Mad About Madrid

Democrats Abroad - 4th July Celebration in Madrid

I got an email last week from the Democrats Abroad asking me to publish details of their 4th July celebration. Here's what they'll be getting up to:

Don’t miss out on the hamburgers, bar-b-que and 4th of July fun just because you are in Madrid. Join the Democrats Abroad for their annual all-American Independence Day party – the best 4th of July party in Madrid!

Everyone is welcome to enjoy the celebration, which starts at 7 pm on (you guessed it) Wednesday, July 4th. The party features live rock and roll music by the popular Madrid band, Angie Herna and Soul Fingers. Admission is free.

Authentic Texas bar-b-que – including hamburgers, ribs, steak and chicken – will be on offer from Ribs Restaurant. The party will take place on the outdoor terrace of Ribs Gregorio Benítez at the Arturo Soria Plaza (metro: Arturo Soria).

A Silent Auction will be held at the party to raise funds to support the activities of Democrats Abroad throughout the upcoming year…a very important one on the political calendar. Among the items to be auctioned are: baskets of wine, gourmet foods, massages, and handcrafted jewelry.

Location: Ribs Restaurant
Address: Gregorio Benítez, 4
Arturo Soria Plaza
Madrid (Metro: Arturo Soria)
Time: 7pm – 11 pm
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Free Admission
For further information please contact:
Sean Ansett – 667 724 385
democratsabroadmadrid@yahoo.com:

Have fun!

Top Dishes from Top Metrópoli

Here are some mouth-watering suggestions of dishes to eat and restaurants where to eat them in Madrid. Every month El Mundo, one of Spain's foremost newspapers, puts a selection of restaurants where you can eat a certain type of dish on to its Metrópoli section. Here are a list of recent additions to its Top Metrópoli section:

Pasta con Marisco - Quite simply Pasta with shellfish!

Terrinas marineras - Seafood terrines

Lasaña creativa -Don't think this needs a translation. A good selection here of 11 restaurants.

Espaguetis boloñesa - Sticking with the Italian theme another fine selection of restaurants to eat this Italian dish

Bonito - a delicious fish from the tuna family. Very popular in Spain.

Mero - this fish is apparently called Grouper Fish in English and can often be found in fish markets in Spain

Sopa de pescado tradicional - Traditional fish soup - made with a good selection of fish.

Sopas exóticas de pescado - Here's a selection of Far Eastern restaurants offering "exotic" fish soup.

Platos con chucrut - once more stepping out if Spain here we have a selection of restaurants that serve Sauerkraut. A personal recommendation on this list would be Edelweiss.

Goxua - let's finish off this selection with a dessert. Goxua is a Galician Basque (oh bugger! I got this completely wrong thanks Paloma) dish generally made of sponge, cream and liquid caramel. Correct me if I'm wrong!

It's Nice To Receive Thanks!

I normally leave blog comments where they belong - either on a blog article or in the bin! - but this time I thought I'd share this everyone. On a wet, miserable day in Wales, it was nice to open this email this morning:

What a delightful experience! An authentic spanish bar with delicious food, delicious wine and perfect atmosphere. I loved it because I was with my spanish husband and felt we really were in Madrid as we did not bump into a whole bunch of tourists. Thank you for allowing me to be there!

The author of this was referring to Casa Labra - thanks Gabrielle for your kind words!

Planeta Vino - Madrid Wine Blog

I wrote an article going back about a year - Wine Dinner At Restaurante Memento - about an event which was organised between Memento restaurant and Planeta Vino, a wine tasting company from Madrid. Well, I just chanced on Planeta Vino's weblog and thought I would share it with visitors. Mary O'Connor updates the blog and offers some great tips on wines from Spain (and even outside), along with some good restaurant, bar and wine bar recommendations. Worth a look!

Madrid Tapas Fair - Sample Local Cuisine

The Annual Feria de la Tapa takes place from the 30th May to the 3rd June, 2007 in the Palacio de Deportes. The idea is to offer visitors the full range of tapas available to the public from local Madrilenian businesses. Entry is free and visitors will be ale to sample tapas and drinks at reduced prices. If you're an outsider it's a great opportunity to sample the breadth of tapas available to the public in Madrid - there are both traditional and 'innovative' tapas on offer.

Address: C/ Jorge Juan, 99
Metro: Goya

Ten Places I Would Never Eat or Drink in Madrid

I was walking around Madrid the to other day when I started thinking about some of the places that tourists go which add little, or no, value to the Madrid experience.They are often franchises, plastic in aspect and with no character. I explored this a little further with Vicen, my brother-in-law, and here is our Top 10 Places where you shouldn´t go in Madrid.:

1. MC Donald´s - OK, so you eat this crap outside Spain. Why not start eating properly in Spain?
2. Burger King - Nothing more to add.
3. Kentucky Fried Chicken - Why on earth would you want to do it? Go look for some alitas or Pollo Asdao or Pollo al Ajillo. Much better and tastier!
4. Starbucks - Usually double (at least!) the cost of a local coffee. A pointless experience but for some reason Americans, and Brits, they feel a need to go here. Go to the bar next door and get a taste of Spain.
5. Pans and Co - I just don´t get this place when you can go to ANY bar and order a bocadillo.
6. Cañas y Tapas - You will find these god-awful places all over Madrid. Go to the bar next door, please.
7. VIPS - Another pointless place to go have food. I cannot understand why Spaniards, and some foreigners, go to these places for their lunch or dinner. Find a place that does Menú del Día nearby and get much better value for money.
8. Café y Té is according to their website: "la consagración del concepto coffee-shop en España" (Trans: the consecration of the coffee shop concept in Spain). Bollocks! It´s another bloody franchise you shouldn´t bother going to.
9. Dunkin Doughnuts - You come to Spain and end up eating this! Just go to one of the many pastry shops and bars and eat their great food.
10. Subway - bascially, expensive bocadillos sold in plastic shops!

And, on that note, I´m off to have a bocadillo de lomo and a beer. All for around 3 Euros. Beat that Mc Donald´s!

Note: I have not included URL´s - if you want to find them, do it yourself!

The Urban Gastronomic Market comes to Madrid

From the 22nd to the 25th March, 2007 the Plaza Santa Ana becomes home to the Mercado Gastronómico Urbano de Madrid or the Urban Gastronomic Market of Madrid (incidentally, this event looks like it takes place every quarter). Plaza Santa Ana is a well-known Madrid nighttime hot spot but is also a very pretty square which includes the Teatro Español and the famous Reina Victoria Hotel (now the ME Madrid Reina Victoria).

As most people know Spain is recognized for its gastronomic excellence - though even here (with the rise of giant supermarkets) they feel it important to organize a festival that helps city people get a closer look at the products that are produced from around Spain. There will be live presentations and the chance to sample food and drink. From the (bloody awful!) website I gather that you can buy products like wine, olive oil, cheeses, honey, cider, packed fish and pretty much any other food you could wish for!

Links
La Plaza Mercado Gastronómico Urbano de Madrid (official website of this organisation).

Source
Madrid Me Mata

Taberna Maceiras - a Galician Tavern!

I was just trawling my Madrid picture album (I must have taken hundreds of pictures over the past few years) when I came across a bar that I haven't blogged about. The Taberna Maceiras is located in Madrid's famous c/ de las Huertas, one of the city's most famous nightspots, and boasts some fine food. When Spain beat Argentina in a nail-biting semi final of the Basketball World Championship (they eventually won it), I was sitting in Maceiras having my lunch.

Like many Spanish bars and restaurants the decor of this place is very simple - the owners let the food do the talking for them. On a busy day you may be packed in close to the people on the next table but who cares!

Taberna Maceiras is a Galician Tavern and offers visitors a great selection of food and drink from this region - and boy is the food from Galicia great. Maceiras offers customers raciones - dishes of food which you can, and should, share amongst friends. On the menu (which you can click on right) you can select from a large selection of fish, shellfish and other dishes:

• calamari (calamares)
• clams (almejas),
• mejillones (mussels)
• steamed cockles (berberechos),
• navajas (razor clams),
• pulpo (octopus)
• pimientos de padrón (padrón green peppers)

and many other wonderful dishes.

I'm not a great dessert fan but some people have recommended Queso Arzúa – Ulloa D.O con membrillo (Arzúa cheese with quince). I would also recommend that you try the Vino Albariño. If I'm correct they were having a fiesta del pulpo around the same time (let me know if you can clarify this) and the place was absolutely packed out most lunchtimes.

Address
Huertas (Centro) 66, 28014 Madrid, Spain - +34 914 295 818

Click on Google Map for location

December Suggestions from Metrópoli

Metrópoli has a really good guide to what you can do in Madrid this December - it is in Spanish, though. They have come up with 150 suggestions for what you can do in the coming weeks - eat, drink, be merry and much more. Interestingly, they have broken them down into 15 categories - based on different types of personality. These range from the sportsman (woman), the art lover, the over 65's, under 18's, the shopaholics, singles, and a good few more. There are some really cool suggestions here - there is even a category for those who think they're cool!!

Christmas Programme for Madrid

If you'd like an "exhaustive" programme of activities on in Madrid this Christmas, download [pdf] the esMadrid magazine. Be aware this is quite a "beefy" 8MB pdf!!

9 Propuestas for Summer, 2006

   

Madrid's Popular Local Dishes, Recipes, Foods and Places to Eat

For those who don't yet know - and there may be some - Madrid is one fantastic, gastronomic experience. Putting aside the Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Thai restaurants that most major cities have, Madrid offers some of the very best "Spanish" restaurants that you will find in Spain.

The costas of Spain may well be renowned for frozen, packaged and processed food but in Madrid some of the only places that dish this sort of food up are the foreign, American burger and fast food joints. Interestingly, one of Spain's top chefs, Ferrán Adriá, opened a new fast food concept called "Fast Good" just over 2 years ago - the idea being to offer fresh, quality, fast food.

I don't have much experience of other capital cities but I do know that Madrid offers a very broad selection of regional food from around the country: from Basque and Galician to Valencian, Andalucian and Madrileño.

Here are some starting points for those who want to sample 'local' cuisine.

EsMadrid offers its guide to Madrileñan cooking, though admittedly it is all in Spanish. Here you can find some of the Madrid region's favourite dishes: Cocido Madrileño (stew), Callos a la Madrileña (sort of tripe with beans), Sopa de Ajo (garlic soup), Tortilla de Patata (no need to translate), Bacalao a la Madrileña (Salted Cod in a sauce) and Potaje de Garbanzos (chick pea stew). The guide even includes recipes and points you in the direction of some typical Madrileñan bars/restaurants, like Malacatín, La Bola, La Posada de la Villa, Don Cocido, Casa Carola and L a Taberna de Daniela.

This site also has some good suggestions about 'asadores' (grill houses) where you can eat the culinary delights of the Basque-Navarre and Castilian regions. Some of suggestions are plain mouth-watering: suckling pig, bream, Basque Hake, sardines and cod, with many of the suggested restaurants frequented by film, sporting and political celebrities.

NOTE: Some of EsMadrid's pages don't work too well in Firefox (like the one above) and you will have to use Internet Explorer to view them!!!

Spain.info is the Spanish Tourist Board website, and a very good one it is, too. The site offers its guide to both food products and dishes from the Madrid region, including:

Olives from Campo Real
Chinchón White Garlic
Anis from Chinchón
Beef from the Guadarrama Mountains
Asparagus from Aranjuez
Madrid virgin olive oil

and some popular dishes from the region:

Garlic soup
Madrid 'cocido' (meat, potato and chickpea stew)
Madrid 'Torrijas'  (bread pudding)
Madrid tripe
Madrid-style baked red bream
Potato omelette

It also has some suggestion, taken from the Campsa Guide of places where you can eat.

By the way if you'd like to try out some of the recipes of Spain's most famous 'TV' chef, Karlos Arguiñano, I would suggest you visit his website: La cocina de Karlos Arguiñano, where you will find at least a few hundred Spanish recipes - be aware it is all in Spanish!

Madrid Challenge
Try not to eat or drink in any of the international chains: Mc Donald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc. The food will be much better and at least you will be immersing yourself in the local culture and food.

Related Articles
Fast Good a new fast food concept opens in Madrid

Vegetarian Restaurants in Madrid

Last week El Mundo offered a selection of some of its favourite vegetarian restaurants in Madrid. If you can't read, or can't be bothered to read in Spanish, here is the gist of what they had to say.

Al Natural. Price around 20€. Metro: Banco de España. Just behind the Congress, their most popular dishes are stuffed aubergines and leeks with brie.

Artemisa. Around 25€. Metro: Sevilla Run by Óscar Castro since 1990.
Their most popular dish is Farah Diba, made from mushrooms stuffed with paté, asparagus, aubergines and gouda cheese.

Ecocentro. Price around 20€. Metro: Rios Rosas/Cuatro Caminos. At this restaurant you can enjoy tabuleh with pesto seasoning or baked tofus - they also have a shop where you can buy vegetarian products. The Ecocentro Website for this establishment details all the menus for each day of the week.

El Estragón. Prices around 30€. Metro: La latina.
A tavern-restaurant which offers, amongst other things, soya meatballs, whole and paella of brown rice and gluten escalopes.

La Galette. Prices from 20 €. Metro: Colón.
El Mundo says that it is "perfect for romantic, candlelit dinners". The apple croquets sound interesting at this venue.

La Isla del Tesoro. Prices around 20€. Metro: Bilbao. Given the name of the place, Treasure Island in English, customers feel like they're in a pirate movie! Boletus (mushroom) ravioli and sorbet of mojito (apparently a Cuban drink) are on offer.

Vegetarian Art. Price 20€. Metro: Ibiza. Designed to look like an echanted wood, with gnomes and elves, Vegetarian Art offers dried fruit croquets, pastas and rices.

The World's Most Expensive Hamburger

Botín might be the oldest restaurant in the world (1725) and Taberna de Antonio Sánchez may be the oldest bar in Madrid (1830) but to this list can now be added Restaurante Estik, which sells (they reckon) the most expensive hamburger in the world. At 85 Euros (about $107) the Kobe steak hamburger will set you back a little more than your standard burger but it will ceratinly be one that you won't forget eating! However, according to the Guinness Book of Records the title of "most expensive hamburger in the world" goes to a New York restaurant, DB Burger Royale, whose hamburger sells for around $69. I'm sure this won't last long.

If you feel that your credit card could take such a hit on a burger, head over to the Restaurante Estik website and book a table. With all the talk of trans fats and the damage they can cause, this hamburger may not be that costly!

Food Poll

I thought I'd introduce a new feature to this blog - polls. Please select your favourite dish below and beware that you need to vote in order to see the results!

Tinto de Verano - a Perfect Drink for Summer

I have been speaking (by emal) with Kelly over at kellycrull.com and he mentioned that his favourite drink was Tinto de Verano. So, given that we are now in the warm months of summer, I thought that it would be an idea to post the ingredients for one of summer's most refreshing drinks, Tinto de Verano:

Ingredients
1/2 bottle of red wine
Casera, lemonade or sprite
Ice
Lemon wedge/slice

Preparation
Place ice in tall glass
Pour in the red wine until it is half full
Add the lemonade to fill it
Add a slice of lemon

Delicioso! - as 'backpack' would say in Dora the Explorer (you can tell I have a 4 year-old!)

I have seen variations of this and expect to receive an email from my brother-in-law to refine it! Please, let me know if you have any variations. Apparently, it doesn't really matter whether it is a good or poor wine.

Top Places to eat Madrid's Top Dishes

The culture guide of online Spanish newspaper El Mundo often reviews the best places in Madrid to eat certain dishes. Metrópoli, as the guide is called, doesn't just let you know about places to eat the more offerings but also where you can find more creative examples of these dishes. Here are a selection of some of my favourites (in Spanish):

Cochinillo - Baby Suckling Pig - a perfect main course in Madrid (though even better in Segovia!)
Bocadillos - Baguettes - these are wonderful for lunch and are always freshly prepared at the premises.
Tabla de Quesos - Cheese Tray
Solomillo ibérico - Iberian Sirloin Steak - don't forget that well done in Spain equates to medium or just eat it as it should be eaten!
Alcachofas Fritas - Fried Artichokes
Boquerones en vinagre - Anchovies marinated in vinegar- Simply wonderful!
Espárragos creativos - Creative Asparagus - a great starter
Pimientos de Padrón - Padrón Peppers - the Spanish will always tell you that some are hot and others not. Delicious!
Platos con espinacas - Spinach dishes - one of my favourites is potaje de espinacas con garbanzos (a dish of spinach and chick peas).
Pescados a la sal - Fish cooked in a layer of salt
Tartas de queso - Cheesecakes

To translate any of these pages into English use the Google, simply add the web address (URL) into this Google Translation page.

Madrid Fusión opens in the Municipal Conference Centre

From the 17th to the 19th January Madrid will host a major gastronomic event - Madrid Fusión. The press for it bills it as:

"A new edition of Madrid Fusion in which the Spanish and European chefs that nowadays amaze the whole world with their recipes, will “play against” the revolutionary fleet of young American chefs who are now breaking moulds in the creative cuisine while being surrounded by the last technological trends."

Chefs such as Ferran Adría, Arzak, Nobu Matsuhisa and Marcus Samuelsson will demonstrate their techniques and share their secrets. There will also be an opportunity to sample the food and wine of Spain. The entry cost is quite high - 590 Euros - and includes access to all demonstrations and tasting of products in the exhibition hall. For full details visit the Madrid Fusión website.

Madrid's Top Summer Terrazas

One of the highlights of summer is eating or drinking in one of the city’s many terrazas. Terrazas (street café’s) are extremely popular in Madrid and are a wonderful way of spending an evening in the city. They are open through summer until September and cater for all tastes and budgets, though in places like Retiro Park they are open all year round. Some of the best places to enjoy terrazas are the Paseo de la Castellana and the Paseo de Rosales. El Mundo newspaper has an exhaustive list of the summer’s top terrazas on their website which, though written in Spanish, categorises them into barrios, displays their food specialities and gives the price range.   

Surviving Madrid in the Summer

I got an email yesterday from someone visiting this site (Martin Christensen) asking me for some tips on how to survive the hot weather in Madrid. Madrid in summer can be quite taxing, though if you start living like the Spanish it can be much more bearable. Here are some thoughts on how you can get the most out of Madrid in the summer.

Site seeing
I would probably make sure that you try and get around the city in the early hours of the morning  probably up until 12pm or 1pm. Always make sure that you walk on the side of the street that is in the shade. If you're looking to walk around the city later, I would try and make sure you do it from around 6.30 p.m onwards. Don't forget that the shops close around 8 p.m.

Museums
Personally, I would try and get around the museums during the hottest times of day - 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. All of them will be air-conditioned and far more pleasant than walking around the city.

Eating Out
To be perfectly honest I would far prefer to eat indoors in this weather than sit out in the very hot daytime temperatures. Though, if that is what you're looking for, you may want to try out eateries along the Paseo de Pintor Rosales - more expensive but next to Madrid's huge park, the Casa de Campo.

Madrid's Terrazas
Madrid's outdoor terrace bars are really a must during the summer months and a wonderful way to spend the warm summer evenings. You may even see some of Madrid's beautiful people - the Beckham's, possibly? The most popular ones tend to run down the city's Paseo de Castellana and Pintor Rosales. For the former, I would look to walk from Plaza de Cibeles up towards Plaza de Colón; the latter is one of the coolest places in the city (as mentioned above) and has loads of themed 'terrazas'.

Most people tend to drink cubatas long glasses of rum, vodka, whiskey with coke or lemonade, as they are cheaper option to bottles of beer. Don't forget that terrazas really kick in after 10.30 p.m. Another great place to enjoy a drink in the evening is Plaza Santa Ana - and probably cheaper. The Retiro Park can be a lovely place early in the evening and I would recommend that you try 'horchata' - a tiger nut/almond drink that is popular there.

There is also a very nice terraza on the Puente de Segovia bridge, which looks out towards the Almudena Cathedral and Royal Palace.

Casa de Campo - One of the coolest (temperature!) places to go is the Casa de Campo - the huge park on the east-side  west side of the city. Located around the lago (lake) you will find a number of terrace bars. Metro: Lago

Excursions
A large number of Madrileños head out of the city at weekends to their family homes in the country. Places like Segovia, Avila and El Escorial do tend to be cooler in summer but don't forget you are in central Spain and it will still be hot. If you plan properly, there are a number of fiestas and summer fairs that go on outside the capital over these months.

Swimming Pools
There are quite a few public swimming pools around the capital - some of the details I included in an article last year - Open Air Swimming Pools in Madrid. You may also be interested in some of the Aqua Parks that are dotted around the centre:

Aquópolis San Fernando - open 12 pm-8 pm; Cost: 12.50-14 Euros (Adults), 9 Euros (Child)
Aquópolis Villanueva de la Cañada - open 12 pm-8 pm; Cost: 13-16.50 Euros (Adults), 9 Euros (Child)
Aquasur Aranjuez -  a 40-minute journey from Atocha train station to Aranjuez and a free bus ride from there to the water park. Cost: 5-15 Euros (Adults), 3-12 Euros (Child).

Veranos de la Villa - Every year the city council of Madrid puts on a huge number of events across the city, ranging from theatre and dance to classical music and puppetry for kids. Madrid's parks, squares and streets will be taken over as culture goes out on to the streets. For more information visit the Madrid City Council site.

Vinoteca Barbechera

So the other day it was sunny, and warm, and basically another perfect day to sit outside in the sun and do nothing at all, except drink wine that is! With plans to meet up with friends at a later time, my wife and I decided to head over to Plaza Santa Ana (map), for a glass of wine and a pincho or two. Located on the eastern end of the plaza sits Vinoteca Barbechera, a franchised bar that serves tapas, raciones, wine and much more. It is known as a wine bar first and foremost, I suggest you keep this in mind when you visit.

Wanting a quick snack, we ordered a couple glasses of white wine and a few tapas. Looking at the menu you are not left without plenty of choices, basically the same tapas you’d find at every other bar you might visit in Madrid. Yet what makes it worth going to, is the quality. Incredible! For those of you who like to go out and blow a 100 Euros on dinner and have small tastes presented in front of you of various delicacies, this is a great place for you. For an average of 3 euros each, you can taste your way through a plethora of small culinary treats.

Today we tried three treats:

Solomillo con Cebolla Caramelizado (Beef tenderloin with Caramelized Onions)

Crisp toast drizzled with good olive oil works to hold this concoction as you raise it to your lips. As you bite into it your mouth is rewarded with tender fillet, lightly seasoned and garnished with a candy-like caramelized onion. The best part of this dish is that any one part would be overwhelmingly rich by itself, but as a whole, they work together to balance each other out. As you finish you know you’ve just has a small bite of heaven. 

Trucha ahumada con Puré de tomate y tapenada (Smoked trout with puree of tomatoes and an olive tapenade)

Though not my favorite today, this dish will appeal to anyone out there who is a lover of smoked fish.

Madrid Tapas Fair

Practically everyone who comes to Madrid will end up eating tapas - the dish that often accompanies a beer, wine or other beverage in Madrid's bars and restaurants. Well, from today (9th June) until the 12th June, the city will be hosting its own Feria de la Tapa or Tapas Fair.

Held in the Pabellón Auxiliar Madrid Arena, in the Casa de Campo, it is open to both catering businesses and the general public and should prove an ideal opportunity to get to know one of the gastronomic delights of the city, and indeed Spain. Many of the best places to eat tapas in Madrid will be represented including 'Chantarella', 'El Rincón de Goya', 'Las Bravas', 'El Almendro', 'La Taberna del Alabardero', 'Los Cigarrales' and 'La Montadería'. There will also be lively discussion and a competition for 'pulling the best beer'!

Entrance is FREE and tapas only cost 1.2 Euros - a bargain!

Here is a map and directions on how to get to the Campo de Naciones

More Details
Madrid acogerá del 9 al 12 de junio una feria gastronómica dedicada a la tapa (Yahoo! España)
De tapas por la Casa de Campo (El Mundo/Metropoli)
Madrid, capital de la tapa (Es Madrid)

Related
Tapas in Madrid
My Madrid - Andrés Jarabo Perez

Food and Wine Tours of Madrid

Tour Update and Notice

As Alun has mentioned early in my introduction, we hope in the near future to offer guided tours of some of Madrid’s culinary treasures. Highlighting both well-known monuments to food and more importantly, those little known treasures - we hope to offer a unique perspective on the food scene in Madrid. To start with, we will be offering 2 formats for you to choose from based on your specific interests:

A Cook's Tour
For anyone who likes to buy treats to bring back home, or for those of you who might have a kitchen in the room you are staying in, this is the tour for you. We will take you to 4 different shops in Madrid, where you will have the chance to buy some of the finest food and wine Spain has to offer.

First, a wine shop where we will get a chance to taste some wine while learning a little about where it comes from and how it is made. Second, ever think that Manchego was all Spain had to offer as far as cheese? Well, we’ll prove that theory wrong as we walk up the street to a cathedral of all things cheese. Walls lined with every type of fermented milk you can imagine.  Following this, we will move on to a chocolate shop whose reliquary holds some of the finest chocolates available to mortals! To round it all off, how about a stop at a Market where you can have the chance to buy fresh ham, ripe vegetables, myriad fish, not to mention much more.  All in all, this 3 hour tour will show you some of the finer gourmet treats Madrid has to offer.
Cost: TBA

Tapas, Wine and Fun
Come stroll with us down Madrid’s streets stopping in at a select few bars to try a variety of the typical flavors of Spain. During each stop you will have a choice of wines all of which come accompanied by tapas.  During this time you will learn something of the history of tapas; have a chance to gather some recipes; and also learn something about the wine regions that abound in Spain.
Cost:TBA

While we are in the process of setting up the dates, times and prices for these tours weI want to make sure that no one is left out. If you are going to be in town in the next month or are already here send us a note! We’ll work something out and make sure that you don’t miss anything during your stay here in Madrid!

Please contact us at madridtours (at) gmail.com with any questions, or suggestions, that you might have.

Till soon, Ryan Opaz

Tapas in Madrid

Tapas are a great Spanish invention and now renowned all over the world. But probably no place has the variety of dishes which are available in Madrid (I expect comments on this!). My definition of a 'tapa' is a small plate of food which accompanies a drink, which seems to be much the same as the definition of the Real Academia Española de la Lengua. The website EsMadrid has a great guide to eating tapas in Madrid, which includes bars, restaurants and shops. Called Tapas en Madrid the Flash-enabled guide allows you to select establishments by district, with a critique and map accompanying each. The variety of tapas is exhaustive and covers everything from meats, poultry, fish, seafood and vegetarian dishes.

Tapas Tours
Take a look at the Cook's Tour and Tapas Tour we have on offer.

Related Article
My Madrid - Andrés Jarabo Perez

Mallorca gourmet food shops

Mallorca is one of the most well-established food shops in Madrid. Established in 1931 it sells a wonderful selection of cheeses, meats, canapés, pastries and chocolates. I always find that their shop windows and interior counter displays help me to part with my money and the pastries are to die for. Try out some of them in the shop before taking a tray of assorted pastries away with with you. The shops can be found all over Madrid, including Velázquez, Serrano and Bravo Murillo. A Mallorca restaurant can be found in the Jardín de Serrano shopping centre and is very reasonable (around 22 Euros for a 3-course menu).

Corral de la Morería - Flamenco Shows

The Corral de la Morería is often billed as one of the best flamenco shows in the world - if the list of famous personalities who have visited it are anything to go by, they certainly are. George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Tom Jones, Samuel Jackson, Hugh Grant and Mariah carey have alll visited this famous place. Since its inauguration in 1956 it has put on shows with all the major flamenco artists like Antonio Gades, Lucero Tena and Pastora Imperio. The shows cost around 32 Euros, whilst a show plus dinner will set you back 72 Euros. Though the menus are impressive, most people would recommend going for dinner first and then on to the show.

Address: c/ Morería 17
Telephone: 91 3658446
Metro: Sol & Ópera

My Madrid - Juan Dominguez

My Madrid is a new feature on the Mad About Madrid site, where I invite people who either live in Madrid or who know the city well, to write about things they like.

The first person I have asked is Juan Dominguez, a 36 year-old director of E-commerce and Business Services in Ya.com, an internet company. He also founded Viajar.com, a leading Spanish online travel agency and has his own blog, e-life. Juan was born in Guadalajara but now lives in La Moraleja, a residential neighbourhood outside Madrid.
Favourite Bar/café Del Diego (c/ de la Reina), the best cocktail bar in the world, and I am not exaggerating a bit.
Favourite Dish(es) Jamón serrano, gazpacho, torrijas.
Favourite Tapas Tortilla de patatas, calamares, or anything in Bar Santander, in c/ Augusto Figueroa (Metro Chueca).
Favourite Restaurant - El Chaflán, in c/ Pio XII. It is expensive but it is definitely worth a visit. Other places that I like are Blue Fish, in c/ San Andres, (the girls who run it are so nice), and Caripén, in plaza de la Armada Española.
Favourite Shop FNAC or, if looking for gifts or furniture, Casa Julia in c/ Barquillo

Fast Good a new fast food concept opens in Madrid

Last month the top Catalan chef, Ferrán Adrià, opened a new concept in fast food called 'Fast Good'. This new outlet is located in the hotel NH Eurobuilding and aims to prove that it is possible for a fast food restaurant to provide clients with better, richer and healthier food. Two examples that are cited are: 1. the olive oil in the friers is changed every day and 2. the macedonia comes with the juice in a separate bowl to preserve the texture of the fruit! This is from the NH Hotels press release:

"..we can eat hamburgers made using beef as usual, but garnished with trocadero lettuce, tapenade sauce, or with rucula and gorgonzola, for example; the panini combine ham, asparagus or cheese with sage, pine nuts, crystallised spring onions or even foie; as for salads, we find combinations as exclusive as green beans with fingers of pâté de canard, leek with crystallised chicken and spices, or wild rice with cous-cous, rounded off with a wide selection of lettuces and fruit, always dressed with home-made sauces. Some meals come with non-frozen French fries made at once using olive oil."

WOW! This sounds great and apparently the hotel chain plans to open up many new Fast Good outlets in the future. Looking at various sources on the web, the prices are very good, too - a meal would cost under €15.

Related Stories
NH Hotels Opens The First FAST GOOD (in English)
Adrià inventa el «fast good»
eGullet Forums

Address
Padre Damián, 23, Madrid
Metro
Cuzco

Casa Lucio - a restaurant fit for a king!

Reading an article on Lucio Blázquez, owner of the famous restaurant Casa Lucio, has prompted me to write an article on this famous restaurant. Politicians, famous actors, the King of Spain, and writers can be found eating at this restaurant which is on Madrid's c/ Cava Baja, not far off the Plaza Mayor and which enjoys international renown. Lucio Blázquez first started out in El Schotis, a restaurant located a few doors down the street before opening up on his own. The food is very simple Castillian Fair, the most popular dish is fried eggs accompanied by french fries. Other favourites include callos (tripe), suckling pig and rice pudding (for dessert). It is reckoned that one of the secreats to their success lies with the old caol ovens in the kitchen. They also offer a very good selection of Spanish wines.

Address
c/ Cava Baja, 35
Metro
La Latina

Las Bravas - great tapas bar in Madrid

A short walk from Madrid's Puerta del Sol you will find a bar called Las Bravas. It is a very simple bar, with standing room only and very noisy. But here you will find some of the best 'bravas' in Madrid. Patatas bravas are small chunks of potato, cooked like chips (fries) and served with a spicy red sauce. There are a chain of bars like this across Madrid and the sign inside the bar proudly says that they have patented the recipe for the sauce! I would also recommend the calamares and tortilla, which is served with the bravas sauce, too. At night it is a busy place which echoes to the sound of the waiters shouting: "unas bravas". It is a good place to start the evening before moving on to Plaza Santa Ana.

Address: C/ Álvarez Gato 3
Metro: Sol

Café de Oriente

The Café de Oriente enjoys one of the finest views of any eating/drinking establishment in Madrid. It is situated in the Plaza de Oriente, and is directly opposite the Royal Palace and next to the Opera House. The café is a great place to have a mid-afternoon coffee, or even a hot chocolate and to look out over the plaza. Given the style of its interior, it is hard to believe that it opened in 1983 - it certainly looks like it was built at the turn of the 20th century or even earlier. However, in the cellars/vaults, where the restaurant is situated, you will see the remains of the 17th century convent of San Gil. During the summer its open terrace is a great place for people watching. The menus may be a bit pricey but it is still possible to enjoy a menú del día for under 10 Euros.

Address: Plaza de Oriente, 2
Metro: Ópera

See also: Madrid Restaurants

Career waiters and not a 'latte', 'frappe' or 'mocha' in sight!

One of the great pleasures in Madrid is having a coffee at one of the hundreds of coffee shops. You can try anything from your the typical café con leche (in a glass, small cup or large cup) and café solo through to café con hielo (coffee on house) and café cortado. Coffee is ground in front of you and made in the huge, usually Italian, coffee machines. The whole café resounds to the sound of coffee machines, grinders, orders being shouted out and coffee saucers being banged down in front of your eyes. What a treat!

Buying wine in Madrid

Just a quick posting for all those looking to buy wine in Madrid. The easiest plaace to buy wine in Madrid is in the food section of El Corté Inglés or in small stores/off licences. However, if you're looking to find a special wine, I would recommend going to a dedicated wine merchant. Here are a couple that I know of: Lavinia, which purports to stock over 2000 Spanish wines and 2000 world wines, along with various books and accesssories. The other is Siguero on Madrid's María de Molina, which also has a fine selection of wine.

Addresses/Information
Lavinia - José Ortega y Gasset 16 | Open: 10 a.m - 9 p.m. | Metro: Nuñez de Balboa or Serrano
Siguero - María de Molina, 70 | Metro: Avenida de America

Cervecería Santa Bárbara

The Cervecería Santa Bárbara in Madrid´s Plaza Santa Bárbara is one of Madrid´s more famous drinking establishments. The main beer on tap is a local lager called Mahou, you can also get a dark beer and alcohol-free lager from the same company. The bar was established in 1947 and is well-known for the huge range of shellfish and other fish which it sells. You won´t get tapas in this bar but can buy its delicious shellfish from a separate bar - cockles, prawns (shrimps), mussels and my favourite boquerones (white bait in vinegar).

Chocolate heaven at Cacao Sampaka

I'm not a great chocolate fan but even I was impressed by Cacao Sampaka. This establishment, just off the Plaza Santa Bárbara in c/ Orellana, combines a chocolate shop with a coffee shop. In the shop you can view all sorts of chocolate, from many different countries and of different types. The chocolate is displayed in glass cabinets, much like in a museum, and you can purchase boxes of it from the counter. Other items on display include recipe books and books on the history of chocolate, cooking utensils and even chocolate candles and incense!! The coffee shop sells thick cups of chocolate - a hot favourite (oops!) in Madrid at this time of year and various chocolate cakes and desserts.

Metro: Alonso Martínez

Spanish Jamón (Ham) at the Museo del Jamón

The Museo del Jamón is an institution in Madrid. The Museo del Jamón, like so many Spanish bars, has a huge numbers of hams dangling from its bars - and a wonderful selection it is - from the standard to the expensive (like Pata Negra) and from different provinces in Spain. They also offer good menus and tapas. For people who would like to know the process of curing the ham, take a look at their website (in the section 'Proceso de Elaboración'). This site contains all their locations in Madrid and useful pictures (under 'Menus') to let you know what the dishes are.