zebec

'Growing haul of conservas on my bed....they seem to multiply by the hour!!'
LOL Eks!
What a great TR and what excellent food fotos. I especially liked your NOOR imagery.
Its great that you and Maribel have been able to carry on a dialogue with such detail, because that in turn informs the rest of us about the area.

Eks if you might have any interest about flamenco music, I've listed some CD/DVD titles over on Irice's Madrid TR.
I would now add 'Radio Tarifa' to that list. Their debut album 'Rumba Argelina' wazzam (was and still is) one of world-music's greatest moments.
I am done. the Eks TR

ekscrunchy

DO NOT BE DONE..you are far too much fun, and too knowledgeable. I adore your reports, and comments. And thank you.

Now, I'm done..at least for the next 5 minutes.

Believe it or not, I am tucked into bed near my little feline friend here-- my last night in paradise (until, ojala, next March) and am reading......Hemingway...no. Cervantes...no. Lorca..no..

MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR!!!

ekscrunchy

Zebec...Love Cameron and know very little about flamenco but eager to learn...RADIO TARIFA--si, señor!! (also like the Tuareg groups, apropos of very little!)

Just for fun..here is the haul from lat year, on the night before departure:



Overview of 2023 still life entitled "How am I going to stuff this all in the suitcase?

Closeup....no worries..tins of Fuenroble oil are here at top of page....along with flake salt from wholesale market in Chiclana

Now we turn to the conserva aisle..with a few spices to enliven the scene....can you spot the atun en manteca??? And these are NOT (at right) asparagus from Peru....do not be fooled!!!

How did this pic sneak in?....It's from today--2024....mercado de Barbate.....those 2 containers of manteca colora at far left---they are no longer on display with the home-made croquettes because they are both tucked away in my suitcase, enclosed in some Zip-Locs to prevent yet another disaster (don't even ask!!). Lard colored with pimenton.....looking forward to breakfast at home but must have great bread.......see containers of chicharron at far right.....had to skip those for fear of sniffy beagles!!




UPDATE: All items from 2023 made it from the bed here to my pantry!!!

Melnq8

That haul makes my yearly European chocolate haul look positively paltry. I hope you brought a spare suitcase.

zebec

Rodolfo Iglesias, Customs supervisor at the end of an overtime shift (yawning, eyes barely open):
(spoken to a grinning Eks) "Ummmm....a-anythink to d-declare ma'am. HOLY F..."
(sound of fainting Rodolfo falling onto floor).

We see Pooky the sniffer Beagle suddenly tugging his handler Maria across the floor to poor Rodolfo's station. Maria is perplexed:
"Que Pooky, que? (sees Eks' opened suitcase) MIO DIOS!!!!! (fumbles to unsheathe her weapon) STEP AWAY FROM THE FOODSTUFFS MA'AM!!"

I am done. the beagle consuming foodstuffs behind everyone's back

Leely2

Just catching up with this and enjoying it immensely, though certainly not as much as you are enjoying your fabulous trip! I hope you will find time for a report on HO when you return.

SusanP

It definitely looks as though you need a separate suitcase! But oh how you enjoy it when you get home!

Maribel

Wow, eks,
How are you going to get your all those wonderful items on the train to Madrid? Or did you book a transfer? And you haven't yet been to La Paz market for more goodies!!!

Maribel

No train, no transfer, you probably decided to fly..,

studenttobe

Loving your TR, Eks—mouth watering! Sounds like another fantastic time.

ekscrunchy

Zebec you are a riot!

Maribel, that haul on the bed was from last year!!! I did much better (by my standards) this time.....all the foods fit into the 2 suitcases and yes, I flew from Jerez to Madrid (last year and this one).

I'm in Madrid RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
Drove to Jerez airport and this year I took a much better route, NOT the one past Medina Sidonia, but the highways that skirts Cadiz. What an easy drive!!! About an hour from Vejer to airport. Checked the 2 bags, which probably came close to breaking the Iberia airport scale. Emptied out the mini-bar as per my usual, and re-stocked it--with cheeses, lard, etc.

And guess what--the blazer and the heavy jacket I bought in Cordoba will almost certainly remain in the hotel closet! The taxi driver from the airport told me it was 26 degrees today!! It sure felt HOT, dragging all the weight behind me!!!! I was boiling!!!!! (I'm using that word in stead of "schvitzing!!")

I want to finish up the Vejer area chapter...hope I can do that fast so I can write about Madrid while I'm here and still remember things!

The big question is, as you wrote, Maribel---- where am I going to pack the goodies I plan to snap up at the Mercado de Paz and elsewhere????

It makes me very happy that you are all following along!! I do wish you could. help me with my bags, though!!

I've given the inn near Vejer my dates for next year!

Maribel

Oh eks, I wish I were in Madrid right now to escort you to Casa Dani tomorrow, however I am having a very nice time in Córdoba. Went to La Montilla for wine (an all Cordoban wine list of wines that I had never seen before—-Shawn/Azahar sent us) then Casa Pisto for lunch, then tonight dinner is at Ermita de la Candelaria followed by The Soul of Córdoba at the Mezquita-Catedral. It was 82 degrees today and tomorrow may be hotter!

So glad you secured your dates for next year at your little paradise.

lrice

Very interesting about Azotea Palmar. We loved both Azotea restaurants in Sevilla -- great experiences at the original and on restaurant row!

eks, I love everything you brought back in 2023. Very ambitious! And what a great way to extend your trip.

ekscrunchy

I already mentioned that I had a take-out lunch in my room that I brought back from EL ALFEREZ in El Palmar, the closest beach to Vejer.

This restaurant has one "Sol" from Spain's equivalent to Michelin, the Guía Repsol, a resource that I consider superior to Michelin in Spain.

I'd overheard the staff at my hotel recommending EL ALFEREZ to guests who asked where to go for a seafood meal. (They were also recommending one other place in EL PALMAR: CASA JUAN. But no one had yet to sample the wonderful new AZOTEA EL PALMAR, in fact, no one at the hotel had heard anything about it until I began requesting their help in making contact!). I preferred to do my own research because, as it turned out, many of the staff knew these places only by reputation; I think this is the case when you ask many hotel staff (unless you speak with the manager and even then....(???) ) for restaurant tips; I know this is the case at my hotel in Madrid.

Think about it: Someone on a non-managerial hotel salary is not going to be able to afford some fo the "top" restaurants nearby. At least that's my guess. In the old days, I imagine that concierges at top urban hotels would have been "invited" to dine at various places with the assumption that if they were happy, they would then pass the recommendation on to the hotel's guests. I do know that this happens in some large Asian cities, and I remember the concierges at the old RITZ in Madrid were conversant with what seemed like every worth while place to eat in the capital (same with the concierges at the pre-Marriott MARIA CRISTINA in Donostia, or at least that's the way it seemed to me that last time we stayed there) but I do wonder if this practice is not as usual as it once was. Are today's concierges really as well-versed as those of decades ago??? Or do they just recommend from hearsay??

All this just reflects my own thoughts, no one has totally confirmed what I just wrote. I could be totally off-base here....what do you all think?

I had enjoyed EL ALFEREZ' takeout sashimi of ventresca (belly tuna), and the amiability of the staff (the restaurant is family owned) plus the fact that they held a SOL from the Repsol guide (think Michelin star, although Maribel may correct me on this) convinced me to try the place for lunch on a beautiful, sunny Wednesday.

But I do have to make yet another digression: Now that I've tried sashimi of ventresca at several places along the "bluefin almadraba belt" I am able to discern variations in quality between the same cut of tuna served by different restaurants. I'm convinced that not all belly tuna is alike--there must be some difference depending on which section of the belly is served, how has been cut, how it has been stored (all of these have been frozen at staggeringly low temperatures since the last tuna run which occurs every spring.) and other factors of which I am not aware. Even in New York, you can order toro at a middling neighborhood sushi place, or g-d forbid, at a supermarket sushi stall, and you can order it at the likes of Yasuda or any of the new, much lauded places. It's the same cut, or so they say. But in the US, it might not even be the same variety of tuna, despite being listed as "toro" on the menu.

For me, there is one restaurant that stands above all others in the area for the quality of its ventresca sashimi, and for the quality of its other tuna preparations, as well for its vast range of these tuna dishes. That restaurant is the legendary EL CAMPERO in Barbate. I had two meals there during this visit, and two or three during previous stays in the area.

If you love tuna, or even if you are curious about the versatility of tuna beyond the usual grilled so its cooked on the outside and raw on the inside, and sports those black seams seeds on the edges, the address you need to know is this one: Avenida de la Constitucion, 5, Barbate 11160.

I've veered a long was from my Wednesday lunch at EL ALFEREZ, so will now return to that meal, but will also describe my lunches at EL CAMPERO very soon....

But right now, it is time for me to get ready for my first meal of the year in Madrid, so have to pause now; will return to finish up EL ALFEREZ, a very nice place!





https://www.restauranteelalferez.com/la-carta/

I phoned and booked a table on the terrace, facing the sandy beach road and the dunes beyond.
The staff is lovely and welcoming.

The meal began with a comp starter (Maribel what is the correct word for a small snack offered at no charge before the meal?? The woman at my hotel called it a "snack," is that the best word? The starter was wonderful: A good-sized brick of a fish and shellfish pate, served with good quality toasted bread and a roll. Very, very good, With a nice salad, maybe a plate of tomatoes, this would be a great lunch. But it was just the beginning!





EL ALFEREZ, Beach of El Palmar, about 12 minutes by car from Vejer. The restaurant faces the beach road, with the dunes and wide, windswept beach beyond. Many surfers were out the day I ate here in mid-March.

El Alferez carta (menu) of raw seafood dishes; this is just one section of the menu which also includes cooked seafood and fish.

This was the delicious starter offered to all diners: a pate of mixed fish and seafood. Light and delicious..I could have a double portion with a salad to complete an excellent lunch! But there was more to come!

Maribel

The proper name is “aperitivo”. At La Catapa you get to choose your aperitivo, usually a choice of gambitas, patatas revolconas con torreznos, bígaros, chistorra and I forget what else. We alternate between patatas revolconas (Extremadura style) and chistorra (Navarran style). I’ve never been to a dining spot in the Retiro that doesn’t offer a complimentary nibble with our drink order. It’s just customary.

You’re right about the hotel staff. Luckily here at Palacio de Colomera they do know their restaurants, as Shawn, who was here last week for an Andalusian Gastronomy event, did confirm. Carlos knows his stuff!

zebec

Eks, I like the way that you have posed your 'think about it' query about concierges above. It channels a sort of I dunno, Bourdain-esque reality question, one that must be asked if travelers want to be informed about actual conditions in the countries that we all visit, their lodgings and restaurants.
I am done. the ?

Vonse

I'm thoroughly enjoying this report - the continuing conversation between Maribel and Eks, the gorgeous photos, the restaurants and food! Thanks for sharing with us.

Maribel

We’re just finishing dinner at la Ermita de Candelaria, 1 Repsol sun. It reminds me a bit of La carboná in Jerez but instead of installed in a an 18th century bodega, we’re inside a former 17th century hermitage. More to follow. Lovely meal, beautiful setting. On to the Soul of Córdoba!

mike1728

You didn’t do Barbate justice

ekscrunchy

But I didn't get to Barbate yet....I think I only mentioned the Market and the Gadira shop buy maybe I'm not remembering what I wrote, entirely possible. I thought I'd go into a little more detail when I wrote about eating at EL CAMPERO. I know Barbate is given short shrift by a lot of visitors and not long ago had a reputation for some unsavory activities, but I liked what I saw of the place because it might e the one place that seems as if it lives on its own, goes its own way unlike nearby places where tourism plays a big role in the economy and the feel of the town.....I was walking along the streets yesterday and imagining where I would want to rent for a season....but will write a bit more, although I really say only a very small part of the town.... I want to mention the landscape along the drive I took through La Brena from Barbate port to Canos de Meca...

Mike, tell me what you like about the place so I can explore what I missed last times...IK\ did find very moving the monument to the citizens lost at sea in the disaster of 1960. I did not know that the "curse of Barbate" extends to a more recent, sickening event involving many migrant deaths in 2018.



https://english.elpais.com/elpais/20...74_950855.html


I've gone far out of order here..from the lunch at EL ALFEREZ to Madrid, where I've just returned from an exceptional dinner, and now back to Barbate...