I've been away for my Christmas holidays and haven't been out for a meal in Madrid in a while.
I just wanted to share an article I came accross in th NY Times today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/dining/14simon.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
I also haven't really been anywhere because I got a Nespresso Coffeemaker for Christmas and the coffee is that good, I don't want to go anywhere.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Friday, December 12, 2008
La Negra Flor Restaurante & Good Bar, General Pardiñas 36
It happened!
I had the perfect piece of meat, the best in years!
A new bar restaurant opened in my street www.lanegraflor.net . It was an old fashioned bar before so I was expecting the worst, but to my pleasant surprise they were able to redesign the place into something that only slightly reeks of IKEA. There is one problem that they might not have been able to get rid of (yet), the smoke. 5 minutes in the place and you stink to the high heavens.
The bar is well laid out and when you pass through to the back there is a cozy lounge. You go upstairs to get to the restaurant. Comfortable, but a bit too bright to my liking, also for every smudge can be seen on the cutlery and the glasses. Our waiter was very friendly and when asked to explain the menu he explained and suggested the most popular dish since they opened 5 days before, the “Pluma Iberico.” We were hungry and ordered that and a tomato salad. The tomatoes in the tomato salad were rock hard and green, green not always being a bad thing but this time yes. If it hadn’t been for the sun dried tomatoes, the olive oil and the spring onions, this would be one tasteless starter. But then the meat arrived. “Madre mia!!” It was just beautiful, cooked to perfection with a portion of potato quiche on the side. The meat just melted on my tongue. I always thought this was such a weird thing to say about meat, but now I know what is meant. The Tira misu after was OK, but nothing more. But I didn’t care after that Pluma Iberico.
Go there now, before it’s too late!!
I had the perfect piece of meat, the best in years!
A new bar restaurant opened in my street www.lanegraflor.net . It was an old fashioned bar before so I was expecting the worst, but to my pleasant surprise they were able to redesign the place into something that only slightly reeks of IKEA. There is one problem that they might not have been able to get rid of (yet), the smoke. 5 minutes in the place and you stink to the high heavens.
The bar is well laid out and when you pass through to the back there is a cozy lounge. You go upstairs to get to the restaurant. Comfortable, but a bit too bright to my liking, also for every smudge can be seen on the cutlery and the glasses. Our waiter was very friendly and when asked to explain the menu he explained and suggested the most popular dish since they opened 5 days before, the “Pluma Iberico.” We were hungry and ordered that and a tomato salad. The tomatoes in the tomato salad were rock hard and green, green not always being a bad thing but this time yes. If it hadn’t been for the sun dried tomatoes, the olive oil and the spring onions, this would be one tasteless starter. But then the meat arrived. “Madre mia!!” It was just beautiful, cooked to perfection with a portion of potato quiche on the side. The meat just melted on my tongue. I always thought this was such a weird thing to say about meat, but now I know what is meant. The Tira misu after was OK, but nothing more. But I didn’t care after that Pluma Iberico.
Go there now, before it’s too late!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
HD Escentrico, Guzmán el Bueno 67
This is the kind of place that gives me a false sense of nostalgia and this was probably the idea. The funny thing is that people who actually can remember the way it used to be seem to love this place as well. Old fashioned bar with long counter in a 50's setting with original furniture. Good coffee, great music, WIFI, cocktails and menu del día.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Economist
I started writing this blog to record my experiences and give my opinion on what I see. I am not trying to use this as an excersise in Spain bashing. However, it is always nice to find out that you are not alone. Following is an excerpt from The Economist of November 8-14:
"Spaniards as individuals are almost unfailingly friendly and kind. But when they have to serve customers, something strange often happens: they become defensive and unhelpful."
"Spaniards as individuals are almost unfailingly friendly and kind. But when they have to serve customers, something strange often happens: they become defensive and unhelpful."
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Horno Asador La Parilla, Toledo
When you live in Madrid, Toledo is part of the staple diet of places you have to have been to at least once. I still hadn't been and so last weekend we went. Again many people had told me about how great it is and how good the food and how cheap compared to Madrid. Well, I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have my own opinion about this. Toledo is cute, but on a Saturday, of course, overrun by tourists like ourselves. If you want to buy a knife, or maybe an even more essential tool such as an ancient sword, Toledo is the place for you; but if it is a newspaper or a book you want, good luck. So around lunchtime all these visitors want to eat in that quaint restaurant that serves the quintessential local fare etc. So did we of course, and I didn't want to eat in a place with picture menus. I had seen a place before but it would mean that we had to walk back to the other side of town again so when we came across this place with a Michelin 2007 sticker in the window we figured this might be just such a place, especially because there weren't any other restaurants in this street and the menu seemed OK.
While waiting in Horno Asador La Parrilla we saw that the meat on the plates looked nice so we got that feeling of having found that place that everybody else was looking for. This was going to be great and we would be talking about it for weeks. We took the "menú del día" of €17 which included a glass of wine and desert. There was also a "menú"of €25, but we would be fine with the simple one.
As a first course I had a "Sopa Castellana" or Garlic Soup and my girlfriend a "Paella Mixta".
I love garlic and I love soup, so I was ready. My girlfriend is from Valencia so she knows her Paella. The Soup: tasteless, with too much bread. The Paella: not great. Not wanting to give up just yet: "Just wait for the meat."
I ordered a Venison ragout and my girlfriend a piece of meat "cazador" which means that it was hunted I guess. I didn't like my ragout very much, but I don't eat venison very often so I thought it might be me, and my girlfriend's meat was a bit dry. Anyway, she didn't finish it because she didn't like it. The waiter started clearing the table while I was still eating and wanted to know what we would have for desert. To take away an empty plate when someone at the table is still eating is one thing: I don't like it. But to ask me what I want for desert when I am busy trying to finish my meal is just ignorant. The "Natillas" or custard was what it was, nothing more and the "Flan" or crème caramel I guess was the same. In any case we left feeling it was a bit expensive, especially compared to all these other places where the menú del día is only €9 or slightly more, pictures or no pictures. We wandered around some more; saw some more swords; a few knives and a few more interesting old buildings. We had seen enough, but still had two hours before our train. Around the beautiful train station there is Nothing. At least not on a Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock. Whatever there is (not a whole lot), is closed.
I was so glad to be back in Madrid that I went to the supermarket to buy a carton of milk, just because I could. Also, I still had all Sunday to myself. Or so I thought.
I woke up at 10 o'clock on Sunday to find my girlfriend on the couch with a bucket. She had been vomiting etc. and was in a lot of pain which was getting worse. To spare you the details, I ended up calling an ambulance, thinking it may be appendicitis, because it was impossible for her to move or go to Emergency. The attending paramedic fortunately ruled that one out pretty quickly and instead asked her what she had had to eat the day before. When she told him we went to Toledo, the driver ( I guess he was the driver, he had the car keys) said she had had bad luck because "normally you eat well in Toledo". Yeah, right!
Last week I was commenting to someone that it was so difficult to find a good restaurant. This Spaniard wholeheartedly agreed with me and said that sometimes he went to McDonald's because he knows it is bad, but at least it is always the same, so you can never be disappointed. They even have one in Toledo!
The best food is found in Spain. What they do to it at times is a different story!
While waiting in Horno Asador La Parrilla we saw that the meat on the plates looked nice so we got that feeling of having found that place that everybody else was looking for. This was going to be great and we would be talking about it for weeks. We took the "menú del día" of €17 which included a glass of wine and desert. There was also a "menú"of €25, but we would be fine with the simple one.
As a first course I had a "Sopa Castellana" or Garlic Soup and my girlfriend a "Paella Mixta".
I love garlic and I love soup, so I was ready. My girlfriend is from Valencia so she knows her Paella. The Soup: tasteless, with too much bread. The Paella: not great. Not wanting to give up just yet: "Just wait for the meat."
I ordered a Venison ragout and my girlfriend a piece of meat "cazador" which means that it was hunted I guess. I didn't like my ragout very much, but I don't eat venison very often so I thought it might be me, and my girlfriend's meat was a bit dry. Anyway, she didn't finish it because she didn't like it. The waiter started clearing the table while I was still eating and wanted to know what we would have for desert. To take away an empty plate when someone at the table is still eating is one thing: I don't like it. But to ask me what I want for desert when I am busy trying to finish my meal is just ignorant. The "Natillas" or custard was what it was, nothing more and the "Flan" or crème caramel I guess was the same. In any case we left feeling it was a bit expensive, especially compared to all these other places where the menú del día is only €9 or slightly more, pictures or no pictures. We wandered around some more; saw some more swords; a few knives and a few more interesting old buildings. We had seen enough, but still had two hours before our train. Around the beautiful train station there is Nothing. At least not on a Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock. Whatever there is (not a whole lot), is closed.
I was so glad to be back in Madrid that I went to the supermarket to buy a carton of milk, just because I could. Also, I still had all Sunday to myself. Or so I thought.
I woke up at 10 o'clock on Sunday to find my girlfriend on the couch with a bucket. She had been vomiting etc. and was in a lot of pain which was getting worse. To spare you the details, I ended up calling an ambulance, thinking it may be appendicitis, because it was impossible for her to move or go to Emergency. The attending paramedic fortunately ruled that one out pretty quickly and instead asked her what she had had to eat the day before. When she told him we went to Toledo, the driver ( I guess he was the driver, he had the car keys) said she had had bad luck because "normally you eat well in Toledo". Yeah, right!
Last week I was commenting to someone that it was so difficult to find a good restaurant. This Spaniard wholeheartedly agreed with me and said that sometimes he went to McDonald's because he knows it is bad, but at least it is always the same, so you can never be disappointed. They even have one in Toledo!
The best food is found in Spain. What they do to it at times is a different story!
Monday, November 17, 2008
VIPS
I never understood the long, long queues in VIPS, the Late night convenience store- cum-restaurant. And now I'm even more mystified. I always suspected the place to be bad, not for any particular reason just that there are so many VIPS around. Anyway, my girlfriend asked me if I wanted to go to VIPS for breakfast on Saturday. Seeing that it is just around the corner and I fancied something more wholesome than a croissant and a coffee I agreed. She ordered an English Breakfast and an American Breakfast for me. The difference between the two is that the American comes with pancakes instead of a toasted breadroll and the English also has a glass of freshly pressed orange juice, which I drank (sorry darling). So both have scrambled eggs and bacon. There is not a lot that can go wrong with scrambled eggs and bacon and toasting a bun isn't exactly rocket science either, but the pancakes I don't know... They looked nice. I'm sure you have heard of food being referred to as chewing gum, well this was Hubba Bubba dreck. I did go out on a limb and actually swallowed some pancake which landed in my stomach with the force of a meteorite. To settle things down a bit I drank some of my Cafe con Leche which tasted like it had been brewing for four hours and again all I could think about was writing on my blog and would VIPS be suitable material, because you have to be a bit of a sucker to go to VIPS for a meal. Anyhow, you have to be a total idiot to queue for it!
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