Maribel

Hi Kiddo,
I´m glad you enjoyed dinner at Casa Pepe de la Judería at its rooftop terrace, which reminds me that I have to go back next trip.

Isn't Barra Baja great? It was a brand new discovery for us, as our friend took us there to celebrate my husband's birthday and we too sat at the counter.

Maribel

The Barra Baja web page
https://barrabajarestaurante.com

Their Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/barrabajarestaurante/

ekscrunchy

Si, por supuesto. Jaylu in now on my Sevilla list.

Sometimes I would love some ideas for berengenas con miel with cane honey--- those scrumptious eggplants batons friend and meant to be dipper in a dark, sweet, sauce......for me the are one of the accessible and delightful food of Andalucia and I wonder is some people just miss it due to being unaware of how great they are..!! Cordoba's EL PISTO does very well for the dish, which I first had, not in 'Andalucia but in Brooklyn!!!

Looks not too difficult to prepare at home.....

Maribel

Fiona Dunlop in her cookbook, Andaluz, has a recipe for berenjenas a la miel de Pedro Jiménez, in which she substitutes honey or molasses with a P.J. reduction.

ekscrunchy

Maribel thank you. I bought the book.
Are there restaurants in Sevilla that would serve a great version? Or is it more Cordobese or Malaguense??

Maribel

It's very typical Cordoban. I don't usually see them outside of Córdoba, honestly. There may be Andalusian restaurants in Madrid with a Corona chef that serves them, but I can't recall off hand. I only have them in Córdoba Ciudad and in the province.

Maribel

Grr! spell check. I meant Madrid restaurants with a chef from Córdoba, but honestly I don't go to many Andalusian restaurants in Madrid except for the now closed La Malaje on the Plaza de la Paz, whose chef, Manuel Urbano Torres IS from Córdoba, (now with a new bar, El Campillo in Lavapiés) and the very upscale Surtopía in Salamanca whose chef is from Sanlúcar. I go to the latter for tortillitas de camarones.

ldematte5028

Hello, I'm back with a few more questions as our trip plans continue to develop.

Train tickets for Malaga - Seville are now available. Our flight lands at 7:35am (United from the U.S.) - any chance that we can make the 8:25am train from María Zambrano? The next train at 8:58 is over an hour longer, and the next train after that isn't until 10:48. I know we first have to take the local train to Maria Zambrano. I would definitely purchase tickets that allow for a change if we miss that departure.

Secondly, we have the narrowed our hotels in Seville down to two choices: H10 Casa de La Plata or Casa Del Poeta. We are leaning towards Casa Del Poeta, but are unsure. Would appreciate others' opinions.

Finally, right now we've planned on staying in Seville and then travelling to Cordoba. If we can't make the 8:25 train, would it make more sense to visit Cordoba first (2 nights) and then move onto Seville (3 nights). We'd travel from Seville to Granada after that.

Once again, thank you!! The advice from this community has been priceless and much appreciated!

ldematte5028

Could it be perhaps that AVANT tickets have not yet been posted?

Maribel

Will you have checked luggage or just carry on?
The Cercanías 1 train (under Terminal 3) will take about 8-9 minutes (says aena.com). But the trains run every 20 minutes.
I wouldn't count on making the 8:25 train.

The AVANT tickets haven't yet been posted. One needs to be extremely patient with RENFE because RENFE takes its good old time in posting these AVANT fares, unfortunately.

My views on the H10 Casa de la Plata, near the Plaza de la Encarnación, where las Setas sits, versus the Casa del Poeta, tucked away in a tiny mews in the very crowded Barrio de Santa Cruz. The latter would be considered more private/intimate (with only 17 rooms), more luxurious, even more "boutique", more expensive usually, more typically Moorish (or just more "sevillano") in architecture and feel, the interior décor even more classic, a bit more posh (celebrities stay there, including the former wife of Julio Iglesias, a socialite (a bit of Hola gossip for you). Since it's housed in a 17th century home, it provides for a more "unique" experience.

That's how I see the Casa del Poeta (I've been there but not stayed there).

For either the taxi can't take you to the doorstep because of the very narrow, pedestrian streets where they're both located.

ldematte5028

Thank you Maribel!

We will have checked luggage. I'm just going to be patient, as you've suggested, and hope that an AVANT is scheduled at a later time in the morning.

You've also solidified my decision to stay at Casa del Poeta. My husband and I do not get to travel frequently, and we very much enjoy smaller hotels, I think for us it will be worth the splurge.

As always, you are so helpful! I so appreciate it!

Maribel

I think you'll enjoy the Casa del Poeta, as it will give you that quintessential "sevillano" experience. I believe that they still do have flamenco concerts in the evening.
It gets a review rating of 9.5 on booking.com, which is just about as good as it gets!

A couple of suggestions:
1. When you arrive by taxi to the closest spot that a taxi can bring you, since the taxi won't be able to enter that pedestrianized, narrow street, I would give the reception desk a call so that they can send a porter out to help you with your luggage where the taxi drops you off at the closest square. And better still, let them know before your arrival, your estimated arrival time, so that they can have someone on hand to help escort you and help with your bags, if needed.

2. Because some of these rooms can run quite small, if you can, it would be nice to splurge for one of the deluxe rooms with private terrace that measure 30 square meters, to make your stay even more special.

Outside of this quiet hotel oasis, the Barrio de Santa Cruz will be a bevy of activity and extremely tourist packed, but you'll have that tranquil oasis to come back to after your touring.