Madrid and Barcelona, 2018

SueF and I just got back from 9 days in Madrid and Barcelona. Just a few quick generalities and observations now, I'll add more posts with pictures over the next couple days.

#1: Spain is a great place to get drunk cheaply. Tapas bars in particular charge about 2-3.5€ by the glass, especially (but not always) items from barrels on tap. We also found a number of restaurants that include a drink in their prix fixe menus -- a half-bottle no less, in an 11€ two-course or 19€ three-course meal. Vermouth (vermut) is also popular, very sweet, served over ice, with orange rind or candied orange slice and an olive. Kind of like a cold gluwein. Cider (sidra) was a little rarer, but I did manage to get some a couple times.

#2: One specialty of Madrid I never did get around to was Bocadillo de Calamares - fried squid sandwich. For a landlocked province, it was everywhere. I don't know how it was dressed: all the photos just showed fried rings on bread [edit - yup, that's all it is]. I'd be interested to know how it compares to a NOLA shrimp po-boy.

#3: The Barcelona Ramblas and Bari Gotic (Gothic Quarter) have gotten a lot more modernized and chain-saturated than the last time I was there, about 7 years ago. Burgers and gelato are everywhere, but there are still a lot of little independent shops.

#4: While the reputation for eating late is still there (most restaurants open for dinner at 8:00 or 8:30), tapas bars tend to be open from midafternoon on, so those of you looking for earlybird dining can still manage.

#5: Magical pork and canned fish. The Iberian peninsula is home to the best pork in the world, the source for jamon iberico, but even uncured, pluma iberico (end loin), or secretos (boneless shoulder steak) make for awesome meals. Previously I hadn't had an opportunity to try conservas as SueF isn't a fan of finfish, but when I saw the ventresca bonito at one tapas bar, I had to have it... and loved it so much I bought a few cans of interesting fishy things before I came home.

#6: *ugh* Spaniards sure do smoke a lot. Thankfully not inside restaurants, but when the weather's nice, inside and outside are vague terms.

#7: Behold, I have become death, devourer of churros

(SueF in Figueras, birthplace of Dali and home to his museum)

Madrid Day 1
After the typical sleepless overnight flight, we arrive at the hotel around lunchtime. Luckily there are various temples to jamón close by, and a paper cone of 1/4" cubes of iberico ham and dainty breadsticks make a quick lunch. These can be had at various sizes and containing cheeses and/or charcuterie for about 3-5€ all over Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo and Figueres. Of particular note is that the vendors in the Boqueria market in Barcelona will discount these on weekday evenings (along with skewered and fried items that they'll *ugh* reheat in a microwave). We didn't see such discounts on Saturday.

clutching tightly to a cone of magic ham


More jamón at the Mercado de San Miguel

A midafternoon snack of chocolate and churros held us off until the late dinner hours. This was a shop near the opera house, I don't remember the name.

Right after that we passed the Santa Gines Chocolateria (in the background), supposedly the best in town, but the lines were crazy.


Most of the restaurants we found were listed in Eater.com's 38 Essential Restaurants. Our first night was a favorite of Hemingway and Anthony Bourdain: Casa Salvador. Decorated with a lot of photos of Papa and bullfighters. We got a little side-eye showing up without a reservation at the opening hour (8:30PM), but we were seated and treated well.
Fried Chorizo started the meal: spicy, oily, just right, with a wonderfully crusty bread (expect to be charged for bread whether you eat it or not. But with tax and service included in most bills, don't grouse).


Mushrooms were a recurring theme -- the Spaniards use them a lot, and with bits of jamón for flavor and texture, we couldn't resist eating about half of them before we remembered to snap a picture.


I ordered Hake in Salsa Verde, which included small prawns and a thin but delicious broth. Hake Steak, could be a thing by this time next year.


Sue ordered piquillo peppers stuffed with meat in tomato sauce. Very tasty, we had no problems finding uses for that crusty bread.


Casa Salvador
Calle de Barbieri, 12, 28004 Madrid, Spain
casasalvadormadrid.com
+34 915 21 45 24
Hours 1:30-4, 8:30-11:30 Mon-Sat

Day 2 started with pastries from La Mallorquina, on the Puerto Del Sol, the center of Madrid and Spain.

Lunch would be cheese, chorizo, olives and bread bought on the way to art museums, and boy do they have art museums. Between the Prado with more Reubens, Goya and Greco than you can shake a stick at, the Thyssen, with impressionists, surrealists and terrific comparative exhibits featuring artifacts from other museums juxtaposed with paintings, and the Reina Sofia's Guernica and lots more Picasso, there's plenty of art to go around. (Don't try to do all three in one day, we took two and that was exhausting, and shortchanged the Prado).

For dinner we decided to do a Tapas crawl along Cava Baja, not far from our hotel and the Plaza Mayor. At most places the drinks are under 3€, and tapas not much different. Ordering a drink may get you a single tapa that might be a platter of olives or a slice of bread with cheese or something, but the tapas and raciones (bigger dishes) aren't much more money.

We started at the south end with Lamiak, which had a number of very creative items on their menu. Probably the tastiest stuff we had this evening, I'd like to go back and give this a full GNR-level investigation. Unfortunately, forgot about pix except the decor, but we had blue cheese with fig preserves, and duck confit in puff pastry, both of which were terrific.

Lamiak hip art and album cover decor

Stop 2 was Taberna Tempranillo. Bigger (and pricier) wine selection, tapas also very good.

foie gras with grilled apples


platter of cheeses, including a really sharp blue

Stop 3 was Vermuteria La Bolita Negra. Their on-tap vermouth served with a slice of candied orange and an olive, was €1.80 - the drink bargain of the night. We ordered a trio of croquettes (cheese, cuttlefish with ink, and chicken) that we ate too fast to photograph.


Hitting our limits on drink, and wanting to soak it up a bit, our last stop was Taberna La Taba, which didn't seem remarkable except that it was the first spot we saw that promised something like patatas bravas (billed as patatas con dos salsas). The romesco was a little weak, but a great garlicky aioli. Some water and tea helped too.


La Mallorquina
Calle Mayor, 2, 28013 Madrid, Spain
pastelerialamallorquina.es
+34 915 21 12 01
Hours 8:30AM to 9:30PM

Lamiak
Cava Baja, 42, 28005 Madrid, Spain
lamiak.net
Hours: 11:30AM to 1:30AM

Taberna Tempranillo
Cava Baja, 38, 28005 Madrid, Spain
Hours: 1-4, 8-12 (no dinner hour on Monday)

Vermuteria La Bolita Negra
Cava Baja, 34, 28005 Madrid, Spain
C76R+R2 Madrid, Spain
+34 913 65 43 00
Hours: Noon to 12 (Wednesday), 2:30AM (Fri/Sat) or 2 (the rest)

Taberna La Taba
Cava Baja, 19, 28005 Madrid, Spain
taberna-la-taba.business.site
+34 913 54 60 52
Hours: 7:30AM to 1AM Tue-Fri, 7:30-2AM Sat/Sun, Closed Mondays

Can't wait to see where you went in Barca. We were there this summer and had outstanding meals. Highlights were Bodega 1900, El Xampanyet, Elsa y Fred and Tickets Bar. I wish we ate like the Spanish do everyday.

iblock9 wrote:Can't wait to see where you went in Barca. We were there this summer and had outstanding meals. Highlights were Bodega 1900, El Xampanyet, Elsa y Fred and Tickets Bar. I wish we ate like the Spanish do everyday.

Xampanyet is coming. We didn't do anything high end in BCN but boy did we like Born.

Day 3: El Cisne Azul (The Blue Swan), in the same neighborhood as the first night. The neighborhood to the NE of the Puerto del Sol bears a lot of similarities to Barcelona's Born: it feel like it's been recently moving up from seedy, and it's just the other side of the major thoroughfare from the old twisty part of town (Plaza Mayor/Puerto del Sol area in Madrid, Bari Gotic in BCN). This was recommended as a specialist in seasonal mushrooms, and they didn't disappoint there.


Olives were complimentary, bread as mentioned above, is not. The olives were very meaty and flavored with cumin.


We'd been sort of veg-deprived on previous days (potatoes don't count), so a salad with goat cheese sounded good. It was a lot more cheese than we anticipated, nicely seared on one side. The arugula was a nice foil, along with much better tomatoes than I'd expect for the waning days of November.


Many of their mushroom dishes were served with fried or scrambled eggs (a position I can't dispute). Not knowing which we'd prefer, we went with the medley. The fried egg's yolk is the deepest orange I've ever seen, and coated the fungi nicely. Each with their own flavor and texture, a great dish.

Grilled lamb chops rounded things out. Keep it simple: olive oil, salt, fire.


The place was recommended as popular with locals, and the joint was certainly jumping on a Monday night.




El Cisne Azul
Calle de Gravina, 19, 28004 Madrid, Spain
+34 911 12 90 80
Hours: 1-4:30, 8-11:30 Mon-Sat; 12-5 Sun

Day 4: La Sanabresa - The Eater guide had been very good to us, so for our last night in Madrid we dove into it again looking for something non-touristy, and perhaps a little cheaper (not that any of this was outrageously priced). Sanabresa was only a short walk south from Puerto del Sol, and although the Eater review said it had no tourists, well, the secret is out. The entree-like items on the menu mostly ran under 8€ which made me concerned that they were tapas/pintxos, especially when they had three prix-fixe menus at 11 (app/entree), 14 (entree/dessert) and 19€ (app/better set of entrees/dessert) -- all of which include a drink and bread. The drink turned out to be a half bottle of wine for Sue, and because I'd asked for cider which wasn't on the deal (an extra €7.50), a half-liter of bottled water.

They had a huge menu, and I think we went with the prix fixe partly to narrow down from a huge number of choices. Being unsure if they were really full meals, we figured at that price we could always order more... but it was quite decent-sized portions. This would definitely be a GNR nominee, everything was fantastic including the service, hard to believe for that cheap a meal.


From the €19 menu, sauteed artichokes, of course with jamon:


From the cheaper menu, Russian Salad, or the half that Sue kept after giving me all the tuna


From the cheaper menu, secreto iberico -- boneless pork shoulder steak, grilled medium-rare. Nice crisp frites.


Other menu, pork in peppercorn sauce (I don't remember the cut)


Dessert: tocino cielo which translates as Bacon from Heaven, I think mainly for the layers. It's caramel, a pastry cream-like custard, and a cheese layer (think no-bake cheesecake). Quite tasty.


La Sanabresa
Calle del Amor de Dios, 12, 28014 Madrid, Spain
+34 914 29 03 38
Hours: 1-4:30, 8:30-11:30 Mon-Sat

Day 5: Off to Barcelona. The reason I'm in Spain at all is that I'm speaking at a conference on Pharmaceutical Electronic Document Management. Originally it was supposed to be at a hotel on the beach, not far from the Bari Gotic... but rennovations forced it out to a hotel at the far end of the L3 (green) metro line, Zona Universitaria, and there's nothing in walking distance worth mentioning.

So after getting our exhibit hall table set up, we went full tourist, off to Sagrada Familia, to see the progress -- it's supposed to finish in 2026. Across the street, we snagged a sandwich: you can still get a small bocadilla of jamón iberico for 3€, and I'd rather have those few shavings of magic ham than a $5 footlong from subway any day. But seriously, don't miss Sagrada Familia -- such amazing architecture, with an organic airy feel for a massive church.


Then, off to my personal religious temple, the Boqueria market on Las Ramblas. This trip we picked up some pimentón, and some nuts and candies for snacking, but it's so jam-packed with charcuterie, fresh fish and poultry, produce, and booths serving grilled, fried and raw foods, you can get dizzy. (Note: save your receipts, you can use the public restroom free if you've made a purchase).


Again, using Eater as a reference, we found a restaurant relatively close to our remote hotel, Leku. This is not a touristy neighborhood, language was a bit more of a challenge (some staff was proficient in English, other staff we made do with my fading high school Spanish). The food was Italian-inspired with Spanish sensibility and ingredients, highly creative, very tasty. The priciest meal of the trip, but still only around $100 with wine for the two of us.

Oxtail croquettes, impossibly creamy, I don't know how they stayed together


Pan de coca - crisp split flatbread with olive oil, garlic and tomato


Morcilla and Mushroom ravioli


"tagliatelle" of squid and zucchini with a baked bechamel-like sauce atop


venison and cheese in a port sauce - the cheese added richness but maybe overpowered the game


yogurt "cheesecake" being comtemplated by SueF


mignardise of chocolate with sesame seeds

Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
La Rambla, 91, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
http://boqueria.info
+34 933 18 25 84
Hours: Ostensibly 8-8:30 (closed Sunday) but each booth has its own hours

Restaurante Leku
Carrer de Joan Güell, 189, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
94MJ+V5 Barcelona, Spain
http://restauranteleku.es
+34 934 90 38 10
Hours: 1-4, 8:30-11, Closed Sunday

Day 6: I'm in a hotel giving a presentation and eating a bland buffet lunch while SueF's out exploring museums. I was expecting the other speaker from my company to drag us along to a dinner with potential clients (he's a VP), but no luck on a free meal, so we went for something maybe a little lighter. ElDiset is a wine bar in the Born district (which kind of became our dining neighborhood).



Started with a glass of wine and a rosemary-forward gintonic (as they write it)


Croquettes have been great in Spain, these kept up the streak, another creamy-how-does-it-stay-together one, this time chicken. Note the drop of grape syrup, appearing on several dishes.


They listed their guacamole as a house specialty, served on parmesan-crusted pan de coca and including guindilla chiles. I liked the skewered bread presentation; the guac itself was a little bland, needing more lime.


The best bite of the night was duck pate with goat cheese, orange, and a mustard vinaigrette. Really fantastic and beautiful presentation.


The next one was a little less spot-on: black sausage (I assume morcilla), aged cheese, dried tomato and orange vinaigrette. The cheese like the one on the venison the night before, only served to mask flavors.


All in all, a good time, as you can see


And on the way back to the hotel, spotted this in a restaurant window -- aging the beef for all to see.


ElDiset Restaurante
Carrer Antic de Sant Joan, 3, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
http://eldiset.com
+34 932 68 19 87
Hours: 7pm-1:30am Mon-Thu; 7pm-3AM Fri, 1pm-3AM Sat/Sun

(I had originally posted on El Cisne Azul here since JoelF's post on the same restaurant reminded me that I had never posted our pics. But since his thread is 2018 and mine is a couple years old, I moved mine where it more properly belongs.)

Likewise my post on Celso y Manolo has moved.

Day 7: El Xampanyet - Man, I'd kill for a meal like this in Chicago, but standing for another meal like this might kill me. This was on the Eater list, and also recommended by someone at the conference. The crowd resembled the stateroom scene in "A Night at the Opera," with more people wandering in, attempting to squeeze into the back hallway in hopes of finding a table that none of the other 60 people standing around had noticed. It's again in the Born district, pretty much right across the street from the Picasso museum.

After about 10 minutes of jostling through the crowd, we managed to get a couple things ordered -- olives, artichokes, and some pa amb tomaquet, and a thick slice of cold potato topped with nummy stuff that we learned was called "patates escalibada" by reading the check. Another 20 minutes got us a space at the bar (no stools), where we pointed at stuff and said, "one of those, four of those, and what the heck was that going by?" How they kept track of what we ate and drank I have no idea, since we were served by at least four different people.


squeezing up to the bar - check out all the bottle openers, the sausages hanging, and the cans of conserva


Piquillo peppers stuffed with cheese

On previous trips to Barcelona I hadn't managed to get to conservas - preserved seafood, so I had to try a half-order of the ventresca bonito, served over melted leeks.

getting garnished with black sesame seeds

We had access to an English menu at this point, so we ordered a couple interesting-sounding things including chickpeas with bacon "cigrons amb cansalad" - creamy yet crispy-edged chickpeas with that great Spanish pork.


As sexy as this looks whole, this hangover-cure of mashed potatoes, chorizo and a soft egg, (in Catalan, ou ferrat or "fried egg") was even more luscious than it looks.


We were getting pretty full at this point -- share those potatoes with three or four other people, is my advice -- and had ordered pork with padron peppers (listed on the bill as ploma iberica), when this passed by. We didn't order it, but the guy behind the bar called it pancetta (I'd guess it's more of a lardo), wrapped around these little breads about 2" long, the whole thing looking like a peppermint candy.


Lastly, that pork: perfectly seasoned, a nice cap to the meal. I'd had a couple glasses of the house Xampanyet (champagne), Sue a couple classes of tempranillo, and we were really really happy.


Every single dish was perfectly seasoned: salty but never too salty, acid where it's needed, rich and fatty everywhere. I could never get tired of Spanish food this good. Note: their hours run a little earlier than many other places in Barcelona with a 7PM opening time, get there early to beat the crowd.

El Xampanyet
Carrer de Montcada, 22, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
elxampanyet.es
+34 933 19 70 03
Hours: 12-3:30 Tue-Sun, 7-11 Tue-Sat

We spent a few days in Barcelona several months ago and it's pretty near impossible not to have a great meal. Gotta get back there soon.

And so our story must come to a close on the 8th day (it's like Hanukkah, but with ham). We took a side trip to Figueres, birthplace of Salvador Dali and home to his museum, built in what had been a theater bombed out during the Spanish civil war. It was in Figueres that we snagged the churros in the first post. Unlike the Madrid and Barcelona Christmas markets, which focused mainly on nativity sets and other Xmas decor, the one on the Figueres Ramblas had an emphasis on food, including sausages, ham, churros, crepes and even foie gras. Later we grabbed a snack of calamari and patatas bravas, both very good at a brewpub called Dynamic. Food was tasty but service was pretty abysmal - servers were a little slammed but we were ignored for quite a while and the server and the barman got into an argument over whether the server was to be serving us.





That evening, after loading up our carry-ons for in-flight dining with some jamón iberico, cheese, marcona almonds and a small loaf of bread at the Boqueria, we headed off to the Born district again for one more meal... with a quick stop at Vila Viniteca, a wine shop that expanded to gourmet foodstuffs -- now three storefronts (one of which appears to be only for events). After consulting with the staff, I bought several cans of conserva including two ventresca bonitos, one of navajas (razor clams) and one of grilled sardines.

Then off to Can Cisa / Bar Brutal, again recommended by Eater. This is a place I'd visit again.Not a huge menu, but very tasty and creative foods. While waiting for the restaurant to open, we got a seat at the bar, with a tinto for Sue and a house vermut for me. This one was also iced with orange peel, no olive.


We started with some cracked olives, of a variety I haven't had before, very tasty and meaty, but much longer than wide.


Next up was razor clams with beets and ricotta. Kind of strange combo, but worked nicely, the sweetness of the shellfish working well with the beets, and of course beets and ricotta are a no-brainer.


Lamb chop with sage, with both braised and pickled celery root. These guys know their way around a pickle. Tender lamb nicely rare.


Pork cheek in 'barbecue sauce' with black beans, more awesome pickle (radish) on top. The pork shredded nicely from the jawbone, and mixed into the beans to make a very hearty dish.


And for dessert, a 'pipette' with chocolate in many forms, capuccino and green tea.


Dynamic
Carrer Monturiol, 2, 17600 Figueres, Girona, Spain
dynamicfigueres.com
+34 972 50 00 03
Hours: 12noon-12midnight

Vila Viniteca
Carrer dels Agullers, 9, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
vilaviniteca.es
+34 933 10 19 56
Hours: 8:30AM-8:30PM Mon-Sat, closed Sunday

Can Cisa / Bar Brutal
Carrer de la Princesa, 14, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
cancisa.cat
+34 933 19 98 81
Hours: 1PM-1:30AM Mon-Sat (restaurant closes 4-7)

Wow, Joel, looks like it was an amazing trip. I searched here as we are headed to Barcelona with our 7 year old for CPS Spring Break in April. Will be referencing this thread and enjoying the help of Chicago expat friends who have lived there for the past 6 years. I had my first trip outside of the United States (Jamaica) at the same age my daughter will be and remember it vividly, especially the amazing ripe tropical fruit we had for breakfast every day. Thanks for sharing.

LynnB,
I didn't report much on tourism. Park Guell may be fun with a young child, the beaches definitely will. The museums might be a little harder. Their zoo is pretty nice (or was 10 years ago). The Gaudi architecture may be a little tiring, but you can't miss La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia, and Palau Guell. Stroll the Bari Gotic.

Thanks, Joel, very helpful. Audrey’s first response when we told her we were going to Spain was “ Mom, they have octopus.” Followed by “and mussels.” So proud.

I know how much work goes into these type of posts with pictures and I so much appreciate them in anticipation of traveling to the same destination!

LynnB wrote:Thanks, Joel, very helpful. Audrey’s first response when we told her we were going to Spain was “ Mom, they have octopus.” Followed by “and mussels.” So proud.

Wait till she gets a taste of Razor Clams (navajas). On a couple previous trips, I'd been to a seafood restaurant in the U of the harbor that has most of its seating under a tent, with cats that dart out to catch any dropped seafood. A bit pricey, but good grilled razor clams (and everything else), and the entertainment factor though rare is pretty fun.
I think it's this one: http://www.labarcadelsalamanca.com/

LynnB wrote:Wow, Joel, looks like it was an amazing trip. I searched here as we are headed to Barcelona with our 7 year old for CPS Spring Break in April. Will be referencing this thread and enjoying the help of Chicago expat friends who have lived there for the past 6 years. I had my first trip outside of the United States (Jamaica) at the same age my daughter will be and remember it vividly, especially the amazing ripe tropical fruit we had for breakfast every day. Thanks for sharing.

With a 7-year old (heck, any age), the Boqueria market is a must. They have paletas in every flavor imaginable, take-away cones of cheese bites and cured meats and some great prepared food stalls. Best to go early (no later than 10). El Quim (right in the market) is a bit touristy but still delicious. They do eggs fried in a wok of olive oil so the whites puff up and get crispy. They serve them over baby squid or large prawns or octopus or sauteed mushrooms, etc. El Nacional off La Rambla may also be fun, it's a huge old buiding with several restaurants inside. The tapas one is great and the waiters keep bringing out trays of tapas and you just take them as they pass by. Two more options: DeLa Crem, really cute ice cream shop with some local Catalan specialties like crema Catalana and coca de Sant Joan. It's just across from Brunch and Cake, pretty terrific breakfasts and people watching.

Can't say enough about how much enjoyed dining in Madrid on a recent trip.

San Miguel Market - This is kind of the standard bearer for the Spanish style food hall. They have a lot of seating in the middle where you can order a beverage (I recommend sherry though the 8oz ice cold canas of beer have their charm) and nibble on a wide assortment of small bites from around the market. I didn't find the market as overpriced as I was expecting, though what we ate didn't taste quite as good as it looked.

Cafe Dani - I honestly had no preconceived notions about what to expect from a spanish tortilla at a classic Madrileno diner. This place has won countless awards for what many consider the best spanish tortilla in town (or the county, I guess). Well, this really was, by far, the best rendition I've had. They are constantly cooking them in the back so it's soft and almost runny, unlike the more typical presentation which is room temperat

Can't say enough about how much we enjoyed dining in Madrid on a recent trip. Some highlights include:

San Miguel Market - This is kind of the standard bearer for the Spanish style food hall. They have a lot of seating in the middle where you can order a beverage (I recommend sherry though the 8oz ice cold canas of beer have their charm) and nibble on a wide assortment of small bites from around the market. I didn't find the market as overpriced as I was expecting, though what we ate didn't taste quite as good as it looked. Still a very fun stop.

Cafe Dani - I honestly had no preconceived notions about what to expect from a spanish tortilla at a classic Madrileno diner. This place has won countless awards for what many consider the best spanish tortilla in town. Well, this really was, by far, the best rendition I've had. They are constantly cooking them in the back so the tortilla is warm, soft and almost runny, unlike the more typical presentation which is room temperature and solid. The onions are caramelized to bring depth and complexity to an otherwise simple dish. Everything was perfect about the place. We were taking our time so in the twenty minutes we were sitting at the counter savoring a cafe con leche we saw at least a dozen older, Spanish men pop in, order a tortilla with a cana of beer (at 9AM) and head off to work.

El Capricho Extremeno - This is a fun stop before exploring the El Rastro flea market. Though it opens at 8AM, we were the only patrons when we arrived at 8:30AM. All of the menu items are served cold/room temp on top of a slice of bread. Without knowing what to do we ordered a tuna salad and gulas with shrimp*. The sandwiches were delicious but by around 9AM as the regulars started to show up we realized we did it all wrong. Every five minutes or so a tray of something would show up and everyone would order one with a glass of wine. The first round was sliced jamon, second round was stewed tomatoes (not fresh which is more common), the third round was breaded chicken cutlets. Food was great, but the atmosphere really sealed the deal. The proprietor welcomed everyone with a loud and enthusiastic call (Pedrito!), hugs and kisses all around. As we stood in the middle of the counter (no seating available at these types of joints), wearing our dri-fit shirts and munching on seafood salads, the rest of the restaurant went about its normal business. It was surreal in a way, but also a wonderful testament to how comfortable in its own skin Madrid really is. No one bothered to notice us, they were focused on catching up and smothering their breakfast in slicks of olive oil from squirt bottles and sipping on 2E glasses of wine.

*I had never heard of gulas before this trip. In short, until about 20 years ago angulas, baby eels, was a popular and inexpensive food. As demand grew and fishing practices created strain on the eel population, a new product hit the market that replicated the look and texture of the eels but was made of fish paste. It's kind of the imitation crab of Spain though the flavor is neutral and the texture is pretty unique. We did seek out the real thing but it's become a tourist trap with very high prices and by all accounts, not really worth the time or money to seek out.

Portomarin - I don't know if it's a current trend or something that's been popular for a while, but all things Galician were all the rage during our visit. We must have come across a dozen Galician style restaurants as we were walking around. Portomarin is an old fashioned tavern style place that specializes in unfussy renditions of Galician classics. The pulpo gallega was everything the traditional dish should be. Plump stewed octopus covered in fruity olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of smoked spanish paprika. Another hit was the whipped cod stewed in a paprika tomato sauce. All the dishes were perfect with a cold cana of beer and a loaf of crusty bread.

Asturianos - This restaurant showed up on a couple lists of places people are nervous to talk about since they don't want an influx of visitors. They specialize in cooking from the Asturia province, kind of the lesser known cousin of Basque country. The shop is run by an older Spanish woman who mans the kitchen and keeps close watch on the dining room. The meal starts with an appetizer of sliced sausages that were funky and chewy and salty in the perfect ratios. I could have munched on those sausage all day and left very happy. Fortunately we did make it to the menu and got to enjoy cider marinated sardines, garlicky sauteed cockles and impeccably tender braised beef cheeks.