So my first blog has to be about the food in Madrid. Not because I'm shallow :-) - only because food is air for me - and if you know me, you would know this :-)
The house wine here, a Rioja, is delicious! I have yet to have a bad glass of wine, and I'm picky with my wine. I haven't had a Rioja in a long while and just completely forgot how juicy and easy to drink it is.
Every time that I have a great meal during one of my travels, I remember why traveling is so important to me. Quite frankly, it's hard to get a good authentic meal in the US. A good Tapas or Italian place is a pain to find in the US.
- Sweets: The churros here are stuffed with yumming vanila or chocolate fillings. There is a cafe 10 steps from my hotel that has a gazillion types of churros. I'm so tempted to get their biggest churro but so far I can barely get through the smaller sizes. A couple days ago, I walked by a bakery with this huge spread of cakes on display. I ended up with the most amazing creamy truffle log-shaped dessert.
- Breakfast: Why is it that only countries outside of the US can make a proper breakfast? :-) Even hotel restaurants in Vietnam do a better job. It is not hard to make over easy eggs with a crispy crust on the white side. Oh, and why is bacon in Madrid so good? - perfect amount of salt, meat, and fat!
- Ham and more: The jamon iberico here is amazing. My first night here, I had this huge plate of jamon, salami, etc. and the salami just had the balance of fat and meat.
- Roasted suckling pigs: Think crispy Chinese pork but both the skin and the pork are 100 times better than the Chinese version.
HERE are some pictures of the food mentioned above.
- Paella: Went to a place tonight that is known for its Paella since 1935. I really liked the very shallow wide pan that the paella came in. The paella itself was OK. I probably just need to try out another place for comparison.
- Tapas: Loved the usual Spanish torta and meatballs. I did try out a couple new tapas items on this trip: The best raviolis filled with oxtail in a creamy sauce I have ever had! I'm still on the fence about the smoked codfish on toasts (the tomato spread on the toast was tasty though). I need to remember to try out the local favorites of calamari sandwich!
Both Plaza de la Santa Ana and Plaza Mayor are within 5 minutes from my hotel in either direction, and they are both known for their terrace sitting. Santa Ana, in particular, is the square for tapas restaurants. The weather this time of the year is cool and nice in the evening (not too hot during the day either), which makes sitting outside for a couple hours with good food/wine very enjoyable. It doesn't hurt that in addition to the good food, ocassionally, there will be musicians playing some lovely tunes with their accordion or guitar.
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