Having a great time so far...
Dec 18th, 2008, 01:32 PM
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Having a great time so far...
Just wanted to let you guys know that we are through with the first leg of our trip (Cordoba and Seville) and having a great time to far...Tomorrow we start to drive for the white towns...
Just having slight problem with finding vegetarian food but that's about it...even Renfe trains have been very nice...
We actually loved the train experience.. Oh, any help on food would be really good!
Also, I absolutely agree with Maribel's suggestion of not driving in Cordoba and Seville... it is a mess and a maze...
Cordoba and Seville are amazing... we just saw Seville's alcazar and cathedral today and it was really awesome...the cathedral is so grand that it has to be seen to be believed...
Anyway...will post more when we I get a chance...
Thanks everyone, especially Maribel and Cova for helping out...
Just having slight problem with finding vegetarian food but that's about it...even Renfe trains have been very nice...
We actually loved the train experience.. Oh, any help on food would be really good! Also, I absolutely agree with Maribel's suggestion of not driving in Cordoba and Seville... it is a mess and a maze...
Cordoba and Seville are amazing... we just saw Seville's alcazar and cathedral today and it was really awesome...the cathedral is so grand that it has to be seen to be believed...
Anyway...will post more when we I get a chance...
Thanks everyone, especially Maribel and Cova for helping out...
Dec 18th, 2008, 01:52 PM
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When you went to Cordoba were the Carmens walking around selling their sprigs of rosemary?
Once, whilst in Cordoba, a Carmen tried to stick her hand into my Loewe wallet and I had to smack her.
She was not happy, but little did she realize that I worked in the New York City fashion industry (see The Devil Wears Prada) and she was no match for me.
Thin
Once, whilst in Cordoba, a Carmen tried to stick her hand into my Loewe wallet and I had to smack her.
She was not happy, but little did she realize that I worked in the New York City fashion industry (see The Devil Wears Prada) and she was no match for me.
Thin
Dec 18th, 2008, 02:16 PM
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Hi vibhav!
It's really nice of you to "check in" and let us know how your trip has gone so far. Glad you got the Renfe ticket issue straighten out! Now go have more FUN!
About veggie food-
Have you tried the eggplant with honey (berenjenas con miel), a traditional Andalusian dish?
Or the "Alboronía", a vegetable medley consisting of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, onion and squash?
Or the "Salmorejo", a thick gazpacho, typical of Córdoba?
Or "patatas bravas" (spicy potatoes)?
Or a tapa of "champis" (grilled mushrooms)?
I'm sure you've had your share of tortilla de patatas (potato omelettes) by now!
If you happen to see "pisto manchego" on any menu (more likely in Toledo and Madrid than in the south), it's the Spanish version of ratatouille.
There's also the "menestra de verduras" (a kind of veggie stew), but it often has little pieces of ham in it. Ditto to the "habitas" (lima beans) that you'll find in Granada-they are cooked with little chunks of ham.
Hope the continuation of your trip turns out to be just as great as the beginning!
It's really nice of you to "check in" and let us know how your trip has gone so far. Glad you got the Renfe ticket issue straighten out! Now go have more FUN!
About veggie food-
Have you tried the eggplant with honey (berenjenas con miel), a traditional Andalusian dish?
Or the "Alboronía", a vegetable medley consisting of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, onion and squash?
Or the "Salmorejo", a thick gazpacho, typical of Córdoba?
Or "patatas bravas" (spicy potatoes)?
Or a tapa of "champis" (grilled mushrooms)?
I'm sure you've had your share of tortilla de patatas (potato omelettes) by now!
If you happen to see "pisto manchego" on any menu (more likely in Toledo and Madrid than in the south), it's the Spanish version of ratatouille.
There's also the "menestra de verduras" (a kind of veggie stew), but it often has little pieces of ham in it. Ditto to the "habitas" (lima beans) that you'll find in Granada-they are cooked with little chunks of ham.
Hope the continuation of your trip turns out to be just as great as the beginning!
Dec 18th, 2008, 03:09 PM
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vibhav,
More veggie friendly dishes for you, if you haven't tried them already-
"garbanzos con espinacas" (warm dish of chickpeas and spinach)
"pimientos de Padrón" (little green peppers fried up in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt-some hot, some not)
"ensaladilla rusa" (a salad of boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs, peas, ususally chunks of *tuna*, held together with mayo)
"pimientos de Piquillo"-Navarran red peppers, but make sure they aren't stuffed with meat or with cod, if you don't eat fish.
"patatas a lo pobre" (potatoes with onions and green peppers, slow cooked in olive oil)
And look for vegetarian paella in Madrid at
La Barraca or
El Ventorrillo murciano
The latter serves "zarangollo", a Murcian dish of zucchini, onions and eggs.
More veggie friendly dishes for you, if you haven't tried them already-
"garbanzos con espinacas" (warm dish of chickpeas and spinach)
"pimientos de Padrón" (little green peppers fried up in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt-some hot, some not)
"ensaladilla rusa" (a salad of boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs, peas, ususally chunks of *tuna*, held together with mayo)
"pimientos de Piquillo"-Navarran red peppers, but make sure they aren't stuffed with meat or with cod, if you don't eat fish.
"patatas a lo pobre" (potatoes with onions and green peppers, slow cooked in olive oil)
And look for vegetarian paella in Madrid at
La Barraca or
El Ventorrillo murciano
The latter serves "zarangollo", a Murcian dish of zucchini, onions and eggs.
Dec 18th, 2008, 03:21 PM
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vibhav,
Forgot something very important for your exploration of the white towns!
Please, please make your way to tiny Benalauría, below Ronda, in the Serranía for lunch at the wonderful, veggie friendly "Mesón La Molienda".
They open Tues.-Sun. from noon until 4 pm. And for dinner on Fri/Sat./holiday eves from 8-11:30 pm. It's delightful.
One of the best inexpensive restaurant recs I've received on this Forum! And the drive down there is so very pretty.
Forgot something very important for your exploration of the white towns!
Please, please make your way to tiny Benalauría, below Ronda, in the Serranía for lunch at the wonderful, veggie friendly "Mesón La Molienda".
They open Tues.-Sun. from noon until 4 pm. And for dinner on Fri/Sat./holiday eves from 8-11:30 pm. It's delightful.
One of the best inexpensive restaurant recs I've received on this Forum! And the drive down there is so very pretty.
Dec 19th, 2008, 04:55 AM
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Hi Maribel,
Only reading your list of Spanish dishes I wished I was in Spain.
I wish to recommend to you and whoever loves good Spanish and Mediterranean food to get this book,
Delicious Flavors by Victoria Amory, if it is not out it will be pretty soon. I met the author the other day she is Spanish , lives here in Florida. I am sure that you as all of us have many cooking books that never read this is different in as much as recipes are fairly easy to make . The good thing is that this lady has a lot of common sense and good taste.
Here and there in the book there are nostalgic memories from Spain that you will enjoy .
I have no commercial interest of course, I thought of her book when reading your delicious list.
Only reading your list of Spanish dishes I wished I was in Spain.
I wish to recommend to you and whoever loves good Spanish and Mediterranean food to get this book,
Delicious Flavors by Victoria Amory, if it is not out it will be pretty soon. I met the author the other day she is Spanish , lives here in Florida. I am sure that you as all of us have many cooking books that never read this is different in as much as recipes are fairly easy to make . The good thing is that this lady has a lot of common sense and good taste.
Here and there in the book there are nostalgic memories from Spain that you will enjoy .
I have no commercial interest of course, I thought of her book when reading your delicious list.
Dec 19th, 2008, 08:48 AM
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Hi Graziella,
Thanks so much for the recommendation! I shall certainly look for it to add it to our Spanish cookbook collection. And simple, easy to prepare recipes are a definite bonus!
vibhav,
I just looked up the menu at La Barraca in Madrid. They hava a veggie paella, called "Arroz huertana" for 11,80, a vegetable salad for 5.50, gazpacho for 6.60 and a sauteed mushroom platter, "salteado de setas" for 6.70. Not bad prices at all. It's on Calle Reina 29, behind the Gran Vía.
Thanks so much for the recommendation! I shall certainly look for it to add it to our Spanish cookbook collection. And simple, easy to prepare recipes are a definite bonus!
vibhav,
I just looked up the menu at La Barraca in Madrid. They hava a veggie paella, called "Arroz huertana" for 11,80, a vegetable salad for 5.50, gazpacho for 6.60 and a sauteed mushroom platter, "salteado de setas" for 6.70. Not bad prices at all. It's on Calle Reina 29, behind the Gran Vía.
Dec 19th, 2008, 09:29 AM
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Hi Maribel...Thanks so much for your awesome responses...these will definitely help!!
We drove to Ronda today and on the way from far away got a glimpse of Zahara...looks really good...we will go there the day after tomorrow...
We will be in Arcos tomorrow...Ronda seems to be a beautiful town...if it were not for its whitewashed walls, I would have mistaken it for Tuscany! (That is a complement, by the way as we love Tuscany!)
And yes, by now we are kind of tired of eggs...breakfast, lunch and dinner...too much!
I think after the end of this trip, I would think I would have had enough eggs for the rest of my life!
Parador in Ronda is very nice and Hotel Amadeus in Seville was very nice too...though lack of sunlight was something we noticed... Oh, and Hotel Maimanodes in Cordoba is very nice....their rooms are very nice too and their breakfast was very good...
El Churasco was probably the best dinner we had in Spain so far... extremely tasty food and great staff...they even had some fun with our 3 year old kid...
We drove to Ronda today and on the way from far away got a glimpse of Zahara...looks really good...we will go there the day after tomorrow...
We will be in Arcos tomorrow...Ronda seems to be a beautiful town...if it were not for its whitewashed walls, I would have mistaken it for Tuscany!
(That is a complement, by the way as we love Tuscany!)And yes, by now we are kind of tired of eggs...breakfast, lunch and dinner...too much!
I think after the end of this trip, I would think I would have had enough eggs for the rest of my life! Parador in Ronda is very nice and Hotel Amadeus in Seville was very nice too...though lack of sunlight was something we noticed... Oh, and Hotel Maimanodes in Cordoba is very nice....their rooms are very nice too and their breakfast was very good...
El Churasco was probably the best dinner we had in Spain so far... extremely tasty food and great staff...they even had some fun with our 3 year old kid...
Dec 19th, 2008, 12:13 PM
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Oh and one question I had ... Our 3 yr old boy's birthday is on 22nd of Dec and we plan to just stay in Ronda, take it easy, play around with him and let him enjoy .. Do not want to drag him around for sightsseing too much that day ... But we were polanning to just go for a drive that day for about 2 hours or so as he enjoys being in the car ... So we thought to take the A369 down towards Benalauria (unfortunately it will be Mon so cannot try the restaurant you recommended ) ... The question, after this long dialogue , is till where we should go on A369 for the good views???
Also, any ideas for a birthday celebration in Ronda? We were not planning anything big anyways, but just wanted to get him a nice cake and some balloons and birthday boy hat, if we can ... Is that possible, do you think?? Maybe too much detail to ask for here in the forum ... We will be asking at our parador reception as well ...
Thanks,
Vibhav
) ... The question, after this long dialogue , is till where we should go on A369 for the good views???Also, any ideas for a birthday celebration in Ronda? We were not planning anything big anyways, but just wanted to get him a nice cake and some balloons and birthday boy hat, if we can ... Is that possible, do you think?? Maybe too much detail to ask for here in the forum ... We will be asking at our parador reception as well ...
Thanks,
Vibhav
Dec 19th, 2008, 12:44 PM
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Hi Vibhav--
We have been to Spain several times. We were just there in November. We are also vegetarians, so I know all about being all "egged out" in Spain.
Maribel's suggestions are wonderful.
I also suggest you try to find Asian restaurants. We always go have some Chinese or Japanese every third or fourth day. That way we get our protein by eating tofu. You should be able to get assistance at your hotels.
Also, you can find North African cuisine with relative ease in the larger cities. Veggie cous cous is always good--just make sure that the broth is vegetarian.
As Maribel pointed out, vegetarian paella is very good.
We have been to Spain several times. We were just there in November. We are also vegetarians, so I know all about being all "egged out" in Spain.
Maribel's suggestions are wonderful.
I also suggest you try to find Asian restaurants. We always go have some Chinese or Japanese every third or fourth day. That way we get our protein by eating tofu. You should be able to get assistance at your hotels.
Also, you can find North African cuisine with relative ease in the larger cities. Veggie cous cous is always good--just make sure that the broth is vegetarian.
As Maribel pointed out, vegetarian paella is very good.
Dec 19th, 2008, 03:25 PM
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Hi vibhav,
Venezuela's suggestion of North African, Chinese and Japanese is a great idea! In Madrid, within a walk of your hotel (assuming it's still the Plaza Mayor), you have two Japanese, "Donzoko" on Echegaray 3 and "Ginza" on Plaza de las Cortes 3.
On the same street as the paella place, La Barraca, you have another "Robata" on Reina 31.
And on Bordadores 13, off Calle Mayor, and quite near to you, there's a Thai, "Bangkok" that serves mango salads and special rice dishes.
Since you'll be in Madrid 5 days, you should have a variety of options.
Please wish your little boy a happy birthday for me! I don't know about specific places to buy the cake, balloons and hat in Ronda.
For the cake (which will be more of a tarte, not an American type cake), look for a "pastelería" or if closed, a supermarket, like a Día or a Supersol (both have Ronda outposts). If the supermercado is large enough it will have an in house bakery where you can buy him a little "tarta" of some kind.
About the other items-
I'd find a "chucherías" (sweets) shop, where I go to get party favors/treats for kids' birthday parties. They sell the treats wrapped in cones of varying sizes, and they may have balloons to go along with them.
For a kid's b-day hat, if not there, you might find a kid's hat of somekind at a "bazar chino"-they sell a hodgepodge of stuff. Every town has a bazar chino and a chucherías place.
The Parador can direct you to those two kinds of shops in Ronda.
About the drive down the A 369:
I'd drive down as far as Gaucín. It's a really cute town with simply stunning views of the Med and a large British expat community. There will be a dozen spots where you can have lunch.
Here's a list of them:
www.gaucin.com/indexeng.html
I don't think the next town down, Casares, is particularly pretty once inside. Looks better from the distance, and I wouldn't bother going down that far.
Now go out and have more FUN!
Venezuela's suggestion of North African, Chinese and Japanese is a great idea! In Madrid, within a walk of your hotel (assuming it's still the Plaza Mayor), you have two Japanese, "Donzoko" on Echegaray 3 and "Ginza" on Plaza de las Cortes 3.
On the same street as the paella place, La Barraca, you have another "Robata" on Reina 31.
And on Bordadores 13, off Calle Mayor, and quite near to you, there's a Thai, "Bangkok" that serves mango salads and special rice dishes.
Since you'll be in Madrid 5 days, you should have a variety of options.
Please wish your little boy a happy birthday for me! I don't know about specific places to buy the cake, balloons and hat in Ronda.
For the cake (which will be more of a tarte, not an American type cake), look for a "pastelería" or if closed, a supermarket, like a Día or a Supersol (both have Ronda outposts). If the supermercado is large enough it will have an in house bakery where you can buy him a little "tarta" of some kind.
About the other items-
I'd find a "chucherías" (sweets) shop, where I go to get party favors/treats for kids' birthday parties. They sell the treats wrapped in cones of varying sizes, and they may have balloons to go along with them.
For a kid's b-day hat, if not there, you might find a kid's hat of somekind at a "bazar chino"-they sell a hodgepodge of stuff. Every town has a bazar chino and a chucherías place.
The Parador can direct you to those two kinds of shops in Ronda.
About the drive down the A 369:
I'd drive down as far as Gaucín. It's a really cute town with simply stunning views of the Med and a large British expat community. There will be a dozen spots where you can have lunch.
Here's a list of them:
www.gaucin.com/indexeng.html
I don't think the next town down, Casares, is particularly pretty once inside. Looks better from the distance, and I wouldn't bother going down that far.
Now go out and have more FUN!
Dec 20th, 2008, 03:10 AM
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Vibhav, for your kid's birthday I may suggest this place in Juzcar: www.hotelbandolero.com and restaurant, it is english-owned, I have not been but remember reading good reviews. Juzcar is in a very interesting loop: exiting Ronda on A369, turn left towards Alpandeire, Farajan Juzcar, Cartajima and then to Ronda, not a long drive.
Dec 20th, 2008, 09:35 AM
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josele and vibhav,
That looks like a very cute place, and there are enough vegetarian dishes on the menu to make a nice meal, plus it's open daily! Nice recommendation that I've put on my list to try.
That looks like a very cute place, and there are enough vegetarian dishes on the menu to make a nice meal, plus it's open daily! Nice recommendation that I've put on my list to try.
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