Dining at elBulli, Ferran Adriàs culinary temple in Roses, Spain, is a little like winning the lottery. The 50-seat restaurant serves a single four-hour meal per day and is open just half the year, between April and September. This adds up to 8,000 sittings annually, a paltry sum compared to the hundreds of thousands of requests, according to Maitre d’Hotel Luis Garcia.
This year, reservations for 2007 will be taken over three days, from October 14 through the 16th. After that, books are closed, no waiting list is kept, and seekers are advised of outcome via email. 
Adrià is legend for pioneering the revolution often called “molecular gastronomy”. He spends the winter in his Barcelona studio developing menus for the following season. Come spring, he unveils a magic that has graced him with three Michelin stars since 1997. This year some of his cryptically named offerings were Tomato Soup with Virtual Iberian Ham, Seaweed Waffles, and Sheep--The Cheese and The Wool.
Garcia, a 15-year elBulli veteran who is also Dining Room Manager, says it’s no great mystery how tables are allotted. Space is clearly limited and they try hard to be fair, employing the first come, first serve rule wherever possible. “We like to give space to our 40-year guests and also people here for the first time,” he says. “But when I send confirmation of a table, it is booked and I have no more options.”
How to stack the odds in your favor? Garcia recommends sending an email as soon as possible during the three-day window. Also, don’t get too attached to specific dates – most international guests leave timing up to the restaurant and plan the pilgrimage afterward. Lastly, keep it small, a reservation for two stands the better chance of getting in.
During the season, staff methodically reconfirms each table a week ahead of time. Occasionally there are cancellations. It doesn’t happen often, but it seems you might win a spot by being nearby and calling to check for last minute openings. 
Tara Stevens, a Welsh-born food writer who lives in Barcelona and conducts high-end food tours of the area, agrees. “Adrià tells me he can’t even get his own family into elBulli”, she says, but she’s heard that gracious persistence and finding yourself in the right place at the right time occasionally meets with success.
As an area resident and member of the food press, she still has to make her own request early. “I was just asked if I could make the last meal of the season. Unfortunately I couldn't, and it would have been great to pass the reservation on to somebody else but it doesn't work that way. If you can't make it, the next in line gets the opportunity.”
elBulli, Cala Montjoi, 17480 Roses, Spain
bulli@elbulli.com
telephone 34.972.15.04.57
fax 34.972.15.07.17
Open April through the end of September. Email reservation requests from October 14 through 16th of this year for the 2007 season. Open daily for dinner between June and September, reservation times are between 7:30 and 9:30pm. From April through June closed Mondays and Tuesdays, open the rest of the week for dinner except for Sundays when only luncheon is served and reservation times are between 1 and 3pm.
HINT: Reserve for two via email on October 14, 15 or 16, let the restaurant choose the date, and cross your fingers.
COST: It hasn’t been decided for 2007, but in 2006, prix fix was 165 Euros (about $210.US) not including beverage or tax.
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Lo, the menu from elBulli 2007 and all its mysteries.
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