.

But if you’re moving on to an entree, you might prefer the terrina: layers of spinach and broccoli suspended in eggy cream set on a puree of sweet red peppers. Another light choice is the salad of sliced beets, raw fennel and carrot ribbons dressed with a slightly sweet pomegranate vinaigrette, though to my taste it would be better with fewer carrots.

Even with this wealth of flavors, I suspect most people won’t want to ignore the terrific discoveries among the entrees, which run from $12.95 to $19.95. One special involves more lamb: a whole rack rubbed with mild Spanish paprika, cooked beautifully rare (if you request), garnished with dates and served with a lemon-rosemary-ginger dipping sauce. Gambas a la plancha is an enormous serving of lightly sauteed shrimp with garlicky mayonnaise and parsley rice on the side.

The several excellent paellas rely on Valencia rice, a variety known for absorbing flavorful liquid while retaining its shape. Chock-full of seafood or chicken and sausage and abundant with saffron, these paellas are cooked perfectly.

The desserts rarely offer any surprises, although the rice pudding may have an unusual hint of fresh orange. Leche frita, a fried milk pudding, disappeared fast enough at my table, but I found it a dull, dense lump. The sugared top of crema Catalana, essentially a good creme brulee, is blowtorched at the table; the blasts of flame bring a glow to the room.

And speaking of the room, it may be crammed with touristy tchotchkes--bulls’ heads, flamenco dancing dolls and the like (they’re for sale)--but with its rustic wooden chairs and tables, beautiful polished wood bar stocked with Ports and Sherries (in fact, dark wood is everywhere) and above all the buzz of animated conversation, it manages to create a warm, believable fantasy of a traditional Spanish tapas bar.

Viva Madrid!, 225 Yale Ave., Claremont; (909) 624-5500. Dinner, 5-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays; closed Mondays. Beer and wine. Street parking; public lots nearby. All major cards. Dinner for two, food only, $45-$60.

What to Get: cordero a la miel, gambas a la plancha, paella, calamares con chorizo, calamares rellenos champinones, almejas a la marinera, alcachofas en salsa, tortilla Espanola, crema Catalana.