raymondsnead

Thanks, carpetbagger, for the Memphis recommendations. I always check the forums first when visiting a city new to me. I recently found myself in Memphis for 36 hours, and planned to hit as many classic BBQ places as possible. My sights were on the "temples": A&R, Neely's, Cozy Corner, and Corky's. A warning to Memphis BBQ seekers: I was surprised to find that these places seem to close at night. This was true of Cozy and Neely's anyway, so we gave up and went to Beale St. It was a Wednesday, Motorcycle Night, and jamming, and we ended up at Blues City Cafe (randomly, based only on appearances; I had forgotten about carpetbagger's rec), and indeed had what were undoubtedly the best ribs of the trip. I managed to get to A&R, Neely's, and Jim Neely's Interstate, which was strongly recommended by a taxi driver. All incredible, A&R perhaps the best overall, but Jim Neely had the finest chopped pork, hands down. As a side note, are the beef tamales with chili or barbeque sauce a Memphis-only thing? I had to try them, of course, at Blues City (with chili) .... odd, but very interesting.

Thanks again to all for the recommendations. Unfortunately we missed Segovia due to a missed conenction, but did spend two days in Toledo. Adolfo and Casa Aurelio were closed for vacation, so the dinners were at La Abadia and Hostel del Cardenal, where we stayed. La Abadia was very lively with a good beer list and lots of local energy. We started out upstairs with tapas and later migrated to the dining room downstairs. The dinner was fine, with bottle of very good Ribera, but atmosphere was king; I was left with a vague thought that I might have been happier staying upstairs with the tapas and cañas. I was surprised and a little disappointed to find that the Hostel del Cardenal restaurant is run by the people behind Botín, having just eaten there in Madrid. Here we chose the regional classics: Perdiz a la Toledana, which seemed a bit dry and gamy, though perhaps quite typico, and the asados. At both places at least one of our party had cochinillo asado and cordero asado, and I would have to give the nod to Botín in both cases. As a side note, Botín is certainly overhyped but we still went there for sentimental reasons (a memorable dinner as a backpacker thirty years ago). Surprise: the roasted chicken there was just fantastic, better than either cochinillo or cordero, and one of the very best simple dishes of the entire trip.

As part of my visit to Madrid I'm planning a couple of days in Toledo and a day in Segovia. Any recommendations for the best places to go? La Abadia in Toledo has been recommended to me as a good value and más tipico. Anyone know it? I know of Mesón de Cándido in Segovia, but worry that it might be too touristic.

Wow, vserna, this is most welcome and very timely, considering that I will be in Madrid 14-25 August! Are many of these places likely to be open at that time? If you don't feel that the subject has been covered elsewhere, I'd love to have your thoughts about my 'summer in Madrid' posting: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=105086.

Many thanks to everyone for the recommendations thus far. Pablo Carrion, I really appreciate the specific recommendations - this is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks Rogelio, I now have a reservation at Viridiana, which is comforting. I know that there is great food to be had any month in Madrid, but it's a big city and these recommendations do help.

I will be in Spain for three weeks in August. The trip will begin with a few days in San Sebastián during Semana Grande, followed by a leisurely drive through Rioja and Ribera to Madrid, then almost two weeks in Madrid in high summer. My experiences in Madrid are limited to a memorable month there in 1977. Other than an interesting trip to Botín, I only remember excellent but random tapas places around the Plaza Major. I'm quite familiar with dining in San Sebastián and Barcelona. This is a casual trip, and I'm not looking for a steady diet of Arzak, Mugaritz, and Can Roca-style experiences, though certainly I'd like to have at least one blow out. More interesting to me are suggestions about where to go for tapas (I understand that Cava Baja is hot), and recommendations for moderate 'de producto' and traditional places. Less well-known restaurants, perhaps similar in spirit to Hisop or Cinc Sentits, would also be of great interest. Madrid is said to empty out in August. How pervasive are the closures, and how much will this affect my choices? We also plan to spend a few days around Toledo, and I would be very interested to hear any recommendations about the best places for the traditional lamb and suckling pig dishes.

I've had several of the best meals of my life at Arzak, and can't recommend it highly enough. It is quite informal, and Juan Mari and Elena are always very gracious. Excellent wine list and service, just an amazing selection of fairly priced Riojas and Riberas, with many producers and vintages rarely seen in the US. As for pintxos, you will do just fine by wandering the Parte Viejo and winging it. The locals can guide you to just the place where a particular item is a specialty, but you hardly can go wrong here!

BryanZ, you are in an enviable situation. I'll second Jamonisimo, Hisop, and Can Roca. The Boqueria certainly, you've got to at least see Las Ramblas anyway. I too had a great experience at Cinc Sentits. The setting may be more "international" than Spanish, but the cusine is outstanding and the hospitality delightful. It is easy to get caught up in tasting menus and wine parings, but don't miss the opportunity to drink outstanding Spanish wines at relatively low prices, certainly compared to France!