At The Pass with Chef/Owner/Sommelier Deborah Hansen. Taberna de Haro, Brookline, MA

It was an honor to interview Chef/Owner/Sommelier Deborah Hansen in her beautiful restaurant, Taberna de Haro.

Deborah Hansen with a lovely tortilla

  
The space is cozy with lots of light on a quiet corner in Brookline.  Taberna de Haro also has a generous amount of outdoor dining space.  Deborah is a perfect hostess, ensuring that all patrons are comfortable and well taken care of.  She greets everyone with a smile and excitedly offers wine pairing advice.

Deborah has managed to create one of the largest all-Spanish wine lists in the country, boasting 325 and counting.  There are also 45 sherries available.  Deborah's goal is to have THE largest Spanish wine list in the country.

Taberna de Haro opened back in 1998.  Deborah has extremely dedicated staff.  When asked how she believes her staff would describe her management style, Deborah answered, "I think they would describe me as maternal and very open.  I treat them nicely and give them lots of trust and responsibility.  I have very little turnover.  A number of people have been with me for over a decade."  

Watching the staff as we sat at the bar for the interview, I can see that everyone seems happy and comfortable.  Throughout the night, you can sense that they are a family, a tight-knit group enjoying their jobs.

The open kitchen in the main dining area is beautiful.  The walls decorated with Spanish posters and the lower walls with decorative wooden wine case squares.

The Interview

DrFoodie: What does Taberna de Haro mean?

Deborah Hansen: Taberna means “Tavern” in Spanish and de Haro is a small wine producing town in Rioja (a very important wine region) and is also the last name of my children.

DrFoodie:  What drew you to Spanish foods.

DH: During my freshman year at Bates College, I did a short term (6 weeks) in Spain.  Within five minutes of landing, I was completely smitten.  I was overtaken by the smells, so many great smells.

DrFoodie: What are some of your favorite spices and/or sauces?

DH: I love the purity and intensity of a really good olive oil.  You can take something totally simple, like lettuce, and add olive oil and sea salt to create something delicious.  Or roasted red peppers, they're good, but add olive oil and they're amazing!  And, of course, I love saffron, it's unique and special.  I also love high quality brands of pimenton - sweet and sour, smoky pimento.

DrFoodie: How do you go about being environmentally friendly in the restaurant?

DH: I am adamant about not wasting energy and paper.  We also recycle our cooking oil and use local ingredients whenever possible.  I frequent the farmer's market in Lexington and use River Rock Farm (Brimfield, MA) for our beef.  We even use the water from tables to water the plants!  We get the best Spanish cheeses from Formaggio's Kitchen.

We also get our suckling pigs from a cooperative farm in upstate NY. Every Tuesday night from October through May we serve them roasted.  You do not have to order the whole pig and have 9 dinner guests as you would at most places.  For just $25, you can enjoy portions of roasted pig and I will also recommend wine to pair with it.

DrFoodie:  What are your thoughts on food/cooking shows?

DH:  I think "Chopped" is interesting and "Iron Chef America".  The level of dishes they create is amazing.  The Food Network has gone downhill with many shows about messy piles of food and their attempt to create suspense...there's no suspense in cooking.  It turns food into something false and silly.  I like the highbrow competitions.

WGBH cooking shows are great.  They feature intelligent teachers like Ming Tsai.  They don't try to turn cooking into a soap opera.

DrFoodie: Who would you name as your most influential mentor?

DH: A wonderful woman that self-appointed herself my mentor about 2 years ago named Ann Fudge.  Though she knows little about the restaurant business, she knows everything about being a brave, strong, smart woman.  Bravery (in this industry) is absolutely necessary because there are so many deterrents.

 

DrFoodie: What are you thoughts on the food truck movement?

DH: I think it's a cool thing. Anything that makes urban living more exciting and exposes people to new foods and spices is a good thing.  Boston needs more residents.  Anything contributing to more diversity and ethnicity is great.

DrFoodie:  When not eating Spanish foods, what other cuisine do you sample?

DH: I love sushi.  It's the one thing I cannot make on my own.  I like Oga's on Route 9.  I also recently tried Nigerian food at Suya Joint.  I had the opportunity to meet the young woman who owns it.  When I shared that I am also a restaurant owner of 15 years, she asked for tips on how to make it.  I told her to stick to your mission.  Do not change to be likable to everyone.  Remain authentic and people will come.  I do the same here at Taberna de Haro.  I don't water down the food for the American palate.  Spanish food has lots of salt, lots of garlic and olive oil.  I do not water down the authenticity.  My goal is to be the most authentic Spanish restaurant in town and I think I am.

DrFoodie:  Who would be your dream dinner guest?

DH:  It would have to be someone who is smart and loves to eat.  I think it would be Hillary Clinton.  She's traveled all over the world and I think she would be a great conversationalist.

DrFoodie:  What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator at home?

DH:  I have a slab of salt cod.  It never goes bad.  If I'm ever in an emergency situation where I need to make something interesting for guests, it's there.  I also have a rye sourdough starter that I started about 6 years ago!  If in the fridge, it lasts forever.

It was a pleasure speaking with Deborah.  I learned that she is intelligent and warm.  She acquired her Sommelier training and certificate in Spain.  Wine and pairing is her number one passion and she thoroughly enjoys sharing it with her customers.

 I was super excited about trying a few dishes and Bartender Devon provided some amazing libations!

The Food Review  

The food at Taberna de Haro is refined, simple, and delicious.  I thoroughly enjoyed plate after plate of amazing food.

The Ancas de rana (frog's legs sauteed with garlic, lemon, and brandy) were the most succulent, plump frog's legs I've ever eaten.  The natural, familiar land and sea flavor combination was enhanced with a lovely olive oil and garlic slivers.  Fresh lemon juice added nice acidity.  The juicy morsels simply fell off the bone.

Ancas de rana (Frog's legs)

The generous portion of Mollejas salteadas (veal sweetbreads sauteed with garlic and brandy) were slightly sinewy but had great flavor.

Mollejas salteadas (Veal Sweetbreads)

Gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic and olive oil) is one of my favorite classic spanish dishes. On this particular evening, I sampled the Gambas al jerez (shrimp sauteed with caramelized onions, finished with fino sherry). Taberna de Haro serves plump shrimp in beautiful sherry and garlic with caramelized onion.

Gambas al jerez (shrimp sauteed with caramelized onions, garlic, and finished with sherry)

  
The Berenjena con mato (grilled eggplant with fresh cheese and saffron honey) could easily be a dessert item - tender grilled eggplant over a sweet, sticky saffron honey, served with fresh, creamy, soft cheese.  A simply beautiful dish.

 

Berenjena con mato (grilled eggplant with fresh cheese and saffron honey)

I really enjoyed the patatas bravas.  The spicy sauce was a nice surprise, as usually there is a mild romescu served with this classic dish.

 The standout dish of the night was the Orejas a la plancha (griddled pig's ears with lemon and smoked paprika)!  The slivers of pig's ears are cooked in a pressure cooker, rendering them amazingly tender.  The rich ears are then finished on a la plancha where they are crisped.  They are served with a lemon wedge and sprinkled with smoked paprika and parsley.  Sinfully rich goodness!  Sous chef Don disclosed that he has considered topping the crispy ears with caramel or honey to convert them to a dessert dish.  I'll be the first in line to try them!

The only cold dish I tried was the Manchego con tomate y nuez (manchego cheese with grated tomato, toasted walnuts, and olive oil).

The grilled cuttlefish was tender and served with garlic and ink aioli.  There is also a paella on the menu using the same ingredients!

Champiñones rellenos de jamón (mushroom caps stuffed with ham) - A simple, tasty dish which paired well with one of Devon's signature bourbon cocktails (The Burnout).

The salty lardons and tender, slick, earthy mushrooms made for a delicious pairing with the Four Roses based cocktail which also incorporated, orange bitters, Pedro Ximenez sherry, lemon juice, and housemade pimento dram.

Champiñones rellenos de jamón (mushroom caps stuffed with ham)

The Attitude Adjustment is a beautifully herbaceous, earthy cocktail that pairs nicely with lightly fried, hearty morsels of haddock marinated in both lemon and basque pepper vinegar which are both components of the cocktail.  The haddock actually acts as a delicious palate cleanser.  The garden varietal nature of The Attitude Adjustment works well with the oceanic flavor of the haddock.  The cocktail highlights both the Bols and the sherry while sneaking in a piquant kick of basque pepper vinegar.

Taberna de Haro is an amazing restaurant run by equally amazing people!   If you have not visited, make your way over to 999 Beacon Street in Brookline, Mass.  You can thank me later!

Disclosure:  A portion of this meal was covered by the ever generous Deborah Hansen.  All opinions are my own.

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