SPAIN (By Penelope Casas, NYTimes) January 21, 2005 — Paellas, glorious rice creations from the Valencia region of Spain, are among those proverbial dishes that don't travel well. Their secret may be the special chemical composition of Valencia's water, the native rice varieties, or simply the profound know-how of Valencians who have been preparing rice all their lives and eating it just about every day. Whatever the reasons, paellas along the eastern coast of Spain are as good as they get — unmatched by tepid imitations at most Spanish restaurants in the United States or even in other parts of Spain.

Paella was born in eastern Spain — the region now known as the Comunidad Valenciana, where rice was traditionally grown. Its three provinces — Castellón de la Plana, Valencia and Alicante — share a mild year-round climate, pancake-flat coastal land, and rice fields that seem to stretch forever. Rice was introduced to Spain in the eighth century by the conquering Moors, who also brought saffron and established an ingenious network of canals — still in use today — to control the flow of water to the rice fields. Add to this the magnificent vegetables that grow here in abundance (Valencia is often called the Garden of Spain), and the elements are in place for the creation of paella.

Paella can inspire passion when it is truly top-notch, and my husband, Luis, and I have often traveled hours out of our way to satisfy a craving for a particular paella at a favorite restaurant. Contrary to common belief, paella is not one dish but an endless array of rice dishes based on meat, fish or vegetables (but rarely mixing meat and seafood — a practice that Valencians consider something of a tourist cliché) and united by the large, flat metal pan in which they are cooked.

Because paella is substantial, it is generally eaten as the main meal at midday; indeed, some restaurants do not offer paellas in the evening. A paella typically serves a minimum of two, but because it is generally inexpensive, we sometimes order two different ones for variety's sake.

After sampling hundreds of paellas in Spain over the years, I have found the following six restaurants well worth visiting.

La Tasca del Puerto

The unexciting city of Castellón de la Plana deserves a visit from aficionados for the paella at La Tasca del Puerto, in the port of El Grao. The chef, Reme Domínguez, focuses on seafood of the region, in traditional and creative preparations, while her husband, Ximo Boix Fuentes, takes charge of the dining room — a long, narrow space with nautical décor that divides into several cozy alcoves with crisply set tables. On our most recent visit we began with a splendid gratin of sea snails (canaillas), nestled in a bed of sea salt, and baby zucchini filled with cèpes and truffles.

We were anticipating the masterly rendition of arroz negro that brings us back here again and again. A jet-black rice incorporating squid and shrimp, colored and superbly flavored by squid ink, this paella is served with an eye-opening dollop of alioli (garlic mayonnaise). We were equally enthralled with arroz a banda (call ahead for this one), a two-part affair beginning with fish and potatoes cooked in the broth that will season the rice, followed by a seemingly plain paella with no showy seafood but a flavor that captures the very essence of the sea. A refreshing Augustus rosé 2001 from Cellers Puig & Roca ($10) — excellent with rice dishes — had enough body to stand up to the forceful flavors of the squid ink and alioli.

We were intrigued by a dessert called helado de tabaco, which was, in fact, a wonderful vanilla ice cream faintly scented with tobacco leaves, served in a cookie crust and drizzled with chocolate — Ximo's invention, done with tobacco he grows himself. Tarta capuchina, a light, puddinglike cake bathed in syrup, was also delicious.

L'Establiment

The approach along a barren stretch of road past the village of El Palmar, 12 miles from Valencia, is quite unattractive. But the friendly greeting and the delightful setting overlooking a reed-lined canal more than compensate. Red tile floors, a profusion of greenery and yellow tablecloths provide a setting as colorful as the food. A waiter quickly brought a thick alioli that would serve multiple purposes, from dunking bread to dipping seafood and adding zest to paellas.

Perhaps we overdid the appetizers, they were so tempting: titaína, a mix of sautéed red peppers, pine nuts, tuna and a touch of tomato, was a favorite. Robustly flavored salt cod and potato croquettes were immediate candidates for a dip in alioli, and the cigalitas de la playa — tiny langoustines sautéed in olive oil — were wonderfully sweet and tender. We chose a dry chilled Rosé Marítim made in neighboring Catalunya by Rene Barbier that had a slight sparkle ($9.50).

Our paella, arroz de verduras, chock full of fresh vegetables, was perfection, down to the soccarat — crunchy brown bits of rice that stick to the bottom of the pan when paella is cooked over an open fire. In this case it was a fire of wood from old orange trees (oranges are another renowned product of the region). We finished with stewed apples in puff pastry placed over a custard sauce, and almond nougat ice cream in a crisp almond cookie shell and glasses of a mistela dessert wine — muscatel made in Valencia.

La Sucursal

Although restaurants serving paella tend to be casual waterfront establishments, this one is in the modern-art museum in the barrio antiguo, or historic center, of Valencia.

We chose our first courses from the menu's creative selections — wonderful miniature grilled squid and tiny glazed onions over a light cream and mayonnaise sauce — and the house foie gras, two oversize slabs that were smooth, silky, perfectly seasoned and garnished with apple compote. Intent on sampling the up-and-coming wines of Valencia, we tried an intensely fruity red Ceremonia 1997 ($24), made from a blend of tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon grapes.

We had come expressly for La Sucursal's highly touted "soupy" rice dishes (prepared in deep pots instead of paella pans), and we ordered both the very traditional arroz amb fesols i naps with beans, blood sausage, pork, turnips and saffron, as well as the restaurant's celebrated arroz caldoso de bogavante, studded with enticing nuggets of lobster, a dish that does not permit even the slightest error. Its exquisite, subtly seasoned rice hinted of saffron and paprika and captured the full flavor of the lobster. The memory pursued me for days.

A cheese platter, featuring fresh and cured goat's- and sheep's-milk cheeses from the nearby mountains of Espadán, accompanied by a wonderful quince sorbet, delighted Luis, and my dessert of lightly stewed nísperos (medlar fruit) filled with vanilla cream, and accompanied by pistachio sorbet was winning.

Casa Salvador

Slapdash construction — cement-block houses separated by tall reeds used as dividers — alternating with fruit and vegetable orchards and rice fields — lines the route to Casa Salvador in Cullera, about 40 minutes south of Valencia. Two elaborately renovated thatched-roof barracas (whitewashed cottages traditionally used as shelter for rice field workers) house the restaurant at the edge of a picturesque canal where rowboats bob in the breeze.

On this summer Sunday afternoon, the restaurant overflowed with diners, but our table was so close to the canal that we could ignore the hubbub and gaze on the peaceful scene before us. We began with tapas-style dishes, like tellinas, tiny elongated clams in garlic sauce; eggplant with pimento, anchovies, and air-dried tuna bathed in olive oil; grilled cuttlefish; and excellent anchovies, which we placed over lightly toasted bread that came to the table with a mini mortar containing puréed tomatoes and olive oil.

There were well over a dozen paellas on the menu. We chose two: Valencia's traditional paella à la valenciana, of chicken, rabbit, artichoke hearts, green beans and oversize kidney beans, succulent and expertly prepared; and senyoret, squid and shrimp in a very thin layer of rice that stuck to the pan, producing a magnificent socarrat. A young chilled rosé from Valencia seemed right, so we ordered a fruity, refreshing Cavas Murviedro ($7.35).

Desserts were undistinguished, although I did like the tarta Salvador, a cake layered with chocolate and almond mousse. We were so entranced with the view and the balmy weather that before we knew it we had whiled away three languid hours.

Nou Manolín

Stopping at the renowned tapas bar, featuring about 50 tapas, is a wonderful way to start a meal at this elaborately redesigned old restaurant in the city of Alicante. Shrimp in garlic sauce and batter-fried fresh anchovies kept our hunger at bay until we walked up to the large, airy dining room done in blond wood, relieved by colorful ceramic jugs in wall niches and mid-20th-century paintings from the Valencia School.

The menu consisted almost ex- clusively of paellas (available in single portions), and we chose two that we had not seen elsewhere. Arroz con kokotxas featured fresh cod "cheeks," the arrowhead-shaped flesh of the lower jaw, and the soft geHispanicus texture contrasted nicely with the al dente rice and vegetables of green beans, peppers, cauliflower and artichokes. The other, arroz de almejas y rape, was a great mix of clams, monkfish and an abundance of scallions. Cream cheese ice cream in raspberry sauce was a refreshing finale, as was a "biscuit" of frozen egg white and crackling turrón almond nougat in a pool of chocolate sauce.

Dársena

This 40-year-old restaurant in a new waterfront complex seems to be shooting for a Guinness record with a staggering 148 paellas — in combinations that range from cauliflower and sliced sausage to chicken livers and lamb kidneys. Just reading the menu is a daunting task — to simplify one could ask for the $34 five-course Menú de Barca. But there were paellas that piqued my curiosity, so I perused the list.

We started with the Fritura de la Bahía — a crisp fish fry of very small locally caught fish like red mullet and boquerón (fresh anchovy). For the paella I finally chose arroz con bacalao y costra de ajo, which turned out to be a delectable creation of rice with salt cod covered with a layer of thinly sliced garlic and potatoes and topped by a light, airy egg crust. The cod was not at all overpowering and this was indeed a memorable version.

The desserts did not spark our interest, and we chose an excellent multinational cheese platter.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Dozens of lively restaurants specializing in paella — some open for more than a century — face the Playa de Levante, Valencia's broad, fine-sand beach. Shoulder to shoulder along the gardens and palm-lined beachside promenade, all these restaurants attract a local crowd and offer similar in-your-face food with little variation in quality or price. One of the best known is La Pepica, 6 Paseo Neptuno, (34-963) 710 366, (about $48 for two), an old Hemingway haunt that looks somewhat the worse for wear.

At any of these restaurants, keep the food simple. Clochinas de playa — freshly caught sweet mussels steamed in a tasty broth of onion, olive oil and lots of lemon — are generally excellent; the tiny squid no bigger than a thumbnail, sautéed with scallions and mushrooms, are another good choice. Among the most popular paellas are arroz marinero with tender shellfish and arroz à la valenciana.

Prices are for two with house wine or wines of similar price. Major credit cards are accepted and smoking is permitted in all restaurants.

La Tasca del Puerto, 13 Avenida del Puerto, Castellón de la Plana; (34-964) 284 481. About $72. Closed Sunday in summer, Sunday evening and Monday from October to June.

L'Establiment, Camino del Estell, El Palmar, Valencia; (34-961) 620 100. About $48. Lunch and dinner in July; in winter, lunch only. Closed in August, Sunday and Monday in July, and Tuesday after October.

La Sucursal, 118 Guillén de Castro, in the Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Valencia; (34-963) 746 665. About $72. Closed all day Sunday, Saturday for lunch, and Aug. 15 to 23.

Casa Salvador, L'Estany de Cullera, Cullera; (34-961) 720 136. About $54. Lunch and dinner daily.

Nou Manolín, 3 Villegas, Alicante; (34-965) 200 368. About $60. Lunch and dinner daily.

Dársena, Marina Deportiva, 6 Muelle de Levante, Alicante; (34-965) 207 589. About $54. Closed Sunday evening.

PENELOPE CASAS is the author of "Paella! Spectacular Rice Dishes From Spain" (Henry Holt).