At the bar Pinotxo of the Boqueria This Wednesday the dishes of tripe and chickpeas with black pudding are running again. Not exactly the same, but very similar and, according to diners, very tasty too. After several days of closingthe blind has been raised again, for now with the same trade name but a new team. Not a single one of the members of the previous stage is there, but the new chef — who was on the other side of the bar as a client for many years — assures that he will fully respect that heritage of flavors. The expectation has been maximum.
The opening has been at an unusual time for an early market bar, around 10 in the morning, because the elaborations were against the clock to try to debut today. In recent days there had been a lot of speculation about whether the emblematic bar could continue to be Pinotxo. As this newspaper reported, the holder of the position for decades, Juanito Bayén, retired at the age of 89 due to health problems, but initially his nephew Jordi Asín Bayén continued to lead with his own family, who were also historical behind the bar. The two had partnered for management 21 years ago, but last month the bar was transferred only by the uncle because it was in his name, and to the surprise of the nephew. The city council authorized the operation, being a municipal concession.
In this way, after family disagreements, unknowns arose about the rights of the quoted brand, which appears in many tourist guides in the city and is a great local attraction. So far no one has ruled on the use of this. Jordí Asín, who in addition to managing it, has also been cooking for years, is still shocked by what happened and deciding his next steps in this regard, he told this newspaper. Rumor has it in the market that the issue will end up in court.
Recipes adapted and puppet
The reopening has generated a great stir today, because La Boqueria could not miss one of its great values. And more with the location of the bar, at the main doors of the market. The new owner, as has already been reported, is a company belonging to a businessman who has invested in La Rambla for many years and just a few years ago also took over the central bar From the market. But in Pinotxo it was necessary to value his recipe book, so the chosen one was chef Aníbal Bonino, a regular customer of the bar, with extensive experience in the kitchen and curriculum in seven countries, in addition to his native Argentina.
With nerves, Bonino this morning has dispatched the first stews, which will continue to mark the identity of the establishment. “The philosophy is going to be the same, Catalan and market cuisine,” he points out. And he smiles when he remembers that, luckily, several Pinotxo recipe books make continuity easier. Even with everything, they incorporate some fish dishes, and as always daily preparations that will depend on the seasonal product and the best that the market stalls offer each day, he adds.
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For those who fear for some of its references, it should be noted that some key suppliers remain, such as Menuts Rosa (quarry in the same market as its celebrated ‘cap i pota’, and more tripería), or the delicious mongrels from a nearby pastry shop that maintains the exclusivity of the bar distribution.
Aesthetically, few changes at the moment. there is new coffee maker (instead of the one that Juanito caressed for so many years for those so characteristic cuts). And a very significant one: a pinotxo puppet that someone has given them this morning and seems to lead the new stage.