Las Cubas at Arévalo

[pedro]

It's a tough call to make choosing between lechazo, roasted baby lamb and cochinillo, roasted suckling pork. But why do you have to choose when you can sample fine renditions of both at Las Cubas, in the village of Arévalo? So, given that culinista was around, a raid to Las Cubas was promptly arranged yesterday morning.

We started with a well executed revuelto de morcilla, scrambled eggs with blood sausage and pine nuts and some Emilio Moro to drink with. Arévalo is still in the domain of rice morcilla, rice which contributed in a determinant way to the texture of the dish.

When there's good lamb, there's good offal. Imagine what you could do with the offal of those baby lambs... we ordered the simplest sweetbreads that can be imagined, grilled and salted with some chopped garlic. Simple but outstanding.

Then, the cochinillo, called tostón in this area, arrived to our table with a green salad --never forget to order a good green salad with you asado. This cochinillo can compare with anyone I've ever had. I'm sure that the oven you see upon entering, packed with pieces, is managed with precision. The lechazo was good, very good actually, though Mannix's still has an edge over it, I'd say.

The stellar dish of the day was yet to arrive. Following his intuition, because it wasn't listed on the menu, Rogelio asked before dessert about riñones or lamb kidneys. Yes, we have riñones. So, we order them and it came a plate of small kidneys, surrounded by their own fat, which were grilled for us. They only could have been better if they would have been cooked in wood. But I'll happily have another round any day.

Desserts were good: cheese flan, traditional flan and ponche segoviano. I have to say that Emilio Moro was a better companion for these dishes than the Alión which we ordered as a second bottle.

Too bad vmilor wasn't around!

Edited January 21, 2007 by pedro (log)

[Rogelio]

Just in case that you haven't done it yet after reading Pedro's post. This is to leave you salivating.

Here's the kid:

Edited January 22, 2007 by Rogelio (log)

[docsconz]

Salivating I am! The first time I ever had cochinillo I can remember vividly. It was during my first trip to Spain in 1974 at Casa Botin in Madrid. During a school trip one of the group leaders, a Jesuit priest, treated a small group of us to dinner there. The cochinillo was a revelation, one of those culinary experiences that I will never forget.

[Culinista]

I'm salivating, and I helped eat it

Thanks so much to Pedro and Rogelio, my partners in crime this week. Actually, more like fairy godfathers, making all my Madrid wishes come true!

The tostón was at least as good as any I have ever had, and possibly the youngest I have had. Such tiny, tender little ribs. It was also the first time I had the foreleg portion. Miraculously crackling skin--wonder how it gets that way when it is constantly being moistened with salt water. The sweetbreads were even better than the tostón.

The riñones were a salve to my long-standing craving after tasting a single charcoal-roasted lechazo riñon years ago at the now defunct Asador Real. I had ever liked offal until that moment, and they had cruelly run out. They didn't even have the courtesy to stay in business long enough for me to come back to try them.

The only real improvement I could suggest would be to upgrade from using pine wood.

After all this talk about Mannix, I am seriously tempted to rent a car and check it out tomorrow. Is it worth it?

--C

Why do I never see anything done with the heads in asadores? I kind of don't eat brain voluntarily myself, but I imagine they could be good.

Edited January 22, 2007 by Culinista (log)

[vmilor]

After all this talk about Mannix, I am seriously tempted to rent a car and check it out tomorrow. Is it worth it?

--C

Why do I never see anything done with the heads in asadores? I kind of don't eat brain voluntarily myself, but I imagine they could be good.

←

No. No. Not worth it Not worth it. No need to drive to Campaspero.

As worthless as Pacaud's game pie.

For lamb brain go to Cibreo or come to Istanbul!

[Culinista]

As we were eating the world's best fabada asturiana at Bar Asturianos tonight, I was just saying how I would never forgive you for keeping me away from game pie.

OK, Mannix here I come.

[kyeblue]

Pedro and Rogelio,

your posts and the picture are mouthwatering. I will stay in Segovia for two nights in May and am looking for alternative in the countryside to the famous cochinillo spots in the city of Segovia, which I am afraid of being too touristy if not also over priced. How do you compare Candino and Doque to Las Cubas? Does it worth a hour drive to Arevalo for a leisure lunch? Or I can get equally good ones closer to Segovia.

I found in Guia Campsa two other restaurants close to Segovia interesting, which provide alternatives to roast suckling pigs and lambs, LA MATITA at COLLADO HERMOSO and MESÓN RISCAL at CARBONERO EL MAYOR. The first specializes in games and the latter bulls. are any of the two worth a try? I appreciate any suggestions from you guys.

Kenny

[Rogelio]

Cánido, sadly, is a shadow of what it was. Duque on the other hand is IMHO the best option in Segovia nowadays. But I find Las Cubas a notch over for the cochinillo.

A good option for cochinillo (so small that they almost look like rabbits) outside Segovia is A Trancas y Barrancas, in the little village of Tizneros, on the road from Segovia to Torrecaballeros.

And the for lechazo (rasted lamb) you can try Figón Zute el Mayor (tinin) in Sepúlveda.

I haven't tried the others that you mention.