Breckinridge

Just great

Believe me, if you come to Madrid on a short trip and want to have the "tapas" (or rather "pintxos", which to a foreign mind is basically the same) experience you can't do any better than Txirimiri. Go for the cod fritters ("buñuelos de bacalao"), the boletus ravioli, the stuffed red peppers ("pimientos del piquillo rellenos"), any of the risottos or the "Unai" mini-hamburgers. It's all fabulous. I find the bar a bit stuffy and smokey but the small dining room at the back is pleasant (be warned: no reservations so do come before 9 pm) and the staff couldn't be any friendlier. Ah! Don't forget to orde a bottle of "Txacolí", the Basque white wine, so fruity you could drink it for ever.

etiquetas: madrid , restaurants

Great hairdressing in Madrid

One of the great things about Spain is how well groomed most people tend to be. Your average cleaning lady is always well coiffed but men of all dispositions pay good attention to their appearance and in particular their hair.

Xiquena salon ("Peluquería Xiquena") is a great place to have a haircut for men and women equally. It is a remnant of the "beautiful" 1980's of the city. Emilio is an incredibly gifted hair stylist -I saw him once do an older woman who had, believe me, very little hair, and turned her into an incredible looking much younger person. And he did it in a few minutes. The other stylists, especially stunning Ana, are also very good.

I always have my hair cut there. They are all so very nice and treat everyone so well. You may also see some local celebrities who patronise the place. And it is cheap. What else can one ask for?

Infuriating

Lateral is a chain of smart tapas bars in Madrid, full of what madrileños call "pijos", i.e., children of well-to-do families with plenty of cash to spend and lots of time in their hands. The outpost of Plaza Santa Ana (a square that could well be renamed "tapas central") is the newest addition.

And one has to give it to them: the design of the place is clean and modern scandinavian-ish (a bit too much on the IKEA side, but still good), the tapas/salads are better than average though nothing to call home about (go to "Txiri-miri" for that).

But the way they treat their clients is unacceptable. They are so rude, so unhelpful, that I promise I will not go back there. There were three of us for a quick post-gym late lunch. The place was virtually empty when we arrived and the (rather large and unfriendly) man in charge assigned us to a tiny table right next to the two other only people who were eating at that moment. We asked politely if we could get another table. We were reluctantly led to another tiny table, at the end of a row of empty tables, which we happily accepted.

As we were seating down, a friend rang and said she would join us for lunch. She arrived a couple of minutes later and we asked if we could move the empty table next to ours so the four of us could sit comfortably. Instead, we were provided with a stool, not eaven a chair, for our friend to sit where there was no room. We politely asked the waiter (a nice but rather clumsy guy who could barely speak any Spanish at all) if we could join the tables. He had to ask another waitress. Then she had to check with the large man in charge. It took a long time, a series of glances of disapprovement towards us and plenty of attitude (as well as movement on our part) to get both tables together and finally have a decent space for four adults people to eat.

I would not be writing this, and I would not be upset, if the place had not been practically empty. There were at least five empty tables next to ours, and the row of tables opposite us was entirely unoccupied.

This is bad service. No matter how good the tapas are (and they're just all right), this is not acceptable.

etiquetas: bad service

Amazing sweets in Madrid

There is something deeply satisfactory about old-fashioned shops. Casa Mira in Madrid not only sells arguably the most authentic home-made Christmas sweets ("turrón" and others) you can find in the capital of Spain but has the added charm of a business that has been going on, in the same location, for more than a century and a half.

In the age of globalisation, this is as local as it gets. The "turrón" is made in the premises, like all the products they sell. Be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted. This is serious sweet stuff and as authentic as the original stuff you find in Alicante or Jijona, where turrón, made basically of almonds and honey, comes from.

Anything you may buy at Casa Mira is definitely worth the calories -and the prices. I must admit I am partial to the "yemas de nueces" (glazed walnut and egg yolk, simply irresistible) and the "turrón de avellana" (a hazelnut variation of the more traditional "soft" almond turrón). So good.

Rather disappointing

I have always thought that the Michelin Guide is at its most accurate when awarding restaurants their first Star. One-starred restaurants tend to be very reliable up-and-coming places that focus on food.

I have been proven wrong, yet again. I can't speak really ill of Víctor Gutiérrez, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Salamanca, but I didn't find it remarkable in any way. Bland décor, bad quality linen. OK service if a tad on the fussy side -no doubt, the Michelin inspectors must like that.

Disappointment came with the food. We are in the middle of the game and mushroom seasons. I had first a rice with quail and truffle (arroz caldoso con codorniz y trufa). Generous helping, but first of all, there was no truffle to be found anywhere; second the partridge had no flavour whatsoever; finally the rice they used was of the wrong kind, far too starchy. My partner had a mushroon risotto. Same wrong, starchy rice variety. The mushrooms could have bee re-hidrated from last year and not fresh. No boletus, no chanterelle, no "níscalos". Not interesting.

Main courses did not fare better. I had Iberian pork cheek stew with scallops and shrimp (carrillera de ibérico estofada con vieiras y gambas). It was all exceptionally well cooked, except for a raw shrimp. But it was like the "surf" element of the dish was an afterthought and not part of the idea. "How can I make the "carrillera" more interesting? I'll throw in some seafood". It's not so easy, I think, there should have been an effort to marry the flavours. My partner had roast squab. Rather dull. Good, but just good.

Desert was almost a joke. Mine was a scoop of Mövenpick (I think) vanilla ice cream with a raspberry coulis that looked, felt and tasted like some warmep-up industrial jam. A nice butter tuile on top did not hide the cheapness of the concoction. My partner fared a lot better: he had some chocolate pudding with saffron and arbequina olive oil. The best dish of the meal.

Good wine selection, we had a decent Ribera de Duero crianza at a good price. I can't say it was a bad experience, I certainly expected a lot more. I found it rather dull.

etiquetas: restaurant , salamanca

Great wine shop, reliable restaurant

It must be one of the best wine shops in Europe and it offers a very decent and no-nonsense lunch menu with (no surprise here) an excellent choice of wines by the glass, selected with help from the sommelier once the food has been chosen. My seabass was slightly overcooked. My partner's tongue stew was delicious. We ended up buying a case of Aalto 2005...