El Palmar (Valencia), Spain
Bon Aire
In the rice fields outside Valencia, Bon Aire draws both locals and visitors with a kitchen clearly anchored in the produce growing around it. The paella here is a serious proposition, supported by seasonal vegetables from the surrounding huerta and a pumpkin-and-honey dessert that speaks more to the agricultural calendar than to pastry convention. Service is professional without being stiff, and the setting does exactly what it should: it connects the food to the land it came from.
