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Dining Out and About: Restaurants in Madrid

By Ann | February 6, 2009

Bonjour, mes amis — or perhaps I should say, hola! I’ve been in Madrid and Barcelona, you see, which explains this week’s light posting. But I’m back now, and ready to dish on all the delicious Spanish food that I stuffed into mouth at every opportunity. Oh, tapas, you little bite-sized rascals, I find you simply irresistible! 

Our trip began in Madrid, with homemade tapas (pictured above), prepared by my friend Susana and her family. Aren’t we spoiled? I loved the chorizo — smoky and not too salty — the shrimp, the paper-thin slivers of jamon iberico (do Spanish homes generally have meat slicers?). Most of all I loved the tortilla, prepared by Susana’s lovely mother, which was tender and succulent in the center, rich with olive oil. Of all the tortillas I ate on the trip (and believe me, there were many), this remained my favorite. 

We took tapas at Estay, an elegant bar in the swish Salamanca district that’s a favorite of Susana’s. At 4pm on a Saturday, the place was packed with Madrilenos sipping wine or beer, smoking, and tucking into tiny bites of food.

 

Pictured here are pimientos txang, red peppers stuffed with tuna (I think?) in a creamy sauce, then clockwise, taco buey, like bruschetta topped with a savory pimiento sauce and tender chunk of beef, croqeutas jamon, with a crunchy shell and creamy, smooth center of minced ham and bechamel sauce.

Also, boqueron anchoa, the center, white fish was tangy and tart, the other, darker two were salty, strong anchovies. 

In the bottom corner of photo above, calabacin relleño, a hollowed courgette stuffed with minced shrimp and squid, and cooked until meltingly tender in a delicate sauce of courgette. 

The next day it snowed, big, fat, wet flakes, that made our hotel, the AC Santo Mauro (photo above), seem all the more cozy. Housed in the former Canadian embassy, the hotel has an elegant ambiance — think old world, turn-of-the-century mansion decorated with modern furniture. The surrounding Chambéri neighborhood is quiet and leafy, the perfect tranquil place to escape the constant hustle of the historic center — yet still walking distance (or an easy cab) to everything. I loved this hotel! Rumor has it David Beckham used to stay here during his stint with Réal Madrid.

 

How can you not be charmed by a country that eats thick hot chocolate and cookies for breakfast? The chocolate at Cacao Sampaka was like a warm pudding, all milky-chocolaty, soothing and not too sweet (honestly!). 

The cookies, called soletillas, were soft like ladyfingers, and came attached to a strip of parchment paper. We also enjoyed one tiny cheese sandwich and another of the ever-present ham on a soft corn roll studded with sunflower seeds. If you’re staying at the AC Santo Mauro, there is no better spot for breakfast than Cacao Sampaka — it’s bright, modern and cheery, a five-minute walk from the hotel (not to mention, you can avoid the outrageous €30/person hotel brekkie).

Finally, in Madrid, one last rec — no pictures, unfortunately (it was too dark and my camera kind of sucks) — but we enjoyed a festive and fun tapas meal in the historic center at Taberneros. Within spitting distance of the royal palace, this cozy wine bar offers superb food — highlights included the warm cheese salad with its tangy-sweet dressing, a casserole of meltingly tender squid and white beans, grilled steak sizzling to order on a hot plate, perfectly rare within, and a very thoughtful list of Spanish wines. Sitting here at our table in the window, eating, drinking and chatting with old and new friends, we almost felt like Spaniards (though we started our dinner at the early hour of 9pm).

Estay
calle Hermosilla 46
tel: 91 578 0470 
Tapas for three, including three glasses of rioja, water and coffee: €48.55  

Hotel AC Santo Mauro 
calle Zurbano 36 
tel: 91 319 6900   

Cacao Sampaka
calle Orellana 4
tel: 91 319 5840
Breakfast for two: under €10 (lost receipt — sorry) 

Taberneros
calle Santiago 9
tel: 91 542 2160
Dinner for 5-6 (including lots of delicious wine): €250

Coming soon: More tapas, wine and sunshine (finally!) in Barcelona!

Topics: Dining Out and About | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Dining Out and About: Restaurants in Madrid”

  1. Chris Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:58 am

    It was so easy to slip into the tapas culture! After a long wander through the incredible galleries of the Prado, what could be better than a few croquetas and an ice cold beer? Spain (and its cuisine) was a total winner.

  2. Devorah Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    Ah, you “took” tapas. You Europeans, you!

  3. Bob Says:
    February 9th, 2009 at 1:38 am

    I remember the broiled smoky pajaritos in Barcelona. Did you “take” any of that? What about jerez?

    Great photos. What are the green vegetarian-looking things in the first picture.

    Any recipes or combining ideas?

  4. Ann Says:
    February 9th, 2009 at 6:03 am

    Hi Dad,
    What are parajitos and jerez? Is jerez a type of ham? Sounds intriguing!

    The green things are simply pickles threaded onto cocktail sticks with pickled onions and peppers.

    The trip in Barcelona inspired more cooking ideas… report coming soon!

  5. Bob Says:
    February 10th, 2009 at 2:05 am

    Pajaritos are little field birds … what, I don’t know. Jerez … sherry.

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