FindEatDrink: Graffiti Artist Turned Chef

If you are having trouble reading this e-mail, please click here.

Edition: 12 November, 2010

Jesus Nunez cooks with a lot of flavors and a little bit of surrealism. The chef formally known as Sir13, a Madrid graffiti artist, traded in his aerosol spray cans for pots and pans two decades and two restaurants ago.

Now chef Nunez is making his New York City debut with his third restaurant, Graffit. His aim is to bring out your inner child, while engaging your adult palate. Dishes are constructed by color, texture and the ability to play with your food. Think interactive modernist cuisine.

Graffit will be opening at the end of November and we're giving you an exclusive first peek (click here to see the slide show).

Chef Jesus Nunez shares a twist on a simple traditional Spanish recipe and his 5 F.E.D. recs:

FIND...

Ingredient: POP ROCKS

Why: "I love combining them with olive oil. Pop Rocks really bring out all of the flavor notes of a high-quality extra virgin olive oil and make them explode in your mouth."

Buy: Amazon.com

EAT...

Tapas Bar: TXIKITO (www.txikitonyc.com)

Why: "I like their Spanish food. Their Txipiron Encebollado, or squid ribbons, are very good."

Where: 240 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10001, T: 212.242.4730

Spanish Restaurant: JALEO (www.jaleo.com)

Why: "I like that José Andrés tries to maintain the true essence of Spanish cuisine through his menu and preparations."

Where: 480 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004, T: 202.628.7949 (make a reservation)

DRINK...

Spanish Cocktail: THE CLARA

Why: "Mix cold draft beer with lemon Fanta. It's a typical Spanish combination."

Spanish Wine: OSSIAN (www.ossian.es)