What to order in Northern Spain ?

[dfunghi]

Hi, we will be traveling from BCN to Santiago with detours to Sort / Lleida, Ezcaray, Picos de Europa, then the Coast Verde. Still need to locate some amazing roast baby lamb and suckling pig. We went to Segovia last trip so wont be there this time. Any other great places between BCN and Santiago along the northern route would be appreciated. I also have some seafood recs in Asturias / Cantabria from a friend here in USA but would love some from the experts on this board. We have enjoyed the Basque coast and Donastia before and will not be going this trip unfortunetly. I am sure there will be great seafood places along the Cantabria / Asturias coast as well. Driving an hour or so out of the way for a great town or a great meal is my idea of a vacation. No such thing as too rural for us. We love quiet, sleepy, little towns. We will probably pass Gijon, Santander and head for the countryside instead.

TIA,

David

Edited March 24, 2005 by dfunghi (log)

[vserna]

You'll be traveling north of suckling pig country, so that's not a serious option this time. OTOH, Burgos is one of the great roast lamb towns in Spain, and solid standbys Casa Ojeda, Hostal Landa (stunning rebuilt medieval tower), Mesón del Cid and El Asador de Aranda offer very good versions of it.

One of the nice secret addresses of northern Spain is the very modest Cofiño (formerly 'Bar Cofiño', before they spruced up the place a little bit), in the main square of the tiny mountain village of Caviedes in Cantabria (just a couple of miles from the Roiz exit of the A-8 motorway between Santander and Oviedo). The main objective here is a tureen-full of cocido montañés, the white kidney bean-based soup/stew that in Cantabria plays a similar role to that which fabada (and the less well-known pote asturiano) play in Asturias. Good wine selection, too.

If you want to skip Santander altogether (a mistake IMHO, because it's a beautiful place in the middle of a stunning bay and because the Bar del Puerto is one of the most amazing seafood restaurants in all of Spain, with pristine stuff that is very simply cooked), the one place not to miss right now in Cantabria is the Cenador de Amós in Villaverde de Pontones (also near the A-8, in the vicinity of Santander). Bucolic village and Jesús Sánchez's ever-improving modern cuisine - yes, including much fish!

Some of his seafood dishes: machote al horno con jugo de aceitunas verdes (oven-baked Cantabrian sea bream with green olive juice), lomo de mero con crema de yogur pasiego, tomate y hierbas (grouper fish filet with a cream of country yogurt, tomato and herbs), rodaballo con 'pil-pil' de hongos (turbot with a pil-pil-style wild mushroom sauce).

For a sheer, no-frills seafood experience with a great view of the sea at San Vicente de la Barquera, there's the Miramar Hotel - terrific lobsters and spiny lobsters from their own salt water tanks.

I think you'll find quite a few mentions of the Asturias cuisine explosion elsewhere in eGullet. L'Alezna in Caces, the great Casa Gerardo in Prendes, the wonderfully decadent Real Balneario in Salinas, and the Arriondas pair, Casa Marcial and El Corral del Indianu, are all amongst the Spanish restaurant elite. (I'm not that crazy about the chi-chi Paladares in Gijón.)

There's a thread from last summer in which I mention some of the fine restaurants in Galicia (Casa Bóveda and Loliña in Carril, Pepe Vieira and Rotilio in Sanxenxo, Casa Solla in Pontevedra), some of them with a modern slant, some others decidedly traditional. And in Santiago proper you have two of the top-drawer places in Galicia, Toñi Vicente and the cutting-edge Casa Marcelo; not too far, the Fogón Retiro da Costiña in Santa Comba is a good countryside address.

Like Cofiño in Cantabria, the little modest address in northern Galicia is La Casilla in Betanzos. Not so secret, of course: it's a tavern that's been famous for decades - its tortilla de patatas is one of the finest in Spain.

Edited March 27, 2005 by vserna (log)

[docsconz]

I had marvellous suckling pig at Abac in Barcelona. I believe it was cooked sous vide, but the skin was perfectly crackling.

[dfunghi]

Thank you for all the great info V. We have been to Santander and it is a beautiful city I agree. We stayed atop the city in the 5 star Palace hotel ( I think that was name of it). We are trying to see all new places this trip. I believe Burgos would be an easy detour for lunch. Bux, I will swing by Abac if we can fit it . It seems as though we have far more places we want to eat at in BCN than we have days. My wife has a good palate and an OK appetite but is not a 2 large meal a day gal. So I have to pick my choices carefully. I did love the baby roast Lamb and Suckling Pig from our first trip but we were in Leon, Castilla Leon, Rioja on that trip. Perhaps there will be less Meats this trip. I would like to find a great Beef Steak if anyone knows of place known for this. We had great steaks outside Donastia in a little roadside place near the Cidra but have no idea exactly where or the name. We stumbled upon it. The chef / owner just took out a huge peice of meat ( porterhouse maybe?) and cut a 3 inch thick steak for 2 and grilled it to med. rare perfection and served it with a salad. Best of all I think it was local beef and cost all of about $25 USD for the meal with some house red.

David

[pedro]

. . . . .

I would like to find a great Beef Steak if anyone knows of place known for this.

. . . . .

←

While talking to Manuel de la Osa, chef and owner of Las Rejas, during the fantastic meal we had at FM in Granada, in the context of the Jerez / Alta Cocina / Sherry course arranged by the University of Granada, he told me that the best chuletón he's had found it in Fuenmayor, at the restaurant Alameda. They age their pieces by themselves, it seems.

With that endorsement, I'd give it a try were I nearby Fuenmayor.

[Bux]

Marvelous suckling pig in Spain exists at a level below serious suckling pig. Still at what I consider the learner level of appreciation of Spanish food, I find myself extremely impressed by a dish of roast suckling pig, only to have my standards readjusted at the next restaurant. One sign of the importance of the dish, is how often it shows up on even creative desgustación menus in many areas of Spain.

Some years back, (January 1999) we had the roast suckling lamb at Hostal Landa just outside of Burgos. I don't have the experience to place the restaurant in context with its competition, but it was an exceptional experience. I don't believe its even legal to kill lambs this young in the US. In any event, we've not been lucky enough to find such fare outside of Spain. Half a lamb (left or right side, I don't recall which) occupied a small platter not much larger than a large plate. "Succulent" is the relevant word from our notes on the meal. I don't know that it's a word I'd ever apply to veal, but otherwise I'd note that the meat bears a resemblance to lamb as I knew it, as the best veal bears to steak, I.e., almost none. Although the Hostal Landa is not at all a three star restaurant, nor do I suppose are any of Victor's recommendations, this is a dish that is well worth far more than just a detour and it would be a shame to be in the region without having a good example of corderito lechal.

I don't believe Landa was one of Victor's recommendations, although it may have been, but I'd urge you to pay attention to his recommendations for little out of the way bars and local restaurants. Casa Teo, in San Andres de Rabanedo just west of León was one of his recs. Mrs. B had an exceptional bowl of tripe with chorizos that satisfied her quest for precisely that sort of traditional food and I had an empanada of Bacalao that still haunts me. There's hardly a dish I've had since that I wouldn't have gladly traded for another slice of that pie. The burnt sugar crust on the arroz con leche didn't hurt the level of comfort food that made that lunch as memorable as one at a multistarred restaurant.

This trip, a drive from the Cote Basque in France to Santiago de Compostela, was the one that sparked a greater interest in Spanish food for me and as you can see, I've been taking Victor's advice for longer than eGullet's forums have been in existence.

[Eric_Malson]

If you like sleepy little towns and lamb, have I got the place for you....

I'm a huge fan of the mountain food of Asturias, and while it's certainly not the best place in Spain for roast baby lamb, there's still some pretty great lamb, and, especially, kid goat (cabrito), there. One of my favorite corners of the province for this sort of thing is the concejo of Laviana. If you go to the capital of the concejo, Pola de Laviana, follow AS-17 a bit farther east, then turn south on AS-252 to Villoria (just a few kilometers). Follow signs to the little village of La Redondina, then park the car. The hot spot in town is a restaurant called Casa Pili. On weekends, they make cordero a la estaca (spit-roasted lamb). As I recall (it's been several years), it's not baby lamb, but it's pretty kick-ass anyway. The whole place is a real scene....a lively bar and a huge, noisy bustling comedor. The night I was there, there was a band which included, if memory serves, both an Asturian bagpiper AND an accordion! The food was great (although I've heard a rumor that it's gone a bit downhill in recent years....still, it's almost inconceivable to me that it has slipped so much that it wouldn't still be well worth a visit), and definitely a setting like no other. I would absolutely call ahead, if I were you, to be sure that you go on a night that they have cordero a la estaca: 985 615 445.

This is an extremely beautiful part of Spain, and a little investigation will more than repay the effort. 3 or 4 more kilometers to the east of Pola de Laviana on AS-17 are Lorio and Soto de Lorio (almost more like "rural neighborhoods" than villages). I was told by a very reliable source that there was a restaurant in Lorio or Soto de Lorio where one could eat very well...my source, unfortunately, could not remember the name of this restaurant, but I believe it to be El Cañal in Soto de Lorio (or in some listings, El Condado--they're very near neighbors). The day I was exploring the area it was, naturally, closed, but it did look quite promising. It specializes in both cabrito and cordero al horno (oven-roasted kid goat and lamb). Tel: 985 614 051.

There is some great hiking right around here, too, if long walks along streams and through lush, green hills are your idea of a good way to spend the afternoon. The locally famous Ruta del Alba begins in the neighboring concejo of Sobrescobio, in the pueblo Soto de Agües. There's webpage with a description, and some enticing photographs here. Another page with other rutas in Laviana can be found here.

Personally, if I could, I would make every effort possible to be in the concejo of Quirós on the first Sunday of July for the Fiesta del Cordero, in Prau Llagüezos, situated on the Alto de La Cobertoria, on the border of the concejo de Lena. Some more info on that can be found here.

[vserna]

Cabritu con patatos, i.e. roast kid with potatoes, is not just a dish, it's a religion in Asturias' Laviana county - much like, say, suckling pig is in Portugal's Bairrada or paella with snails and rabbit in the Alicante high plateaus.

That said, I've never been to Casa Pili, but (local color and fun aside, and that's often an important cultural consideration!) it's not, culinarily speaking, one of the most famous places in Laviana. A alternative, more renowned place would be the hotel-restaurant La Casona d'Entralgo.

[Eric_Malson]

Interesting. I've ridden past the sign for La Casona on the main road countless times and always wondered about it, but my Asturiano friend/food maven wasn't acquainted with it.

Casa Pili's fame may not have spread much beyond Laviana, but it is definitely known there among the locals.

If anyone reading this thread ever does try El Cañal, I would love a report!

[JesusBarquin]

Another secret place, where I have eaten consistently year after year since I was a kid, more than 30 years ago: Rte. México in Vega de Pas - Cantabria.

You have to drive there: the landscape from Vega de Pas to Las Estacas de Trueba (sources of the Pas river) is really beautiful and astounding, as well as the landscape around Selaya and Villacarriedo, and around San Roque del Río Miera. There are a lot of little places to eat good lechazo (babylamb) and cocido montañés in the area, but México is my choice. I think that their lechazo is not oven-baked, but low temperature stuffed. Anyway: delicious!

I have not gone back there for a couple of years, but will certainly go next summer. I am already salivating...

Have in mind that the place has little, if any, charming, but a 3 courses meal there is unforgettable if you ask for: Cocido montañés, lechazo and quesada pasiega.

[Rogelio]

a 3 courses meal there is unforgettable if you ask for: Cocido montañés, lechazo and quesada pasiega.

←

If you eat all this three dishes you will have no room for the rest of the trip.

[JesusBarquin]

a 3 courses meal there is unforgettable if you ask for: Cocido montañés, lechazo and quesada pasiega.

←

If you eat all this three dishes you will have no room for the rest of the trip.

←

Well, you know Roge, life is not only joy and singing. Sometimes even we, the frugal people, must sacrifice our principles for the advance of knowledge,

But believe me that is the menu anyone should order at Restaurante México. And I bet few people will resist the temptation eat it all.

You see? Salivating again I am!

[Bux]

Well, you know Roge, life is not only joy and singing. Sometimes even we, the frugal people, must sacrifice our principles for the advance of knowledge, 

←

I have also been known to eat out of intellectual curiosity even when I've not been hungry.

[dfunghi]

Well, you know Roge, life is not only joy and singing. Sometimes even we, the frugal people, must sacrifice our principles for the advance of knowledge, 

←

I have also been known to eat out of intellectual curiosity even when I've not been hungry.

←

Hungry? If that was the only reason to eat I would have sooo much money in the bank. Never let a lack of hunger stop you from eating. Especially on vacation. It would be like only drinking wine if you were thirsty.

[vmilor]

Well, it may not be in your itinerary but if you want to eat suckling churra breed lamb at its best I recommend highly the 2 places I have tried the week before last week:

Tinin in Sepulveda

Mannix in Compaspero, near Penafiel.

They are slightly different in style. Mannix lets the juice drops and accumulate in the earthenware platter. The lamb in both places is about 20 days old and I can not easily think how one can improve on the preparation. The only problem with Tinin is that they do not have a wine list and the house wine is only adequate.

[JesusBarquin]

Never let a lack of hunger stop you from eating.

←

"Lack of hunger"! Excuse me, sir, but I do not understand such notion...

It would be like only drinking wine if you were thirsty.    

←

Ain't you the new Sancho Panza?:

"I drink when I'm thirsty, and when I'm not thirsty, and when it is offered to me, so as not to look either finicky nor unmannerly".

("bebo cuando tengo gana, y cuando no la tengo, y cuando me lo dan, por no parecer o melindroso o mal criado")

Don Quijote, 2nd book, Chapter XXXIII.

[Culinista]

Sepulveda is a town dedicated to roast baby lamb, and beautiful quite on its own as well. Vedat, you lucky dog. When we were there, Figón Zute El Mayor “Tinin,” was closed for vacation, as was his cousin’s place, Figón Zute El Menor. However, Figón Ismael, under the arcade in the main square, was doing very brisk business indeed.

Along with excellent cordero lechal, I remember one wall was a tiled portrait of Ismael himself, sporting a belt embroidered with “VIVA MI NOVIA” (“Long live my girlfriend!”). He said women make these belts for their intended when they get engaged. A very useful sort of announcement, I think.

I walked the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied-de-Port and wrote about it for TIME Europe last year. This is a great route for history, architecture, and a little soul-searching. (Article is at http://www.time.com/time/europe/pilgrim/compostela.html I'm too HTML-retarded to figure out how to make an elegant lazy link. It is not really restaurant-focused, however.)

I can second Casa Ojeda and Meson del Cid, especially the sopa castellana. I always have pochas at Hartza in Pamplona. One of my all-time favorite meals was in Villalcazar de Sirga, a town in the middle of nowhere. Next to the huge ruined Templar monastery fortress are two restaurants, both run by the same guy. He opens one or the other each night, but patrons wait in the square to see which one it's going to be. This was worth the 350+km walk to get there. The cecina was a revelation.

Other highlights were pulpo a la gallega at Casa Ezekiel in Melide, a pilgrim must. The bakery down the main street has some terrific almond cookies.

Buen camino!