Spain's gastronomy revolution turns cuisine into high art

For the affluent gourmets dining at Spain's top restaurants these days, a sugar ball flavored with oak smoke might constitute a nice little novelty.

Tobacco ice cream might also make the bill of nearly 200 euros ($296) worth it, as would lamb tail cooked in ravioli, a deconstructed omelette or liquid croquettes.

Irony, play, surprise and provocation are the mottos of avant-garde chefs in the country whose haute cuisine has risen to compete with that of France, and where gastronomy is being classified as science and art.