I ended up staying longer in Madrid than planned due to airline difficulties. I got to the Madrid airport 2 hours in advance and had to wait in an hour long line to check in my luggage. When I was finally at the check-in counter, I was told that Iberia has a policy of closing its flights 55 minutes before the airplane takes off! It was kind of surreal because I had missed my train the day before and now my flight was going to leave without me! Five of us were in the same boat and I ended up traveling around Madrid with a really nice student, Thanh, who was from Boston.
Thanh y yo en frente de la Fuente de los Galápagos
I hadn't been able to visit Parque del Buen Retiro on my first and only day in Madrid, so Thanh and I walked there after looking at an interesting tribal art exhibit in the Catedral de la Comunicaciones. Parque del Buen Retiro was absolutely beautiful, not to mention immense! It was originally the palace garden of King Philip IV.
Estanque del Retiro (Retiro Pond)
The monument in the distance is of King Alfonso XII whose reign was short-lived but peaceful. He died at age 27.
We were quite hungry from our extensive walking and lack of a proper lunch. I saw this menu for this tavern (taberna) Postas Quince and knew that this would be the perfect place for dinner. Thanh and I decided to share everything so we could try a wider variety of tapas.
Dining en terraza (outside) cost an extra 10%, but it was money well spent because the fresh air and outdoor ambience was so much nicer than the dark, cramped interior tavern. Plus, I finally got to experience "restaurant mist"! In Spain, misters underneath umbrellas or canopies spray intermittently to keep diners cool. I definitely was loving the mist since it was close to 100º in Madrid for most of the afternoon and hadn't cooled off that much by 8:45.
Encurtidos
Encurtidos refers to anything pickled. I particularly liked the pickled pearl onions.
Choricitos a la Sidra
These were delicious mini Spanish chorizo sausages (different from the Mexican kind) cooked in a hard cider sauce. Chorizo intended for cooking is not cured. I'm not a fan of the chewiness of cured meats, so I especially appreciated the tenderness of these flavor-packed choricitos.
Spanish chorizo is colored red by smoked paprika.
These were delicious mini Spanish chorizo sausages (different from the Mexican kind) cooked in a hard cider sauce. Chorizo intended for cooking is not cured. I'm not a fan of the chewiness of cured meats, so I especially appreciated the tenderness of these flavor-packed choricitos.
Spanish chorizo is colored red by smoked paprika.
Calamares a la Andaluza
My first fried calamari in Spain! The rings weren't greasy, the coating didn't overwhelm the calamari, and the calamari was very tender and not chewy. I typically avoid deep fried sea food because I don't like how restaurants typically serve items with lots of deep fried batter smothering a minuscule portion of seafood. This place was an exception to that rule and I'd say it served the best fried food I've ever had. When frying is done at a hot enough temperature, the product doesn't absorb the oil and is just cooked by it. The chef here accomplished this masterfully.
A la andaluza, literally 'of Andalucia', means the food is only dipped in flour— no egg or other ingredients are used. I learned in my Spanish culture class that Andalucia and Extremadura are the two Spanish regions famous for olive oil. Since they are swimming in superior olive oil, Andalucians love to fry all their food, a fact which explains why they have a culinary idiom named after themselves!
My first fried calamari in Spain! The rings weren't greasy, the coating didn't overwhelm the calamari, and the calamari was very tender and not chewy. I typically avoid deep fried sea food because I don't like how restaurants typically serve items with lots of deep fried batter smothering a minuscule portion of seafood. This place was an exception to that rule and I'd say it served the best fried food I've ever had. When frying is done at a hot enough temperature, the product doesn't absorb the oil and is just cooked by it. The chef here accomplished this masterfully.
A la andaluza, literally 'of Andalucia', means the food is only dipped in flour— no egg or other ingredients are used. I learned in my Spanish culture class that Andalucia and Extremadura are the two Spanish regions famous for olive oil. Since they are swimming in superior olive oil, Andalucians love to fry all their food, a fact which explains why they have a culinary idiom named after themselves!
Boquerones Malagueños
According to my Spanish dictionary, boquerones are anchovies. However, these boquerones looked just like the sardines Chón served. After doing some picture comparisons online, I decided the restaurant might have mislabeled the fish because all the pictures of boquerones fritos showed fish that were much more slender than any of the small fish I ate in Spain.
Anchovies are a specialty in Málaga and are caught nearby in the Sea of Alboran. In Málaga, it's very typical to fry anchovies in olive oil, which is why this tapa was called Boquerones Malagueños.
Me encanta boquerones! These weren't greasy at all and were heavenly with a squeeze of lemon.
Cazón Adobado
Cazón adobado (aka cazón en adobo) originated from Cádiz, a city in Andalucia, southern Spain. Cazón is dogfish, a relative of shark. The term adobado refers to something that has been marinated for about 8 hours in vinegar, salt, garlic, oregano, and paprika. This method of fish preparation produces something extremely flavorful!
I know the cazón was deep fried, but I'm curious as to how the restaurant achieved the terra cotta colored, crinkly exterior texture. Recipes online just say to dip the marinated fish in flour (harina) then fry in olive oil. However, the accompanying pictures show very smooth textured, golden colored results. Hmmm.
Cazón adobado (aka cazón en adobo) originated from Cádiz, a city in Andalucia, southern Spain. Cazón is dogfish, a relative of shark. The term adobado refers to something that has been marinated for about 8 hours in vinegar, salt, garlic, oregano, and paprika. This method of fish preparation produces something extremely flavorful!
I know the cazón was deep fried, but I'm curious as to how the restaurant achieved the terra cotta colored, crinkly exterior texture. Recipes online just say to dip the marinated fish in flour (harina) then fry in olive oil. However, the accompanying pictures show very smooth textured, golden colored results. Hmmm.
Gazpacho
Thanh hadn't had gazpacho while in Spain, so we got some at a place advertising a glass of gazpacho for 1.75 euros. Unfortunately, it was the worst gazpacho I'd ever had. There was something a little off about the flavor (too acidic?) and I realized the importance of straining. To expect something silky smooth only to feel little bits of peel jabbing your tongue is very off-putting to the senses.
However, our stop at an artisan ice cream place mollified our displeased palates. This heldadería had some wonderful gourmet sounding ice cream (helado).
Helado de Tiramisú
It was a hard decision, but I decided on tiramisú after trying a sample. Such a good choice! It tasted just like the real Italian dessert —rich with the flavor of mascarpone mixed with coffee and chocolate and perhaps Kahlua. The perfect end to my extended stay in Madrid.
Thanh took the metro with me to the airport around midnight to make sure I got there safely. I was so fortunate to have met such nice people on this Spain trip.
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