Nina

Monday, July 16, 2007
Dinner with Lowell

I came across Nina in Lonely Planet Spain as a 'hot' restaurant in the Malasaña neighborhood in Madrid. The reviews were positive and pretty accurate in describing it as New York loft-like.

We had a drink around the corner at La Comercial on the corner of the plaza by the Bilbao metro station first. Malasaña is a really nice neighborhood and the most liveable place that we saw in Madrid. A lot of cute restaurants, bars and shops with tree-lined, cobblestone streets off the main roads.

Nina was empty around 9pm, but quickly filled up with a young-ish crowd. We had a bottle of Rioja, and started with an avocado and palm hearts puff pastry and a grilled foie gras. For dinner, I had a very good duck with an orange, sea urchin sauce. Lowell had a very small lamb, and we shared a coconut milk dessert.

While I liked Nina for its atmosphere and interesting dishes, as Lowell put it, they "are trying too hard to be too fusion... one too many flavors in every dish." While the dishes are good, there is a little too much going on some times. Worth it though, €70 total for the both of us with a bottle of wine, starters and entres.

Calle de Manuela Malasaña, 10, 28004 Madrid, Spain
91-591-0046

Pasiones Argentinas

Saturday, July 14, 2007
Late lunch with Lowell

Lowell and I got to Madrid late in the afternoon and being absolutely famished (ok I was) stopped at the first place we saw by our hotel. Pasiones Argentinas was amazing.

We ordered the €30 set menu which included bread, salad, empanada, and fried cheese for starters. Then came the amazing platter of MEAT. I mean just enormous with juicy filets, ribs, sirloin pieces and other pieces, plus great chimichurri sauce. The set also included a bottle of wine for the two of us and a dessert (I had tea instead).

It was a lot of food, we ended up skipping dinner that night. Pasiones Argentinas was a great meal and great deal (even though it really isn't Spanish).

Closest metro is Plaza de España

Calle Leganitos, 28, 28013 Madrid, Spain
91-542-68-91

Amaya

Friday, July 13, 2007
Dinner

La Rambla 20-24, Barcelona, Spain
93-318-50-85

La Fonda

Thursday, July 12
Dinner

Calle Escudellers, 10, Barcelona, Spain
0034-93-301-7515

Biblioteca

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Dinner

Biblioteca was a great find in Barcelona--upscale yet cozy with amazing food. A short walk off of La Rambla, the restaurant is very simply decorated with all sorts of culinary literature on white walls and low light. It is a bit cavernous and loud, especially for larger tables, but still comfortable.

They brought us a small watermelon gazpacho to start, really interesting and refreshing. I had a grilled vegetable appetizer and an excellent classic steak tartare. Lowell's tomato soup with fried olives and venison pastry with potato puree were both good, though I think Charles' slow-cooked lamb shank was my favorite. Meat just fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. Good buffalo mozzarella salad too.

*Biblioteca is open Tuesday-Saturday
*A review

C/Junta de Comerç 28, Barcelona, Spain
93-412-62-21

El Giraldillo

Sunday, July 1, 2007
Dinner with Lowell

El Giraldillo has the prime real estate on Plaza del Triunfo facing Sevilla's beautiful Catedral. It seems totally touristy (and is) but it was worth splurging one night for a romantic last dinner in Andalucia.

The menu is traditional Andalucian, and they have English also. We had a huge selection of Iberian ham for starters and vino de la casa. My sole was ok, but Lowell didn't stop talking about his shoulder of lamb for the rest of the trip--I think it was his favorite dish of the trip.

El Giraldillo is pricey, was about €100 and we discovered on the bill that they up the prices when you sit outside. But it was a beautiful night and we dallied at our table as long as we could.

Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, 2, Barrio de Santa Cruz, Sevilla, Spain 41004
+34-95-421-45-25

Bodega Santa Cruz

Saturday, June 30, 2007
Pre-dinner with Lowell

Bodega Santa Cruz is a minute walk from Plaza del Truinfo where the Sevilla Catedral and Alcazar are located. There are a handful of small bar tables on their porch and an old wooden bar the length of the inside where several bartenders/waiters serve drinks and run tapas from the kitchen window behind them. I also love that they keep your tab with a list in chalk on the bar in front of you.

We started with little sandwiches, a chorizo and an anchovy y queso. When we went to the bar, we met a friendly couple from Valencia who recommended a tortilla de camaron and a flamenquito (sp?) which were both excellent. We also ordered drinks per their recs and loved the tinto del verano, which was something like cold red wine with lemon squirt. Good summer drink (and later discovered unique to southern Spain).

Fun for a few tapas and drinks (we had a light dinner after this), and pretty cheap with the tapas roughly €2 and beers a little less.

Calle Mateos Gago, Sevilla, Spain
954-21-32-46