Paco

My apologies Victor, I will try to write about a good dining experience when reviewed in your magazine. I have recomended restaurants to other egulleters that have become my favorites after reading your reviews. In any case, what a shame to have an award-wining tapa only to serve it in such a way!

I would like to express my uneven experience when trying restaurants after reading a review. I admit I am a great fan of "Metropoli", the entertainment magazine from "El Mundo". I have been following their recomendations for a very long time, and have discovered great restaurants that I would probably never would have tried otherwise. But, sometimes I have been dissapointed, which doesn´t mean I will stop buying the magazine or trying their feautured restaurants. This Friday I tried one of the tapas bars featured, Puerto Viejo de Algorta on Reina Mercedes 25. All of the hot pintxos were already cooked and on display, so if you ordered the campeon (chistorra with egg and fries, that apparently won a prize for its creator, Martin Berasategui) they will put it on the microwave. The same occured when other people ordered hake with praws breaded. The hake looked and tasted frozen and was quite dry. I was quite surprised to see they used the microwave to re-heat the pintxos. The quality therefore for me and my friends was just average. I believe this is not uncommon, but it did surprise me it got a good review... Any thoughts?

Thanks Pablo, I tried Sudestada shortly after it opened, quite nice, but I was still missing something (maybe it´s me). I have had decent, no short off spices in Oam Thong. I think Sudestada will open a newer and bigger place soon, not too far from Diverxo I believe... I will try to go back to Sudestada!

It is a very interesting place, I tried it a few weeks after it opened, overall very good, I believe you better be a bit adventurous with mixed flavours (I am not the best example of that). Since my wife is asian we managed to talk to the waiter and David let her go into the kitchen, she was surprised to see a small place with just 1 or 2 people!. I still miss having stronger spices on my dish in any Madrid restaurant, I guess bit by bit the Spanish public is getting used to spices, but it is going to take a long time to reach the level of other European/North American cities. I still remember the spanish omellette dimsum or something like that, memorable!

I just ate there a week ago with my wife. The appetizer given for free is a sample of his classic shrimp skewer with the "house sauce". Excellent. We ordered berberechos, with a touch of olive oil and lemon. Fabulous, huge pieces, extremely fresh, no sand, and cooked to perfection. Our second starter was "fake lasagna of txangurro", which was basically a very thin crepe filled with a good amount of txangurro and a sauce on top. Superb. A little dissapointment came when ordering our main dish. We heard that steak tartare and solomillo are two classics from the menu, so I asked about them. The waiter said that that day he wouldn´t recomend neither of them. He told us to order "chuleton" instead. We did and it was good, but just not as good as it can be in Asador Pelotari or Julian de Tolosa. The taste not as good and a bit taugher than in these 2 places, but still good. I thought it was original that they served it with a baked potato and gravy sauce on the side. 2 desserts and a bottle of Campillo reserva 98 and mineral water came to 116 euros. Overall highly recommended.

Thank you very much replies Eric and Tonalin. Unfortunately I had to cancel my trip, but will keep all the info for a further visit, perhaps begining of next year. El Molín de la Pedrera and Los Arcos sound just like what I am looking for... Too bad I won´t see the Parador de Cangas, had such a good offer for this 5 star place... Paco

I just returned from a 1 night trip to Cordoba, and ate at El Churrasco for dinner. Being one of the best in Cordoba, it is a relatively casual place. We odered fried berenjenas with salmorejo (aubergines with a thick-like gazpacho on the side to pour over them). This is a very typical dish in Cordoba and here it is very good. I wanted to try them fried with honey, previously dipped in milk, but they didn´t make them this way here, maybe next time. Another starter was "white gazpacho" made with pine-nuts (piñones). smooth taste, but almost too suttle. Our third starter was fried clams with different types of wild mushrooms, quite good. Very nice bread to dip in the sauce. The month of November many restaurants in Cordoba are having mushrooms on their menus. Main courses: lomo de buey - very tasty, slightly taugh, perfectly cooked (not always like this in many restaurants). The only bad thing is that the plate was quite cold, so the meat cooled off right away (and I always have to make an effort to eat slowly). My wife ordered solomillo con salsa de albahaca (filet mignon with basil sauce). I try to avoid sauces with good meat, but she ordered it anyway. As I suspected, the basil sauce has almost no taste, but the meat was cooked exactly as she ordered, but the plate was also cold. Desserts: I ordered leche frita - how to translate this...maybe someone can describe it better, but it´s like a fried dow, soft and creamy in the inside and a bit harder on the outside. Ask them to "flambearla" with some special liquor they have, or they will bring it cold. This is their most famous dessert and it was very good. Price for 2 with a botle of Campillo 99 Crianza (could be a reserva a year ago) and 2 botlles of water: 97 euros. The wine list is very good and I found quite reasonable in price. Good luck with your trip!

Miguel and everyone, Thank you very much for your help, I really mean it! I am afraid I will need 2 more days to enjoy all these great recommendations! You are probably right about not going too wrong about eating in Portugal, almost all my experiences have been truly good, honest and of good quality (XL and mercado do peixe in Lisbon and Cafe Imperial in Tavira - 4 hours savoring an "arroz caldoso con marisco" and a high rise tower with views in Albufeira) still bring back great memories. I looked at the map, and the drive down from Bayona (Pontevedra) to Porto may include a stop for a lobster in La Guardia. This is probably the most famous place in Spain for it. They even have their own lobster festival, I think in June or July. A local person has recommended me 2 places near Bayona, O muiño de Sabaris and Pazo de Mendoza, will let you know if I try either one. Not too sure about lamprea, the area is one of the best for preparing it, but the idea of eating it cooked in its own blood.... I don´t know, and then I love morcilla and most of the pork derivatives, I guess it has to do with the snake-form it has... Thanks again, Paco

Hi, I will be 2 days in Baiona (Galicia) and then drive down to Oporto for another 2 days. I did a search on the forum for Oporto and only came up with the following restaurants: Solar do Porto - good sampling of Port wines Capa Negra - great Steak, ham, sausage, cheese, gravy sandwich... I have found many places in Baiona and Tuy (excellent lobster and crab, specially at this time of the year, and incredibly cheap), but haven´t been succesful on Oporto. Any suggestions? I heard seaffod is quite good here. Moderate prices are greatly appreciated. Someone in the forum has recomended a trip to Aveiro for seafood. I booked at a great price at Infante de Sagres Hotel, has anybody been there? Thanks, Paco

I will be going to the Cangas de Onis Parador on the second week of December, and I wonder if someone could recomend some restaurants in the area. I don´t mind driving since I am going to visit the area anyway. I´ve read about the asturian culinary revolution with "El comedor del Indianu" and others, but I am more interested in the traditional and hearty food, based more on the quality of the product, and if posible not expensive. I heard Villaviciosa (Tazones) is a good place for seafood and fish on the coast, but I believe there should be many mouthwatering places! Thank you! Paco

No problem Pedro, We would recommend Korea, on C/ Cristobal Bordiu 59 tef. 91 554 2034, towards the end of the street, near the Ministry. Recommended dishes: Bulgoki, Kalbi and bibimbab (done on a hot clay pot in front of you). Yu-Ke -Yang (spicy beef soup), Chae (noodle made of sweet potato mixed with vegetable and beef) All these are very authentic yet not "strange". I say this because some korean dishes can be really spicy and have a strong smell. Side dishes: Tofu dish, vegetable tempura (excellent and different from Japanese tempura), kimchi (if you dare the small and hotness). In Kprea you order a main dish and it comes with many "free of charge" side dishes, but in Spain each one is priced individually. Korea (the country) does not have the "dessert culture" we can see in Spain, so in this restaurant fruit is probably the best thing. I haven´t tried the restaurant, but my wife has, quite a few times, and it beats other better known restaurants such as: Hangan, Kaya, etc. I hope this will help a bit, Paco

My wife is korean, and we found that in c/ General Margallo, between Bravo Murillo and Orense, Tetuan subway stop, you have 3-5 chinese stores, some selling all kind of asian spices... even la tank with ive fish.... Actually very very close to China Crown. I think Sake is a great chinese and asian restaurant. The 3-dish duck there is great. Another very good and out of the ordinary asian restaurant is Mekong, on Velazquez street, but a bit more expensive. Paco

Thank you very much DaleJ, I just found out that the neighbourhood of Testaccio is quite popular for good and cheap food. Any recommendation for a more special night? (But still affordable?) Thanks

Hi, Very good friends of mine will be spending 3 nights in Rome in mid June and would like to know which are the best and cheapest italian restaurants in Rome (15- 30 euros per person). I tried a search on this topic but wasn´t very succesful... Thank you! Paco

Probably the best meal I ever had in Vizcaya was in the restaurant Eneperi in Bakio, about 25 min drive from Bilbao. http://www.euskalnet.net/eneperi/ Meal for 3 with wine desserts and starter was 150 euros, but an incredible value. The place was highly recommended by a work colleague of mine who lives in Bilbao but is working in Madrid, and asked me to go there. It was a memorable meal, with a full restaurant. Lobster salad and filet mignon with foie were superb, as well as the ham and the grilled srhimps for starters. It is mainly based on high quality product but has some elaborate touches too. And the place is interesting. Very family oriented, has a terrace with bbq´s where I believe they serve more affordable things. It is overlooking an old church on an island. But you should go for the food. Paco

An American friend of mine and four of his kids will be in Seville and costa del sol areain Easter. I have family in Seville and they told me the place that has been delivering outstanding produce and quality in Seville is "La Isla", with superb fish and seafood, but also good meat. I guess it not very innovative, but it should be good. In Ronda, how does Albacara compare to Tragabuches? My friend is probably not the best gourmet, so I have booked a table in Albacara with great views, but I can still change it to Tragabuches if anyone thinks it´s worth it. In Marbella I booked La Meridiana; Does anyone know it? Some friends have recommended it.

In the 2004 Campsa guide, just before all the cities are listed, there is a 2 page broken map of Spain with the soles on it. I believe it also displays the cities in which the sol-restaurants are. Maybe this can help plan a driving tour (It doesn´t give the name of the restaurant though). Also I think it only displays main roads, so you have to go to the city to check the restaurant, then to the partial map to see how to get there.

Maybe you can find something under the topic: Barcelona Best Restaurants and Places to Stay

I use the campsa guide. In general, I find it useful, but in my experience it has failed to me sometimes. I just came back from Gran Canaria, and ate at Acaymo in Mogan, gave us both heartburn for 48 hours. We also tried Anthurium II on the 23rd floor of AC Hotel in Las Palmas, and it was ok, still not sure if it holds 2 suns as the Anthurium I does. Filet mignon with sesame oil was overcooked. Service was so so. Nice views, although the restaurant is not revolving as it once was. It mentioned Canton as the best chinese restaurant on the island, (for me, just slightly above an average madrid chinese place) but misses the very authentic korean restaurants in the capital due to the port and the large korean community living there. Of course Gran Canaria might not be the most exciting gastronomic spanish region right now, but my point is I cannot trust it 100%. In Madrid, and I guess it must be hard to reflect every good restaurant in an accurate way, it does miss some very good restaurants that have survived many years in the city but inmediately names the newest more trendy places that should focus more on food. I wish they were also a bit more accurate with the price range, (or at least give a price range, not just a specific figure). Oh well, I guess it´s so easy to critizice...! Is Lo mejor de la gastronomia online?

I believe a classic place in Barcelona for catalan food is "7 Portes" in Plaza de Isabel II, in the neighbourhood of La Barceloneta. Shouldn´t be more than 25 euros per person, but it gets full quickly and I´m not sure if they take reservations, so maybe you need to be there early. It has very nice and cousy decoration and has been around for a long time.

Great Article! I totally agree with you. Alfredo´s BBQ has the best burgers. The meat just tastes soooooo good. I go there often. Foster´s Holliwood is a second option, but as a chain, quality varies from joint to joint. TGI Friday´s is good but a bit pricey. Anothe place is Woody´s Diner, on Arturo Soria 66, 91 368 14 11, american-texmex, quite authentic diner decoration, but have to admit I haven´t been there in a long time. By the way, does anyone know where they serve the best brunch in Madrid? I am not an expert, but tasted eggs benedict with salmon in Isabella´s in NY and it was a lifetime experience. Where is Brooklyn USA? I tried Asia Society, but as all asian restaurants in madrid, lacks some authenticity in terms of lack of spices and spiciness.

I think good Iberico Ham or Jabugo is a different world. I have taken my foreign friends to a store on C/ Arenal, walking from Puerta del Sol towards Arenal, about 15 meters once the street starts, on the right hand side. They cut it very well, and will pack any quantity air-tight. The best thing is to always try it, and if you like it, ask them to cut it for you and make it airtight. Another famous place is the gourmet area of El Corte Ingles. I was caught in us customs once and they took it away (it was air-tight). It killed me...

About La Trainera: I have been there maybe 3 times. I tried salpicon de marisco, which was very good, and grilled gambas and boiled langostinos, of amazing quality and very fresh. I have also tried grilled fish at was also outstanding. The thing with the place, and many people complain, is that prices are high, but the tables are wooden, no tablecloths (as I recall), and it has many hidden areas in the restaurant, the place is huge, many businessmen with clients (it is in the heart of the upscale barrio de salamanca). There is a brother-restaurant called "Los Remos", on the N-VI dir. Villalba on the right hand side of the highway about 10 km from Madrid, more elegant, with table cloths and much smaller. Nice terrace in the summer. Haven´t been there in a long time though. The thing with La Trainera is that the 3 times I ate there, the seafood was of the same excellent quality. I like Rianxo, although the one in c/ Raimundo Fernandez Villaverde does get noisy. Just for curiosity, has anyone been to a cheap seafood place called Ribeira do Miño? It is in chueca neighbourhood, and gets crowded. I was there once, noisy, kind of dirty looking place, but amazing prices for a reasonable quality. Do not expect service or an great quality, but maybe someone has tried it and can share it too. Warning: This is in a completely different league from Combarro, Trainera, etc, but maybe worth a visit for a cheap seafood feast.

Bux and Vmilor, I agree 100% with both of you. I have been buying the campsa guide for the past 4 years; It is good to get an idea, but I´ve had some disspaointments. I have found they do mention periodically the new restaurants that become "fashionable": many upscale and trendy people go there (in Madrid the snobish crowd moves like a current from one place to the other so you always see the same people at the sames places at the same hour). But many times the food is not that great, and regarding ethnic restaurants they also fail. It would be nice to have a professional, independent guide to measure everything related to a restaurant (not just 3 or 4 lines), but then of course many restaurants seek recognition with these guides and up the prices so in the end the guide is not helping us consumers after all. And the good wines in Spain are very reasonably priced in the wine stores. So it is good to have egullet in our hands and enjoy it. Paco. PS: I have a dinner this saturday night and was thinking to try NODO. Has anyone tried it? (I think I would probably choose another place, but so many people told me about it, and I don´t want to spend more than 30 euros per person). Pedro, within this price range or maybe a bit more, which one of the tapas places would be the best? Maybe I can go there instead. It is a meeting of korean / spanish couples and I only know one of the 3 couples coming. Thanks

Wmilor, Thanks for the clarification. I never thought that dining in the US was so expensive, so you are right about Combarro. Galician seafood is outstanding. Have you ever tried the private dining rooms at Combarro? I know there are some in the location of Jose Ortega y Gasset. The service is very good and the dining room we ate was simply beautiful. Has anyone tried La Trainera or Riantxo?