THE ESSENCE OF OUR CUISINE
That look of respect for the past and curiosity for the future that is the backbone of our essence as a hotel is also the pillar of our gastronomic proposal. A proposal that reflects the enjoyment of food as it is made in La Rioja, to meet, celebrate and disconnect with flavours of the land, honest, with top quality raw materials from the Riojan orchards and local producers. It is about treating the product with techniques that elevate it, and savouring it in an idyllic setting where the hotel’s different gastronomic spaces acquire their own personality, creating an authentic and complete gastronomic offer.
To reinterpreting the Rioja recipe book is to imagine traditional dishes as blank canvases, where each ingredient becomes a touch of modernity. In this culinary journey, Rioja-style potatoes, cod or stuffed peppers take on new shapes, textures and flavours, becoming contemporary expressions that dialogue with global gastronomy, without losing the soul of the flavours that have been passed down from generation to generation. We open the door to new culinary experiences, inviting each diner to rediscover the region through the palate.
ALLEGAR
EL CALADO
JUAN CUESTA, OUR CHEF
Behind this culinary experience is chef Juan Cuesta, native of Logroño with a long career in some of the best restaurants in this country. A course in Etxaurren’s El Portal in Ezcaray and from there to the kitchens of Marqués de Riscal and Las Rejas in Las Pedroñeras (Cuenca) with the great Manuel de la Osa.
He then went on to work at Martín Berasategui’s MB in Tenerife as part of the team that led the establishment to obtain its second Michelin star. A career that encompasses passionate, signature cuisine and the most refined technique spanning almost a decade, which he now puts at the service of what he considers an immersive and complete experience at Santa María Briones; a project conceived to lay bare the demanding palate, social instinct and sense of enjoyment of La Rioja’s people.
