Neither Nico (economist) nor his brother Andrés (gardener) ever imagined that the passion for food instilled by their amatxo (affectionate Basque word for mum) would ever be nothing more than a hobby, but the premature death of his parents, Maite and Carlos, forced them to put aside their careers to take the reins of the family restaurant that this Basque-Catalan couple opened in 1998 near Hospital Clínic in Barcelona.
Nowadays, the food served at Maitea is traditional, unpretentious and based on good produce and the dishes Maite brought from her native San Sebastián. The legacy is now perpetuated by the two brothers plus their aunt Pili —in charge of the sauces and stews — and Mari, the head cook who is almost another member of the family. “If Maitea was a village, we would have to give her name to one of the streets”, says Nico.
In a similar vein to the popular taverns in San Sebastian’s old quarter, Maitea’s lively counter is usually full of pintxos at midday but serving differs slightly from tradition: Clients grab an empty plate and fill it with cold pintxos that they pick from the counter and warm one brought from the kitchen by the staff. Toothpicks are counted and the bill is settled. An easy and efficient method which paradoxically is also being adopted in tourist bars in the Basque city.
At Maitea, whose walls are decorated with old photos of the family and famous Basque landmarks such as La Concha beach of the Guggenheim museum, up to 100 different pintxos are served: Spanish omelette, charcuterie, cheese, foie, peppers stuffed with tuna or black pudding, croquettes and some Catalan-inspired dishes like esqueixada or calçots and white bull (a type of sausage) omelette which is traditional in the winter. The restaurant, where group meals are served, has set menus with pintxo and other typical dishes such as potxas (white beans stew) or txuleton (T-bone steak).
Nico is a wine lover and that is palpable on Maitea's wine list, which includes dozens of wines from across Spain, from Txakoli to sparkling wines, Garnachas or Tempranillos and from other parts of the world. A regular at Vila Viniteca's Wine in Pairs competition alongside his friend and chef Josep María Luque (pictured to the right of Nico), his passion are Sherry wines.
“My family was not really into wines from the Sherry Triangle, but I think anyone with a keen interest in food sooner or later ends up having a love affair with sherry wines; it’s a love affair that turns into devotion once you walk on albariza soil for the first time and visit the region’s wineries, which are full of magic and history”, explains Nico, who lists nine finos and manzanillas at Maitea.
There aren’t many bars or restaurants serving old wines such as Carta Blanca from Agustín Blázquez by the glass, but this is available at Maitea —at least until Nico runs out of the boxes he managed to buy.
He stores other rare and wonderful wines, but he doesn’t list them on the menu because they are not for massive consumption. However, keen lovers of old sherries -and good wine in general- should make a note of Maitea’s address for a next visit to Barcelona. Y.O.A.
