ekscrunchy

Irice, yes!!! Maribel's photos and the videos on her Instagram have pointed me in this direction... I usually go in March, so have to figure out if the late Easter next year will work for me....
you know I was always a bit leery about the crowds during the holiday season, but I think if I have a hotel booked, I will get guidance from the hotel and from Maribel (!!) on how to manage it all..I think Jerez would be a good bet for me, and I LOVED that city on my last visit, a year ago.....

Maribel

Eks,
I will help you to manage it all, especially in Jerez, as I think it´s the best place for you to experience the majesty of Holy Week without the tremendous international crowds.
And you know this lovely city well already.

Jerez is not one of the 20 some Holy Weeks that are of "International Tourist Merit", like Sevilla, Málaga, Valladolid, Zamora, etc., but instead the processions in Jerez are of "national tourist merit", still they are very solemn and impressive, like the ones in Jaén, Úbeda and Baeza in eastern Andalucía.

Although I wish I had captured many more videos, sadly none of the 6 processions of the famous Sevilla Semana Santa "Madrugá" (madrugada=dawn), Thursday evening until Friday morning, were able to process because of the rain.

Many, many tears were shed because these processions hadn't been suspended since 2011.

As you saw on television, Antonio Banderas, who is the "capataz" (the one who guides) for the procession of the Virgen de Lágrimas y Favores, on Palm Sunday in Málaga wasn't able to process. His brother also belongs to that Hermandad. Banderas has it in his movie contract, wherever they may be filming, that he must be in Málaga during Semana Santa to fulfill his obligations to his brotherhood. This March his daughter was with him.

But in Sevilla we were able to see the most famous images, Jesús del Gran Poder, Esperanza de Triana and La Macarena in their respective churches, despite the long lines.

Some processions, when it started raining in mid procession, sought refuge in the nearest church or in the Cathedral, through which all of the Sevilla Semana Santa processions need to pass on the official route.
We just got very lucky with what we were able to capture, with great patience.

But the rain in the south was actually a blessing because it filled the reservoirs when before Semana Santa they were absolutely dry. The reservoirs in Málaga have enough water now for 3 months.

danon

“Many, many tears were shed because these processions hadn't been suspended since 2011.”

I am not sure if it was the same year (2011 ) or the same procession , but I remember how upset the TV announcer was when giving the news about the cancellation to the public.
We were in the city for 3-4 days staying close to Alameda de Hercules.
Visiting the churches , seeing the famous images (Jesus de Grand Poder and La Macarena ) and witnessing the devotion
of the believer was fascinating.
I wish I had the energy to “do” la SS again.

Maribel

eks,
I forgot to answer your question about free checked bags. I have Platinum Pro status on the AA Advantage program and am allowed 3 free checked bags. When I lived in the US I always booked with AA even when I flew in Spain connecting on Iberia, so I just checked those 3 bags for free, regardless of whether I booked a Premium Economy or Business Class ticket.
Do you belong to the AA Advantage program?

ekscrunchy

No, Maribel, I have IberiaPlus. My ticket last time said "ruby/silver". My problem is that my airline points are split between Iberia and Delta/exAlitalia. But I do have, in addition, a lot off Amex points.

Maribel

In the future we'll be flying Iberia almost exclusively, so now I have to build up my IberiaPlus points. I'll lose my AA Platinum Pro status at the end of March next year, so gone will be the 3 free checked bags.

ekscrunchy

I'd like to finish up with the Andalucia section of this report, so that I can move on to Marid, where I spent 5 wonderful nights at the hotel that has now become my "home" in the Spanish capital.

But before I finish up, I will conclude this part of the report with a few details of my lunches at EL CAMPERO, in the workaday "white" port town of BARBATE. Its not unusual for a restaurant to specialize in one dish, be it suckling pig at my favorite Segovia restaurant, JOSE MARIA, or suckling lamb (lechazo) at a number of restaurants in the lechazo heartland of Castilla including my beloved MANNIX, in Campospero, or turbot at ELKANO in the Basque port of Geteria. I'm thrilled to have been able to sample the centerpiece at these restaurants and hope to return to each one many times.

But I can't call up ANY restaurant in Spain that focuses with such laser-like precision not exactly on one dish, but on many dishes from every conceivable part of one animal: The bluefin tuna, known in Spain as ATUN ROJO DEL ALMADRABA. Each spring when these magnificent fish swim from the Atlantic Ocean through the narrow straits separating Spain and Morocco
to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean to spawn, they pass the towns along the Coast de Luz: Zahara de los Atunes (Zahara of the tunas); Tarifa; Conil de la Frontera; and Barbate, which comprise what is called the "Almadraba Coast.:

When they pass through the narrow passage, they are met by the labyrinth of underwater nets of the almadraba system which has been in use in these parts for about 3000 yers, since the epoch of the Phoenicians. This sophisticated system of catching fish is staggering in its complexity and requires many men to operate. Once the larger fish, weighing up to 500 lbs, are entrapped in the nets (the system allows the smaller tuna to pass through and continue swimming east to spawn), the fishermen enter the water to lift the now-heavy nets and tie the thrashing tails of the captured fish, so that they can be lifted and transferred to waiting boats which, once the day's quota has been reached, make their way to shore where some of them will make their way to the plates of the fortunate diners who have scored a table at EL CAMPERO. (If you are interested in the almadraba system, there are a number of photos on various online sites that give a closer look into the process).



which eventually find their way onto the plates of diners at EL CAMPERO and the other area restaurants (as well as restaurants as far as Madrid....and Japan.


Some will tell you that it was the Japanese that spread the fame of the bluefin from the Coast de la Luz back to their homeland and from there, around the world. And even today, there may be more Japanese diners at EL CAMPERO than there are Americans, who I've barely spotted in my trips to this area. In fact, I don't recall every meeting, or hearing, another American anywhere from Barbate to Vejer to Bolonia.(I've yet to have the pleasure of running into Mike from these forums, but I hope I will one day soon!)

You can find tuna on the menus of many restaurants along this coast. But I don't think that any of these restaurants showcase as many different parts of the fish as does EL CAMPERO.
Would you like to try my favorite, sashimi cut from the belly of the tuna? Or you in the mood for something more substantial, ground Mormo, the part just below the brain, smothered in the signature onion sauce....that one is delicious, too, so delicious that, a although I did not order it this year, I remember perfectly the flavors of those Mormo meatballs that I savored over a year ago! For the adventurous, EL CAMPERO offers dishes cut from the upper back, the mid back, and the lower back. And yes, you can even nibble the eyes!!!
You can devour tuna heart or tuna tail, tuna cheek, palate, brain, or chin. And even just plain tuna loin!
A new dish for me was the palate, the "parpetanna," cut into slices thinner than those for the ventresca, and anointed with a shower of large salt flakes.

The restaurant is a streamlined and airy white space, divided into two dining rooms for a more formal atmosphere. Between them, in the gleaming white bar area, my table sits, in front of the huge windows overlooking the white streetscape of Barbate, with the sea, beach and port area just a block away. And somehow whenever I enter, I'm always attended to by Manuel, who is always happy to introduce me to new dishes, and to suggest a glass of wine for lunch. (I'm afraid I sometimes disappoint him, as I often order from a roster of a few dishes that I love, including that sashimi, but I do try to sample one new dish on each visit.

View of EL CAMPERO bar area, from "my" table; notice that both of these local diners are wearing sneakers!! (I took an almost identical photos last year; back then the sneakers were white!!)

STARTERS; CRUDO (RAW DISHES); SHORT LIST OF CLASSIC DISHES; GRILLED DISHES. AT LOWER RIGHT IS A DIAGRAM OF A TUNA, IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE PARTS USED BY THE KITCHEN. These are the cartas offered to the diners at the bar, but all of the dishes (from the longer menu) can also be taken while seated at the bar. A a single diner, I preferred to eat at the bar, so I could watch the action. Bar tables are high-top, so keep that in mind if that type of seating is uncomfortable for you.

EL CAMPERO CARTA DE TAPAS; half portions of many dishes, for example the ventresca, are available. The vast majority of dishes are not shown on these photos; I hope to post a more complete menu if I can find a photo in my album...the carta changes slightly each year. For example, the "facera," the membrane under the eyes, which you'd have a hard time believing was fish and not meat, had a pine nut sauce last year; this years sauce was made with Porto.

ekscrunchy

BARON LADRON D GUEVARA, I always chose this semi-dulce white Rioja when I ordered wine with my lunch

EL CAMPERO CARTA--PART ONE: Where two different prices are shown in the right column, the price on the left is for a "media-racion," a half order. A full order is priced at the far right.
Eight pieces of sashimi de ventresca cost 24 euro. A full order of 18 pieces are priced at 36 euro. Served with the typical condiments: pickled ginger, wasabi, pickled daikon, soy dipping sauce

PART TWO of MAIN MENU: Shellfish and whole fish are almost always priced by weight. There is one pork dish and one beef dish on the menu. They also offer individual servings of rice dishes; many restaurants serve rice dishes only for two diners.

THE "CARTA" of the ATUN ROJO DE LA ALMADRABA, the tuna section of the menu and the heart of EL CAMPERO'S KITCHEN. Twelve pieces of sashimi de ventresca, a media racion (half order), cost 24 euro. A full order of 18 pieces are priced at 36 euro. The sashimi is accompanied by typical condiments of pickled ginger, wasabi, pickled daikon, soy dipping sauce.

ekscrunchy

I will insert this thread, from last year, into the section about EL CAMPERO. It has some additional information and photos about the restaurant, and about GADIRA, the fine shop opposite the Mercado de Abastos in Barbate, where I stocked up on tuna conservas and packets of smoked tuna and bottarga (the Italian word) two years in a row. As an update, I will say that its been a year since the photos in this link were taken and I've yet to open either of the two cans of tuna eggs--one can of male and one can of female--that I brought home from that trip.


https://www.hungryonion.org/t/photos...ampero/34738/5

Maribel

eks,
Excellent description of the ancient, Phoenician almadraba fishing technique!

For this year's campaign, the quota will be 6783.67 toneladas, the same as last year, that can be captured by a total of 811 boats and almadraba nets. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing assigns this quota each year in February.

If anyone wants to experience this first hand, there are companies based in Barbate and Tarifa that take passengers out to sea to view this process and witness the "Levantá", which is the action of raising the fishing traps to retrieve the blue fin tuna from the complex series of nets and lift them onto the boats.

The largest recorded blue fin tuna was 3.05-meters-long and weighed 684-kilograms!

Each of the 4 designated almadraba fishing towns in the late spring, from May until June, will celebrate their tuna festivals or "rutas gastronómicas de atún rojo".

Maribel

Parpatana is known in these parts as entrecôte de mar, the bone on the sides of the neck that joins the head to the trunk. It´s very lean and intense. My husband had it grilled, very juicy, as his main course at La Montería in Madrid a few weeks ago. There I had the morrillo, 3 small grilled steaks with roasted red peppers. The morrillo is similar in fat content to the belly, but with firmer meat.

ekscrunchy

Maribel I have to try Morillo next time!

I had a feeling that parpetana was not EXACTLY translated to palate, because each time a server tried to explain it to me, they would reach for their throat, or an area near their throat, and make vague hand gestures....only one server actually used the word "palate," in a translation. Honestly, one ought to take a zoology class before attempting to order from some of these tuna menus! Or is it Ichthyology?

Here are a few final pics from my lunches at EL CAMPERO, along with a few of Barbate. I should also add that if their online reservation page shows no tables available, you should try calling which, for me, always netted a table the same morning or the day before. (Of course it was not high season). ANTONIO does not take online bookings, so you have to call them; they are closed on Tuesdays, while EL CAMPERO shutters on Mondays.



The spiffy shop of GADIRA, known for high-quality products of tuna and other local fish

Mojama, air-dried fish, most often tuna, a delicacy all over Spain

Similar to the Italian delicacy, bottarga, these are the pressed and dried eggs of maruca, known as ling in English, and bacalao

Mural on the ceiling off the small, sparkling mercado in Barbate

Barbate food market

Stand inside Barbate food market

Some of the displays were still lifes come alive! So beautiful!

This small stand specialized in croquettes to take home and fry. At the far left are the containers of manteca color, the red lard that I brought back with me.

Payoyo is among the most celebrated local cheeses, available fresh, aged, and semi-aged. I brought one of each variety home with me!! Its a wonderful cheese.

mike1728

Ms. Eks,
we will definitely try to meet for a tapa and sherry, hopefully Maribel can join us. As I said, I’m not a foodie….but I eat very well in Zahara and Sanlucar….mostly homemade retinto meatballs, pork cutlets, and pizza, that we get from mom and pop shops….all home made. Love the Tinto Veranos for cocktails and the local vino…$2 a glass!, I refuse to pay the $18 a glass here in Boston. Ridiculous. As we discussed, nary a word of spoken English in the
Zahara Barbate area. Thank god for that😅. Have you ventured to the tip of the country to Tarifa? Or Gibraltar? Only an hour from Zahara.

ekscrunchy

Monument to 39 Barbate fishermen who disappeared in a maritime disaster in 1960; the names are listed on the back; many bear the same family names

Beach promenade in Barbate....sand is fine and almost white, but it can get very windy along this coast. I had to shield my eyes when I took a post-lunch walk.

The unprepossessing exterior of the single-story EL CAMPERO; in high season, they open a covered terrace across the street from the restaurant

Maribel

eks,
I thought of you today while spending the afternoon at my closest El Corte Inglés Hipercor. Oh my, I love that place! They sell everything under the sun!!! (except for Herpac, Petaca Chico or Gadira almadraba caught atún rojo).

We passed by the Río Frío caviar stand, and I had to control myself, after we passed by and stopped to shop at the Joselito stand. Which little jar did you purchase, the red or the black? Here it's priced at 119.

ekscrunchy

A Corte Inlges Hipercor!!! Be still, my heart!!! All the really big, great supermarkets must be out of the center, right? Ii suppose I could just take a taxi to one next time!
Maribel, I am pretty sure I had the dark red can. I could not get it open and had to go to the front desk and the guy there could not open it, either! he took it to the kitchen and they opened its for me. That was one of the greatest treats I ever bought myself.....I just cannot believe how delicious it was! it might have to become a ritual for me. I even saved the little tin, after I washed it out, and can use it for earrings... I am pretty sure it was 119 or 120 at M. Bravo. And did I mention that they delivered my purchases to the hotel at no charge, and even packed up the RioFrio with ice packs and bubble wrap?

Maribel

Ok, eks, you've convinced me! I checked the MB web site and it indicated they were out of stock, so obviously that´s not the case, and I'm glad you were able to purchase it there.
Besides, it's a beautiful shop in which to browse and what great delivery service (ice packs and bubble wrap).

Yes, that enormous ECI Hipercor, where one can purchase practically everything under the sun (except for Herpac/Gadira ventresca--couldn't find it) is located in Pozuelo. They have a great selection of jamón de bellota as well, and I have to drag my husband away from the cheese cave. He heads straight there.
We also sometimes have lunch at the Gourmet Experience in their Barra del Gourmet. It's just the biggest and nicest Hipercor near me.
There's the C10 or C-7 cercanías train that can take you close by, either from Atocha or Recoletos, or Uber or Bolt or Cabify can deliver you to the door (I have all 3 apps).

ekscrunchy

Maribel, I have the UBER app but never thought bout using it in Madrid. Is there any benefit to Uber instead of a taxi?


I have to add that I had so many interesting conversations with taxi drivers during this past trip to Madrid. To a man (and they were always male), the drivers were polite and helpful, and interesting to talk to...almost all were born in Madrid but I did meet one man who had emigrated from Romania 18 years before.

I think I mentioned the first driver conversation, from the airport to Atocha, when we discussed rabo de toro for the entire ride...the way to cook it, what to NOT do when cooking, etc etc.

I had another conversation when I asked a driver about up-and-coming neighborhoods in the city--I was curious about Malayan and about Tetuan; I'd never been to either but read about Tetuan recently, and it seems as if some parts are inviting, and convenient, while others were kind of seedy and, according to this driver, a hotbed of Dominican gangs. (Of course in the back of my mind I'm still dreaming about buying a place and I don't think you had ever looked there.....). I don't know bout the gang comments, because another article I read said that that was baloney..

Then yet another driver, prompted by my question, explained all about Canada Real; I had seen articles about that area in the local press. That driver told me he would never consent to drive a customer to that area and I understand why, after his lengthy explanation. He told me that even the police do not go there.....

And then, from Canada Real, a conversation with yet another driver veered off to the topic of what I think is one of the, pro THE, most expensive neighborhoods of the city, El Viso.
It was in the press that Amber Heard had just bought a house there after she got money from Johnny Depp; I did not follow their ins and outs but I was interested when I read that she bought. house in Madrid.

So when a driver picked me up after dinner at Sacha, I asked him about this area,, since I had an idea that it was not far away and sure enough, we went on a driving tour of El Viso, up and down a few of the streets and he pointed out what he said were the homes of various people whose names I forgot or never recognized in the first place. But I was shocked to see a district of large private houses behind high walls...just a few steps from Castellana!!! II had always wondered where the large private homes were in the capital and has assumed they were in a distant suburb. And here were a lots of them----right in what is pretty much the center of the city!!!! It was dark and I could not see much, but from the little I did see, it reminded me of some of those high-end areas in Mexico City near Chapultepec, where a distant uncle of mine once had a huge, and hugely ugly, sprawling compound.

Taking this little detour cost me very little over what would have been the price had I gone straight from Sacha to my hotel, so I now have the idea (best at night when traffic is lighter) of taking a few "taxi tours" to other areas next time.....for some reason I'd like to see Tetuan.

Well, I've really gone off the track here, so I will attempt to finish up with my time near Vejer (I spent 12 nights there) and move on to...Madrid.

ekscrunchy

Here are a few additional photos of my lunches at EL CAMPERO; I ate there three times during the 12 days that I spent outside Vejer. Each of my lunches cost just over 40 euro, with one glass of wine. The restaurant is about a 25 minute, easy drive from my hotel, over lightly traveled roads. Parking can be a small issue when the restaurant is crowded, but you can always find someplace within a block of the restaurant.

Believe it or not, this is a "lasagna" of tuna, composed of layers of a mousse made from the fish. It was astoundingly good, and served as a "welcome" dish.





Here is EL CAMPERO's magnificent Sashimi de Ventresca, sashimi of tuna belly, with grated carrots, grated daikon, pickled ginger wasabi and soy sauce.....If I had to choose one single dish to eat over and over again, every day of my life, I might choose this.....this is a half order, a "media racion."



Just look at the marbling of fat running through the fishs' belly!!!


This part of the fish was a revelation to me last year and I ordered it again on this trip. It is the ¨facera,¨the gelatinous membrane below the eyes, also referred to as "carrillada," cooked here with a sauce of Port.
If no one told me, I would never believe the I was eating fish and not meat....it is ¨falling off the bone¨ tender) although there is no bone! It bears some resemblance in texture to a great short rib stew and is just plain fantastic. Here is more information on the facera, and a photo of what it looks like before cooking.

https://petacachico.es/atun-rojo/facera/

It's just incredible when you imagine just how many different parts of the tuna can be incorporated into wonderful dishes and I can't imagine that any restaurant embodies this as well as EL CAMPERO. The facera was served with a dark green, maybe spinach, and over lovely mashed potatoes..both perfect compliments to temper the richness of the facera. You can see the restaurant's logo on their handsome paper placemats, used in the bar area. This is a half order, priced at 19euro.







This photo illustrates the succulence of the meaty facera.....again, reminding me of short ribs, but lighter.




At another lunch, I took a half order of the sashimi of ventresca, "sashimi de ventrresca aburi con yea de erizo" topped with sea urchin and decorated with delicious tiny branches of "alga." (30 euro media racion). Surprisingly, I preferred the simple sashimi of ventresca to this dish, although this was certainly wonderful.





One of the rare dishes of the entire trip that did not make me swoon with delight. New to the menu this season, this is "Bretzel de Atun," tuna pretzel, pretzel bread stuffed with cubes of cooked tuna in an onion and tomato sauce and topped with good mayonnaise. (There must be other ingredients but I neglected to ask). For 10euro it makes a tasty and good sized tapa but there are so many, many other dishes on the menus here that I will not be ordering it again. As with many of the dishes here, you would have almost no idea the you were eating fish once you bite in, which I guess could be a good thing or a not-good thing, depending on the diner. (My partner would probably love this!!)



As this was my last afternoon in the area, I decided to drive "home" while taking a detour along the coastal road that links Barbate to Conil de la Frontera. I will return to describe that, but want to post this now so I do not take a chance of losing any photos...

Maribel

I use a taxi within the city ALWAYS, but an Uber or Bolt or Cabify home to my suburb only if I don't take the bus or if my husband doesn't drive us in for some reason.

Madrid taxi drivers are great. Parts of Tetuán are sort of 'up coming", and the southern end barrios of Cuatro Caminos and Cuzco are fine. The northern area will change with the transformation of Chamartín and Madrid Norte, but I certainly wouldn't consider it yet. I lived in Cuzco for a year (very impersonal, didn't like it), directly across the Castellana from the Bernabeu Stadium, and this June we looked at a nice, 90 square meter flat I did like in Cuatro Caminos but my husband didn't.
And definitely NOT to Cañada Real!

Yes, I do know very well that Amber Heard has bought a house there and is very happy in El Viso, but it's a very pricey area of mansions, large single family homes, that we couldn't possibly touch. Yes, the home there are huge and quite impressive. I drive by every time I go up to Coalla Gourmet.
Isabel Preysler, "la Reina de la prensa roja, la Reina de los corazones" and former wife of Julio Iglesias lived there for years at Calle Arga 1 before she and her late (3rd) husband moved into a mansion in Puerta de Hierro, nicknamed "Villa Meona" because of its 13 bathrooms. But enough of the Hola magazine gossip....