Rogelio

Jack, I'd go for something that you can't find in the states. If you're in Sevilla try to find oll sherry wines on it's different styles, Oloroso, Palo Cortado, Amontillado and Pedro Ximenez. The VORS series by Domecq: Sibarita, Capucino, 51-1ª and Venerable are about 50€ each, and are a very good option.

Indeed, it was Torta de la Serena cheese.

Madrid shop is in the corner between Juan Bravo and Lagasca.

My take is that spanish high end gastronomy is between the borders being El Bulli and Etxebarri the two extremes. El Bulli on the ultra creative and technical side and Etxebarri on the simplest (though sofisticated) product driven side. And you made both on 24 hours

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=101477

Spanish restaurants are usually children friendly, and in Valencia this is more obvious on the paella specialized ones. The best paellas in Valencia city are found on Casa Roberto, but there are lots of popular places in La Malvarrosa beach area.

Can Roca in Girona or Can Fabes in Sant Celoni are the best options between both cities. Then there is Hotel Ampurdán in Figueras, or Hispania in Arenys de mar and for a snail splurge Can Barris, near the airport.

The two best restaurants in Madrid nowadays are: La Broche and Santceloni. But if you take a look you can find reviews and discussions of these favourite restaurants: Sacha, Kabuki, Viridiana, Antojo, Coque, Aldaba, Combarro... Also, acording to El Mundo's food critic Fernando Point Madrid leads the product based cuisinne being the best examples: Casa d’a Troya (gallician), La Tasquita de Enfrente (modern), Lavinia (modern brasserie ), Dantxari (eclectic basque), Asador Imanol (roasted meats and more), O’ Pazo (fish and seafood), Támara-Casa Lorenzo (castillian), Aldaba (moderno navarrian), Nicolás (market food), Arce (basque, game, mushroom, and offal), Sacha (modern gallician), Samm (paella rices), El Oso (Asturian).

Acording to the web site it will be realeased next summer.

Acording to this article (in spanish) Ratatouille, Disney's next movie is about a rat cooking in Paris and Ferrán Adrià, Jamie Oliver, Gualtiero Marchesi, Guy Savoy and Cyril Lignac... Are playing their voices on different characters on the film. It seems to be the history of a rat who wants to be a chef in one the Paris gastronomic temples. Sounds fun.

The rice is dry, almost crunchy and with all the flavour of the stock where it has been cooked.

Standard spanish prices, but not a remarkable wine list.

We, the spaniards pronouce it pa-el-ya. ← Really? In my Spanish class we were taught that two ll's together is a different letter (eyye), and that the word would be pronounced "pa-EY-ya". No sound of an L, anywhere in the word. Did my teacher lie to me, or give me a Mexican spin on the language? Pronunciation or no, those are gorgeous photos and a wonderful tutorial. ← I think you're right Smithy, my fonetical english is not that good.

A large pan and a gas stove can work as a start. But it will have to be for very few people, no more than two. I buy them already clean at the valencian markets, though I have to boil them and leave in water for a whole night before adding them to the paella, so the best thing you can do is adding a rosemary branch. The Larousse turns gastric, not gastronomic, when talking about spanish food so don't trust it. The Moro recipes are fine but innovative, ahead from the tradition. Safrron is essential on every paella, being a seafood one, vegetables one, meat one or a mixed one.

Paella pans are usually made of steel. Nowadays they do them with a teflon cover but I don't like them.

We, the spaniards pronouce it pa-el-ya.

Yes, 4x if you're using bomba or Vialone nano rice. 2'5x if you're using the other rices. And yes, you start with about 6-8x.

Ok, let's start with the principles: - A paella is a pan; the catalonian name for pan is paella. So the proper name of the dish should be rice on paella. - A paella is also a culinary technique mixing rice fields and orchards, so it changes if we are in the mountain or by the sea. - A Paella Valenciana is the proper and original dish, but this said there is not a single paella valenciana but thousands. - A rice cooked in paella is a tricky dish as the rice needs to be dried out during the cooking process without stirring at all. Otherwise the rice will turn sticky. - The thinner the rice layer the better as all the grains will be cooked at the same time. So we will need a large pan even for just two eaters. - The rice should be a round grain rice from the japonica variety, being Senia, Bomba, Bahía and Vialone Nano the best options for a paella dried rice as these rices contains a high amilose level taking all the substance from the stock where they have been cooked. - Bomba rice is like a life saver, it needs four times more water than rice to be cooked but it has a wider cooking point. - The paella should be cooked over a wood fire as this brings the best chances to increase or decrease the fire in order to evaporate the whole stock where the rice is being cooked and also add the smoke flavours which are as important as the saffron. If wood fire is not available gas is the only option, vitro or electric stoves doesn't work for paella. As neither does an oven work because the stock needs to evaporate from the bottom leaving a burnt thin crust formed on the bottom of the paella. - There are two main paella styles: a) Valencian way: Adding the rice once the stock is done. b) Alicante’s way: Adding the rice from the first moment. With all these premises, here’s my mother in law (My wife is from Castellón, 50 miles away from Valencia) recipe for paella valenciana: Add olive oil in the paella, just enough to cover the bottom. And a bit of salt. Once the oil has been warmed up add the rabbit and the chicken, previously chopped, with it’s livers and let it slowly braise on the paella. About 15 minutes later she adds the "ferraura", a type of green beans that is only used for the paella. It is necessary to stir it well as otherwise the rice softens. Like ten minutes after "ferraúra", she adds the "garrofó", a variety of white and squashed string bean that must appear in a proper paella if it wants to deserve the name of valenciana. A few minutes later she adds natural and chopped tomato adding salt and a bit of sugar. Five minutes later, water enough to cover the whole paella borders. This is the moment to add a generous dose of "xonetas", a particularly aromatic variety of the snail called "vaqueta", wild snails feed with rosemary. (if you can't find sanils use a rosemary branch). When the water starts boiling is the time to add the previously burned saffron. Now it’s time to let the water evaporate slowly until the water level reaches the measured point. This is twice the volume of the rice (If it is bomba it should be four times). That’s when she adds carefully the rice all over the paella and increases the fire heat and waits until all the stock is evaporated, this should take no more than 18-20 minutes. Now she covers the paella with a large paper and let it rest for a few minutes and serve the whole paella in the table centre so that it will be reached easily by all of us. So in this paella the stock is done in the paella itself. If we were talking about a seafood paella, this will be called arroz a banda and we should have made a fish stock first. Rice with rabbit and snails at casa Paco in Pinoso cooked over vine branches. ETA pictures.

There are some top-notch restaurants like Combarro or Goizeko Wellington in Madrid advising that they're serving frozen fish on the risky (ie rarely cooked) dishes like marinated fishes and tartares. On the other preparations seafood is being served as fresh as always.

Tudela and Laguardia are in two wine regions, Navarra and Rioja. You could also add Maher in Cintruénigo, also in the Navarrian wine region.

No, you can sample his products in Madrid where he has another shop, but the only place to find them in Valencia or Alicante is in his Elda shop. Bonbons are good but the absolutely must is the chocolate panettone. Sadly it only last a few days once is opened. You can also buy his products on his website

I guess that you will be driving on the motorway through Lérida/Lleida, Zaragoza, Tudela, Logroño, Durango and Bilbao. If that's your route, El 33 in Tudela de Ebro could fit. In Laguardia, near Logroño is Posada Mayor de Migueloa and las Duelas in Haro or Echaurren in Ezcaray. Closer to Bilbao is Etxebarri in beautiful Atxonodo valley with a lovely hotel closer to it. Try to do a search of all this places here on eGullet.

There is now a big creative pintxo/ tapas revolution in Pamplona with places like Bar Melbourne, Bar Gaucho, Baserri in San Nicolás St. If red meat is your thing go to Asador Epeleta, in Lekunberri, for one of the best charcoal grilled rumpsteak on the bone. Ah, and for one of the best tortillas, Kasino in Lesaka, but you have to order it in advance when making the reservation.

The renovations havent finished yet, but the market is working as always. The best time to visit it is in the mornings, the earlier the better. El Cabanyal is within 5 minutes walking distance with Casa Montaña.

If you have a car: ELS TINARS Ctra. de St. Feliu, km 7,2 - 17240 Llagostera GIRONA (SPAIN) Tel. 972 830 626 For the seafood. Can Quel. Foixà (Girona). c/ La Vila, 3. Tel: 972 76 90 64. For the snaills La Xicra. Palafrugell (Girona). C/ Estret 17. Tel: 972 30 56 30. For the catalan traditions. All this three are worth the trip for traditional food with great product. If you're looking for fireworks, and have a car: Miramar in Llançá is runned by some ex-El Bullis.