Spain & Portugal Recs?

Next month my family and I will travel to Barcelona, Grenada, Sevilla, Faro, and Lisbon. Does anyone have any experience dining in these areas? Any recommendations? Thanks.

Yeah, I do.

I've now sent two people (including Jazzfood) to Cal Pep and they both came away raving about the experience (food and beyond-food aspects), so I feel I can safely say, don't miss Cal Pep while you're in Barcelona.

Cal Pep was SICK. our first meal there was capped off by half a bottle of free cava from fellow patrons and conversation deep into closing with a fun lesbian couple whom we randomly met later on.

But we had a even superior meal @ Tapac24. Cal Pep's line was getting cumbersome after the 2nd day (yes, we tried to have 3 meals there in a week. it was close to the hotel, what can i say).

we reserved our 1 fine dining meal in Spain for Cinc Sentits: http://www.cincsentits.com/ and were not disappointed.

notes from that meal:
amuse: maple syrup with rock sea salt, topped with sour foam
first app: clam with sea water gelee, roe and cream of cauliflower
second app: suckling pig with rosemary foam, rice with sour green apples
seafood first: scallop on escalivada sauce, fried iberico ham on bed of onion in red wine reduction.
seafood second: monk fish with black olive compote, lime and lemon reduction, side of grilled asparagus
meat: rack of lamb coated with grounded powdered porcini mushroom, caramelized leeks and demiglaze reduction
first dessert: lemon textures: ice, cake, foam, ice cream
second dessert: chocolate with nocchiola mousse, choc sauce and toasted hazelnut ice cream.

it seems the scallops, monk fish, lamb, lemon flavors and the chocolate are all still on the menu. the scallops, lamb were good, but the suckling pig is better than anything i've ever had out of a Chinese BBQ place.

everyday for lunch we hit up La Boqueria and tried the various stalls, Bar Pinotxos and El Quim being 2 we visited.

my second fave area is the square between Cal Pep and El Xampanyet. grab a beer and watch all the nite life. Euskal Etxea is also nearby tho it doesn't really matter. buy a can of beer and watch the locals mozy on by.

leek's post here was a good starting point for me:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... =barcelona

simply can't recall my fave tapas bar located in our fave area at this moment. i can still smell the ham tho...

My wife and I had a great trip to Portugal and Spain last month.


Bon Jardim
Pictured: Spit Roasted Chicken

The first stop was Lisbon where within an hour of landing we dropped our bags at the hotel and ran off to get some spit-roasted chicken at Bon Jardim. The skin was crispy and salty with a strong citrus flavor and the meat was very moist and tender. The chili sauce on the table was spicy and tangy, a perfect accompaniment to the chicken. The back room was filled with older Portuguese men watching soccer and next to them was the roasting oven that was billowing smoke and sparks. We were impressed by what an authentic experience it was considering that Bon Jardim seems to be written up in every tour book. No matter, the food was quick, cheap, and delicious. A perfect start to the trip.
http://www.golisbon.com/food/restaurants/Bonjardim.html

Sinal Vermelho
Pictured: Clams with olive oil and garlic

That night we had a reservation to chowhound recommend Sinal Vermelho in the Chiado district. It’s a fun part of town filled with bars and restaurants (and Fado clubs) so we were grateful to have a recommendation and a reservation going in. There were two Portuguese families having huge family feasts in the rather small space, so it seems that this is a spot for locals even though it’s kind of in the tourist district. They specialize in seafood and everything was top notch. I enjoyed a half bottle of Vinho Verde which was an exceptionally crisp and fresh white wine, definitely something to try when you’re visiting Portugal. We started off with an order of the oil drenched clams, sardines, and the cod fritters (cod, which they call bacalao, figured prominently throughout the trip). The clams were garlicky and a little sweet and absolutely tremendous. The sardines were a little salty, though fresh, and the cod fritters were surprisingly excellent with a perfect almost creamy breading surrounding moist and flaky cod. The entrée was the local specialty dourada (golden bream) which is sliced in half lengthwise (head and all) and served grilled with boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. We absolutely love seafood, and Sinal Vermelho served us some of the freshest we enjoyed on the whole trip. Highly recommended!
http://www.golisbon.com/food/restaurant ... melho.html

Solar do Vinho do Porto

After dinner we headed up to the Solar do Vinho do Porto to enjoy some port. I’m far from an expert on port, but the menu they have is extensive. I settled on a 30 year Dalva Porto from the bar tender’s recommendation. It was sweet and a little syrupy with a lot of burnt caramel flavor but it was very smooth. This is a great spot to go to sample a lot of different ports, and it’s a nice room with lots of comfortable couches and a relaxed atmosphere.
http://www.ivp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=168 ... 5&idioma=1

Pasteis de Belem
Pictured: Pastel de Nata

The next morning we were out in the Belem district, so we had to stop by the famous pastry shop Pasteis de Belem. They specialize in the Portuguese egg custard tarts called Pastel de Nata and the lines are out the door, though it moves quick. The custard is served with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and I enjoyed a shot of bico which is a small espresso-like drink. These tarts are served in every bakery, and there is a bakery on nearly every block, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to find this place, even though the hype is tremendous. The tarts were great, but the ones down the street were just as good (if not better), cheaper, and had no line. Still there isn’t much to eat in the area, and many of Lisbon’s main attractions are near by, so if you’re in the mood to join the legions of tourists, Fodor’s in hand, then it’s a good spot.
http://www.pasteisdebelem.pt/

Salao Ramos
Pictured: Grilled Bream

That afternoon we were wandering around the Alfama district trying to get to the castle and hoping to find a spot to grab lunch on the way. Not sure how we got so turned around (granted most of the streets weren’t labeled on the maps we had) but we ended up in the Graca neighborhood (just north of Alfama). This neighborhood definitely did not cater to tourists. No English on any of the menus, and most of the service staff didn’t speak a word of English. Still we were excited to try a local spot, so we settled on Salao Ramos. It was a small place with a long bar and a very crowded back room filled with local families. The waiter came out with two menus, but wouldn’t hand them to us because he was worried we wouldn’t understand the Portuguese. We tried to assure him that we could navigate the menu, but he didn’t understand us and seemed intent on translating for us. After an awkward 20 seconds of him looking at the menus then back at us finally he looked up and said “Feesh?” To which of course we nodded. A minute later he came out with two douradas on a plate, one full fish and the other just a fillet. We pointed at the full fish and he rushed away. About ten minutes later he came back with two whole fish, grilled to perfection, served with a light salad and boiled potatoes similar to what we had the night before. I have to say dourada is one of my all time favorite fish (I grew up loving Turkish cupra which is a close relative) so I didn’t mind at all, though it would have been nice to try something else on the menu as well. Still we had a good laugh and had a terrific and very affordable meal. If you’re interested in getting off the beaten path to eat with locals, Graca is a great option since it is close to downtown and there seem to be very few tourists.

Pictured: Bacalao with eggs and hash browns

That night we wanted to see a Fado show but everyone recommended eating somewhere else because the food tends to be overpriced and low quality at the Fado bars. So we looked around Chiado for a place to get dinner but because it was a Sunday night, many of the restaurants were closed. We settled on a place (the name escapes me) that didn’t have a bunch of pictures of food out front and a menu that only had two languages on it (unlike some that had 4 or 5). The food was terrible. The bacalao scrambled eggs were extremely salty and the Portuguese beef dish was boiled and chewy. The restaurant was pretty full, but every table was speaking a different language, so I guess everyone suffered the same fate as us. I’m sure there are plenty of good restaurants open on Sundays, but in the future, I’ll come with a recommendation prepared just in case.

Confeitaria Nacional

Before we hopped on a train to Sintra, we stopped by Confeitaria Nacional for a breakfast of Portuguese pastries. We love bakeries and probably stopped by 4-5 different ones while we were in Lisbon, and this was by far our favorite. They had at least twice the selection of pastries as any other shop, and everything was fresh and delicious. The highlight was the bacalao croquettes though there really were no misses.
http://www.confeitarianacional.com/home.html

This way to a GNR


Tavera Trovadores
Pictured: Bacalao Espiritual

After an exhausting day walking around the picture-perfect mountains and forests of Sintra we were starving, but we really didn’t want to eat at the tourist traps all over downtown, so we stopped off in Sao Pedro. The town was totally dead but we did find a tavern right off the main square called Taverna Trovadores that was open at 3:30PM on a Monday afternoon. We were the only people in the restaurant, but I knew we had struck gold when the olives they served were impeccably crunchy and filled with cheese and garlic. The dishes seemed to be more country style which was a great contrast to the simple Mediterranean food we had enjoyed to that point. We had the balacao espiritual which is baked with a cheesy béchamel and a braised rabbit served with yellow rice. After a long day of walking these dishes really hit the spot.
http://www.taverna-trovadores.com/index.htm

La Boqueria

We were only in Barcelona for two days and we ended up at the Boqueria for breakfast both days. The variety and quality of the olives was incredible. The best olives I had were green olives from Jaen that popped when you bit into them. Beyond the olives, most of the fruits and vegetables were a little disappointing, though in fairness we were there in late November. Though the fruits juices they were selling for a euro were pretty good. The highlight of the market was the dozens of different butcher shops selling countless types of jamon. Though the premium stuff was pretty expensive, the quality was exceptional, definitely something you have try when you’re visiting Spain.

Paco Meralgo
Pictured: Pulpo Gallega

For lunch the first day we went to Paco Meralgo for tapas. The food was a little pricey, but everything was extremely well prepared. We found two seats at the bar right next to the kitchen so we could see the staff shuffling dishes back and forth at a frenzied pace. The meal started off with salty and pungent anchovies on crusty tomato bread with slightly charred edges. We could tell from how great that simple preparation was that the meal was going to be awesome. Other highlights included the delicately fried courgette flowers, the Gallician stewed octopus, and the smoked salmon Meralgo. The food was top quality across the board and definitely ranks as some of the most gourmet tapas I’ve had.
http://www.pacomeralgo.com/ing/home.html

L'Amfora
Pictured: Asparagus topped with Belotta Jamon

That night we were planning on heading to Fonda Gaig for dinner but when I was double checking the reservation with the concierge he insisted that we not go there and instead go to L’Amfora for authentic Catalan food. My initial reaction was that he was sending us to a friend’s restaurant, but I caved and we shifted course. It’s a cozy place, definitely off the beat tourist path, and our waiters spoke little English. Yet the menu had four languages so we were still a little skeptical, especially after getting burned so bad in Lisbon a couple nights earlier. We ordered both specials of the night. The first dish was roasted asparagus which was drenched in oil and topped with delicious, thinly sliced belotta jamon. The asparagus was nice and crunchy and full of flavor and matched exceptionally well with the salty ham. The other dish was a baked bacalao served with a heavy cream-based mushroom sauce. The cod was fluffy and flaky and the sauce, though very rich, was well balanced and melted into the fish. This was definitely Catalan comfort food. For dessert they made a strawberry dish very similar to bananas foster complete with the flaming show in the middle of the dining room. Not sure how this meal would’ve compare to Fonda Gaig, but we were definitely happy to have tried what seemed to us like traditional Catalan food.

Euskal Etxea

The next day we were walking around Barri Gothic and stopped by Euskal Etxea. This place was recommended on chowhound and it definitely lived up to its billing as the best pintxos place in Barcelona. Pintxos are small snacks, usually served cold though there were a couple warm ones, and each is served with a toothpick that is counted at the end of the meal to determine the bill. This place had probably 20-30 different types of which probably two-thirds were seafood. The dishes were pretty similar to one another so it’s hard to remember any stand outs, but everything was great.
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/ ... etxea.html

Cinc Sentits
Pictured: Pork Belly Sous Vide

Our final stop in Barcelona was Cinc Sentits. We did the sensacions which is the 8 course tasting. Note that reservations are only available 2 weeks in advance and they require a follow up call which was kind of tricky since we spent almost no time in our hotel. Nonetheless the meal really was top notch all around. The service was attentive and the meal was well paced, that is until it came time to get the bill which took forever. The first course was the well documented shot of maple syrup and cream that really woke up the taste buds. My favorite dishes of the meal were the broiled foie gras and the sous vide pork belly that had an impeccably browned skin. We also were encouraged to exchange one of our dishes for a scallop risotto topped with white truffles that were shaved at the table. I have to say that the truffle flavor was so mild that the dish was a disappointment, especially considering how incredibly expensive the exchange was. Still, for a molecular gastronomy fine dining restaurant, 8 courses for 65 euros (without exchanging for the truffle dish) is a pretty decent price. The place was full on a Wednesday night in late November, so clearly the word is out that this is some world-class food at a reasonable price.
http://www.cincsentits.com/en/

The interesting thing about this, is that we were at Cinc Sentis maybe 2 years ago, and had those same dishes. They were really good, but honestly, don't they change their dishes?

The last leg of our trip was to the Andalucian trifecta of Granada, Seville, and Cordoba.

Cafe Seville, Granada
pictured: Seafood Paella

We spent only a day in Granada. They are known for offering free tapa when you order a beer, but the places that offered that deal seemed to offer only a few, uninteresting tapa choices. I heard from other travelers that they had some good meals at the free tapa places, so maybe we just didn’t happen across one. After looking around a little we decided we wanted try one of the places on Calle Navas which is a street lined with tapas restaurants. I had read good things about Los Diamantes, but when we showed up around 8:15PM, it was shuttered closed. We went out shopping a little then came back around 9PM. It was so crowded we couldn’t even get in to order, so lesson learned I guess. We ended up at Café Seville which is known for their paella. The paella was crunchy, and the seafood was fresh, but it didn’t wow us in any way. It was the only paella we had on the trip, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it didn’t strike me as a significant step up from the paellas I’ve had at American tapas restaurants.

The next day we were in Seville. There are tapas restaurants all over the city. Lucky for us I discovered a google map that lists some of the best tapas restaurants in the city, and I have to say we liked the recommendations. It was fascinating that while there were a couple standard dishes, most tapas bars actually offered fairly unique menus. We got to enjoy a pretty wide range of Spanish cuisine in just two days. The dining scene in Seville was totally up our alley. The bars are full of people drinking and eating delicious small plates. We did a “tapas crawl” both nights we were there so we could try a lot of different stuff. It was a tremendous amount of fun, definitely a food lover’s dream..

Las Teresas

Las Teresas had the classic old-fashioned tapas bar/tavern look. Old man behind the bar with probably a dozen legs of pig hanging above his head, long counter with lots of seats and only a couple tables, and six or seven cold tapas laid out behind a sneeze guard next to the bar. Our favorite dish was the marinated squid, octopus, and carrots platter. It was drenched in oil, with a strong flavor of garlic and herbs.

Bodega Santa Cruz

Bodega Santa Cruz was by far the most popular restaurant we saw in Seville. For both lunch and dinner the crowds spilled into the street and blocked traffic. The energy in the place was incredible, but the food less so. The solomillo al whiskey was tough and the fried sardines were crispy but greasy. Still it was a fun place to hang out.

La Companario
pictured: Baked Eggplant

Down the street from Santa Cruz is a cafeteria-looking place called Companario. At first we were hesitant because it was nearly empty, but we liked the menu and we still had room for a couple more plates. Never judge a book by its cover, this place rocked. The gazpacho was smooth and tangy and the eggplant dish was covered in a bright tomato sauce and lots of cheese. This was probably the best price to quality ratio we enjoyed in Seville, and it’s right next to the Cathedral.

La Estrella
pictured: Baked Bacalao

La Estrella was a more modern looking tapas bar kind of hidden behind a couple winding roads. Very hip scene that matched well with the great food and delicious, crisp young white wine I enjoyed there. The best dish was the supremely flaky bacalao with a rich cream sauce, topped with a tomato sauce.

Laredo

Laredo was a more upscale tapas bar right off Plaza San Francisco. We ordered the cold seafood trio that included an impeccably fresh mixed seafood salad, mussels stuffed with rice and tomatoes, and oil drenched sardines. I don’t think the food was good enough to merit the higher price, but its location right on the plaza made for some great people watching.

Casa Robles
pictured: Blood Sausage Hash Browns

Casa Robles was the last tapas bar we ate at, and was clearly the highest quality. It had the feel of a special occasion tapas bar, and the food was top shelf. On the bar were laid out three kinds of wild mushrooms. We pointed at the big one and they served them to us sautéed in butterl. They had a unique, somewhat sour and woody flavor. We also enjoyed some fabulous menudo (the waitress warned us when we ordered it, but I assured her we knew what we were getting into). The best dish though was the blood pudding served with fried potatoes. The rich flavor of the blood pudding contrasted extremely well with the crispy, crunchy potatoes. Casa Robles is definitely the first place I’d go if I ever return to Seville.

Meson El Perol
pictured: Rabo de Toro (oxtail)

We spent an afternoon in Cordoba and looked around for a good place to eat for a while. Eventually we happened on a place with a lunch special offering a trio of Cordoban specialties. It was called Meson El Perol and it was a couple blocks from the Plaza de las Tendillas. The meal started with a crispy flamenquine which is a long fried tube of rolled ham and pork served with mayonnaise. Then they served a thick, creamy gazpacho they call salmorejo. The entrée was the rabo de toro which is a very tender braised oxtail. The restaurant has seating that fills up about half of Plaza Carrillos which was very pleasant on a nice sunny afternoon. There are probably some good spots in the tourist district surrounding the Mezquita, but we were happy to enjoy a meal with the locals outside of tourist-central.

La Camapana

We love bakeries, and by far our favorite in Andalucia was La Camapana which had a storefront in both Seville and Granada. They had a wide selection of sweet and savory foods including some unbelievable hazelnut filled meringues.
http://www.confiterialacampana.com/

turkob wrote:
Casa Robles
pictured: Blood Sausage Hash Browns

Casa Robles was the last tapas bar we ate at, and was clearly the highest quality. It had the feel of a special occasion tapas bar, and the food was top shelf. On the bar were laid out three kinds of wild mushrooms. We pointed at the big one and they served them to us sautéed in butterl. They had a unique, somewhat sour and woody flavor. We also enjoyed some fabulous menudo (the waitress warned us when we ordered it, but I assured her we knew what we were getting into). The best dish though was the blood pudding served with fried potatoes. The rich flavor of the blood pudding contrasted extremely well with the crispy, crunchy potatoes. Casa Robles is definitely the first place I’d go if I ever return to Seville.

Thanks for the detailed report and pics.

Casa Robles! They rocked out a destination wedding for clients of mine in my former life. This is the kind of place that the guidebooks categorize under tapas and the chefs categorize under "what we want to cook for your dinner." I appreciate how self-assured and creative many of the restaurants in Seville are; I found a stronger independent streak in the regional restaurants there than in Granada, Ronda, Jaen, Malaga, etc.

Lana and I are a week into a 17 day major anniversary/birthday celebratory trip in Spain. No numbers will be mentioned to protect our age. I have poured over all of the LTH posts and as usual you have been incredibly helpful. All of my pictures were taken on an iPhone and I'm posting this on an iPad so I will not include any pics. Many would be redundant in any case because I've taken so many of your suggestions.

After flying into Madrid we rented a car and spent 1 night in Toledo. This well preserved walled city is stunningly beautiful and well worth a visit. We stayed in the heart of old town at Sercotel San Juan de los Reyes. it was very nice and inexpensive. Our 1 dinner at Placido was uneventful. The regional specialty is partridge toledeano, which is stewed and served with its sauce. It was a bit like coq au vin but with a stronger game flavor. It was good but nothing special. Lana had a nice roasted lamb. Dessert was flan but again it was ok.

We then drove to Granada for 2 nights at the Alhambra Palace which was moderately priced and nice. It was a 10 minute walk uphill to the Alhambra and a 10 minute walk downhill to the old town. If I had to do over I would stay in the old town. We had our 1st great taste of the incredible Spanish seafood everyone has been talking about at Los Diamentes. It's small and crowded but worth the wait for the freshest seafood simply cooked. We had clams, shrimp, baby squid, razor clams, and a varied platter of seafood fried so perfectly I think they brought Bubba over from the deep south! After grazing for lunch we had dinner our 2nd night at Puerta del Carmen. We started with a variety of local sausages and jamon including of course that incredible bellota, and a few cheeses. We then had couple seafood dishes including grilled octopus and something else I can't remember but they were very good. On to Barcelona.