[ardoise]

Our recent trip to Madrid has coincided with the Semana Santa. At first, I was disappointed because quite a few places I had wanted to dine were closed including Casa d'a Troya, Combarro(which I have reported earlier and is a superb marisco), Viridiana and the new two stars Sant Celoni and also Horscher whose location and pedigree I find most interesting + Zalacain which is the bastion of classic excellence(I am not interested in trying La Broche again after a lackluster meal savoring half baked concepts of the conceited chef). But, retrospectively speaking I was wrong in despairing. We got to know some new places where locals eat and had some memorable dishes. Here is why.

First, the fact that Madrid places were closed gave us a chance to spend 3 days in Segovia, a noteworthy place with tremendous character. The culinary highlights of the Segovia days, however, were the visits to 2 of the temples of Castilian lamb, Tinin at Sepulveda and Mannix at Campaspero. They both serve 3 weeks old suckling lamb from churra breed which resembles a breed I know well I like very much from Trakya (Euroean part in the Balkans) of Turkey. I do not know anybody other than the Spanish though who serves 20 days old lamb and the results are exquisite. Any serious lamb lover(esp.one lucky enough to savor French pre-sale on an everyday basis) owes himself/herself a visit to a true asador in Castilia to taste the cordero lechal. If somebody, esp. a Spanish from the area tells me that there are better places than Mannix or Tinin to have this very Spanish specialty I will give it a try but I would be quite skeptical as it is hard to conceive of more tasty lamb. Especially in Mannix we thought we reached nirvana as they have good wines to match the quality of the lamb--whereas Tinin only serves the house wine which is adequate.

Some placed did not close till the thursday before the good friday so I visited an ex-favorite Coque at Humanes and Arce in Madrid. The former has changed from the last year after they have gotten a Michelin star in the sense that there are now fewer locals, they do not serve a charcuterie plate and now most people are ordering the menu degustation and there is now even a French assistant sommelier. Fortunately cochinillo lechon asado is still on the menu, still prepared by Jose Ramon(creative chef Mario Sandoval's brother)and it is still very good, as good or even better than the version I have had at Jose Maria[ in Segovia. We still found some inconsistency in the delivery(one dish was flawed) but, compared to last year, the desserts(also prepared by Jose Ramon)have improved. This place should be a candidate for a second Michelin star in near future.

This said, I will recall longer one dish at had at Arce , the becada with Armagnac sauce, longer than any single dish at Coque. The idiosyncratic chef(who is of Basque origin)is a believer in long faisandage for the woodcock and the result is stunning if you like the extremely gamey and minerally taste. Thanks to Pedro, his lovely wife and Rogelio who hosted me and my wife to the restaurant and they all turned out to be ideal dining companions, we also learned to pair the oloroso sherry with the aged becada. I was skeptical first, but now I am truly convinced and can not see any other drink which will be a better match. By the way the whole sole fish was also exquisite at Arce and the smaller portions are quite good too but not on par with the last two dishes.

Because Combarro was closed we tried 3 other mariscos: O'Pazo, La Trainera and El Barril. I will still give the edge to Combarro but the quality and availability of great seafood in Madrid may not be compared to other metropoles in Europe and the States that I am aware of. I also found Galician lobster(bogavante)and langouste(langosta) to be on par with the Brittany versions served in Meurice, Arpege, etc, for much higher prices.

Thanks to the owner of O'Pazo, signor Evaristo who called Lucio for us, we got a reservation at Casa Lucio on the good friday and watched some processions on Cava Baja from our table next to the window on the first floor. This was about 2 AM in the morning of course. The food is very good too. If you have a chance make sure you try callos madrilenos (tripe with blood sausage), besugo a la plancha and a very good quality churrasco for two(Cote de boeuf). Their arroz con leche was the best I have had, on par with a top firin sutlac in Turkey. Besides, the best looking women of Madrid seemed to be having dinner with their much older companions that particular day at Casa Lucio, and I still wonder if this was just a coincidence or is there some logic and reason behind it?

I had heard about the Andalusian restaurant Alboran, located in an attractive middle class residential district of Madrid, and thanks to Rogelio who especially recommended this place we had superb fried fish there, As good as what I had gotten at El Espigon in Sevilla. The chipirones a la planchawere also very good and the baked rodaballoquite good--but have this dish at O'Pazo. By the way prices for the quality are more than fair at Alboran and I was the only non Spanish. This was the day of Easter, sunday lunch.

We are looking forward to our next trip to Madrid and 6 hours of walk everyday which is the only way to get to know this exquisite city and burn most of the calories.

[Wilfrid1]

Thanks for posting this. I really enjoyed my two meals at La Broche, although the service wasn't great on the second occasion.

The post reflects just how many places in Madrid there are which are worth trying.

[Rail Paul]

Raymond Sokolov describes his adventures in Segovia. He found their tapas to be wonderful, and very reasonably priced. Seafood, sausage, peppers, minced lamb, leeks, pork, it's all there.

Full of crowded restaurants spilling diners out on the street, the old town resembles a food theme park offering something for every taste, except tranquility. Patrons order their drink by shouting over the bar and pick their complimentary tapa from a display (nowadays, even nonalcoholic drinks come with a snack). People usually eat standing up, in lively conversation with friends and strangers and, once done, throw napkins on the floor and money on the bar before moving on to the next restaurant.

On one of his usual tours, Mr. Sanz would order papas al ajillo, potatoes fried in garlic oil, at Santana (c/Infanta Isabel, 18); the egg in béchamel sauce at As de Picas (c/Infanta Isabel, 14); at La Concepción (Plaza Mayor, 15), a former meeting point of intellectuals, he would go for the extraordinarily thick tortilla; and at La Cueva de San Esteban (c/Valdeláguila, 15), the lomo escabechado, a strip of pork marinated in vinegar with a red pepper on top. Ordering beer or wine, the bill would add up to about €6.

Despite its down-to-earth atmosphere, La Cueva is owned by one of Spain's most renowned sommeliers, Lucio del Campo. Yolanda Moreno, Mr. del Campo's wife, explains that the tapas competition is a lot of work with no immediate economic benefit. "We don't lose money with the competition, as some restaurants claim, but we don't earn much either," she laughs. In order to create the competition tapa, the kitchen has trials all year round. This year, Las Cuevas entered a confit of duck with a mushroom spread and red pepper syrup.

WSJ

Top Tapas in Town

El Duque
One of the city's best-known restaurants, El Duque won the professional award in the tapas competition in 2007 and 2008 with lavish concoctions like last year's Iberian pork tenderloin with sun-dried apricots and foie gras. The everyday tapas are much less impressive, however (c/Cervantes, 12; 34-921-462-486).

El Fogón Sefardí
Winner of the popular award in 2007 and 2008, this new restaurant, located in a beautifully restored 15th-century building, specializes in Sephardic cuisine and is a top contender again this year with a tapa of potato, pumpkin and apple on homemade raisin bread with leek and muscatel sauce (c/Judería Vieja, 17-19; 34-921-466-250).

La Judería
This small bar filled with cushions and the smell of hookahs and tea came second in last year's popular vote. For this year's competition, the Syrian owners have prepared a millefeuille of minced lamb and fried leek with a sauce typical of their homeland (c/Judería Vieja, 5; 34-921-461-234).

José María
One of Segovia's more traditional restaurants, José María has its own winery. Even during the competition, a simple tapa of mature cheese together with a glass of the excellent house red is the best choice (c/Cronista Lecea, 11; 34-921-461-111).

Di Vino
The flagship restaurant of famous sommelier Lucio del Campo adds a modern touch to traditional Segovian (and usually meat-based) cuisine, such as this year's tapa of thick gazpacho soup, sardines and bread crumbs. The wine is, of course, outstanding (c/Valdeáguila, 7; 34-921-461-650).