butterfly

I think that's the artificial sweeteners, I remember seeing similar warnings on some sugar free gums and sweets. Or does the honey make things runny?! (sorry) ← Yes, this is the sugar-free version--it's sweetened with artificial sweeteners, not honey. A lot of turrón (and chocolate) companies put out sugar-free versions. The gold label that the importer put on it is not correct.

Unearthing this ancient thread... Does anyone know if Woody's Diner is still in business? I seem to remember that there was a fire a few years back... did it go to diner heaven? Also, there's another diner-style burger place that opened up in Malasaña (metro Tribunal). I wasn't terribly impressed, but then burgers aren't really my thing. The decor, however, is clever, creating the illusion of a diner from a matchbox space on the first floor of an apartment building: Home Burger Bar Calle del Espíritu Santo 12 Teléfono: +34 915 229 728 www.homeburgerbar.com

It's a specific kind of pepper, with a very particular flavor. If you are trying to reproduce a Spanish dish, you are better off trying to get your hands on some imported ones that are already dried (ñoras will work, too).

P.S. LuisHorta--you must mean jamón ibérico (de bellota). Jamón serrano is to jamón ibérico as chicken livers are to fois gras... Don't get me wrong, I like jamón serrano (and chicken livers) but the two products represent entirely different levels of quality (from the breed, care, environment, feeding to the production process). You have to see the lives of the Iberian "bellota" pigs and the way these hams are produced to believe it. Or maybe not... maybe you just have to taste them.

Agreed, being able to try three of the best at one sitting is a coup and worth the price, in my opinion. Do you know which Extremeño ham they use for the sampling? (We're working our way through a formidable one that we got in Montánchez.) And I like how you upped my 100 grams to 150... and here I was trying to show a little restraint (not easy when it comes to the pata negra).

You can always go to a market stall and get a 100 grams or so of the very best stuff. But ibérico de bellota is pricey for a reason. These pigs live the good life... and a taste of the good life isn't cheap. Personally I would want all of mine cut from the maza or the punta if I was paying top euro.

It's on the Venere site, but you can't do an online booking. You can get a rate from Venere (by unchecking the box for those that only do online booking) and then call/fax/email the hotel to try to get them to honor rate. I've had good luck with this in the past.

I think that's a shocking amount of money to spend to stay at the Almadraba... Did you try searching on a site like http://en.venere.com ? You may be able to get a better deal there. Keep in mind that El Bulli is located at the end of the road inside a national park. Given the distance to El Bulli (not walkable unless you want a serious and strenuous hike) I don't think it really matters where you stay in town.

I like this map site: http://callejero.lanetro.com/apps/lanetro/index.asp Just put the name of the street under "nombre de la vía" (leave off calle/carrer/avenida/etc.) and the street number under "número."

They have alcaravea whole and ground at the herbolario on c/Duque de Alba--right in the center between the La Latina and Tirso metro stops. Herbolario Vda. de Patricio Morando C/ Duque de Alba, 15 91 369 08 26 http://www.herbolariomorando.com This store is a great place for dried spices. The aren't open during siesta and close early-ish (around 7:30, I think).

Back from Córdoba... Thanks so much for the suggestions. We really enjoyed Bodegas Campos. Given my limited experiences with the two restaurants, I would give it the edge over El Churrasco for food and atmosphere--especially the ajoblanco and oxtails. These are two favorites of mine and these were among the best renditions that I have had. I also enjoyed the bacalao and orange salad, but the ajoblanco was really something special (How do they achieve that perfectly creamy consistency?). The service was a bit off, but there seemed to be a wedding reception on top of the crazy puente/holiday rush. We also stood at the bar at Casa Pepe de la Judería and had monosabios (fried cod) and berenjena (eggplant)--fried food at its best--very light and crispy. For those visiting Córdoba in the near (or not so near?) future--the roman bridge is undergoing major (major!) restoration, so the area around the Guadalquivir is fairly inaccessible and a bit of a mess at the moment. Just can't seem to escape the obras, no matter where we go...

Slightly high cholesterol despite a low number of vices... Bad genes...

Oh, yes--ibérico meat is wonderful and so easy to cook with, because you don't need to do much of anything to it. It has a great flavor and texture with the simplest preparation. After a yearly check-up, my doctor suggested that I switch to all ibérico products (I truly love this country). So we tried ibérico bacon--it's an absolute revelation. I'll never, ever eat any other kind of bacon. Aye Burrikín.... rooveru, you are breaking my heart.

I don't think so... I expressed no date preference and got rejected this year. I think they go month by month filling in the slots and letting people know as they go along. If you haven't heard back yet, you could still be in the pool of folks who might get a slot during one of the months further along in the season. For what it is worth, I phrased my requests exactly the same. Two years ago I got a reservation and this year I didn't.

Thanks! I love ox tails and ajoblanco. I'll report back...

Thanks so much, Jesus. I was reading about Choco and its chef (who was lauded at the last Madrid Fusion, I believe), I'll save it for a trip when I don't have my five-year-old son in tow. I was also considering Casa Pepe--I think I'll have lunch at Bodegas Campos one day and at Casa Pepe the next. Any raciones in particular that we shouldn't miss?

Hello all-- I'm taking a quick trip down to Cordoba this week and wanted to try to fit in a good lunch or two. Anything new to add here? I've been to Churrasco a few times (and am not at all averse to going again). Thanks.

I've also heard about putting the cork in while cooking pulpo--though not to keep the skin from cracking--rather to make the pulpo more tender. I can't imagine what the science is behind it...

The trick to keeping the beans whole (as Pelayín mentioned above) is to not stir at all and to cook very slowly. You can shake the pan a bit to keep it from sticking (not really an issue with all the pork fat...), but you can't stir. Edit: I've never tried it in a crockpot (no space for one in my tiny kitchen), but it sounds like a great idea.

Not to beat a dead horse, but you've just listed four very popular restaurants in Barcelona. That hardly proves universal acceptance of online transactions in Spain. I could easily list a dozen personal experiences that prove the contrary to be true, but suffice it to say that if you make a reservation via the web for a hotel or restaurant (or bus ticket or tour or theater ticket or car rental, etc.), it pays to confirm it over the phone beforehand. As it is, I just skip the middleman and call, because I find it much more reliable.

I don't think that it would be wise to extrapolate this based on a handful of experiences...

You might also check out the chain of stores, "Casa del bacalao," which carry all sorts of cuts and can vacuum pack it (one is on C/Carmen, 20--tel: 915 229 528). I believe this particular part is also called callos de bacalao.

No, I wouldn't substitute any Chinese or caribbean style dried cod--it's a completely different product. A better bet would be to try an Italian grocery that stocks baccalà.

Cabello de ángel is candied squash (not pumpkin, but cidra--a much more fibrous squash). I've never seen this squash in America--though I've seen it in Mexico as (chila)cayote.

Frankly, I wouldn't use OpenTable in Spain. I wouldn't trust it to work and would feel the need to call to confirm it directly with the restaurant, so what would be the point? I suppose it might be good for places that gear mostly toward tourists who want to arrange things well in advance without having to talk to anyone on the phone--but you would have to really control the restaurants' participation. It wouldn't be easy, as things work differently here...