ekscrunchy

Those Patatas Alinadas with Pulpo, again, with turmeric-stained bread (fantastic breads here!!) in the background. Sop up that dressing with the chunks of the crusty bread!!! Heaven. You could almost stop right there!!!

Tortillita de Camarones, signature dish of the Costa de la Luz and, especially Cadiz, where they are known as TORTILLITAS DE CAMARONES GADITANAS. This beauty tied with the Tortillitas at El Faro Bar in Cadiz but I've not tried them in Sanlucar YET!! They are made with tiny shrimp and, usually, a mix of what and garbanzo flour........ One of the best snacks in Southern Spain and ESSENTIAL for anyone visiting this coast.

One single, perfect specimen: Artichoke heart opened like a flower, cooked and crisped on the edges, draped with Jamon Iberico whose gossamer sheets lavish fat and flavor on the artichoke leaves below....an INCREDIBLE treat (5 euro) and one I find difficult to by pass when I dine at RESTAURANTE ANTONIO.

ekscrunchy

Continuing with photos I snapped on my iPhone, during two weekend lunches at ANTONIO, merged into one for simplicity/



Complimentary starter at one of 2 weekend lunches. A slice of (very sweet) carrot topped with a luscious mussel bathed in a citrus vinaigrette...Sounds so simple; tastes so complex, and so very good!

My beloved Sashimi de Ventresca (Ventresca is the prized belly of the tuna). This is a half ration, served with soy, wasabi, pickled ginger, a hot sauce, and an excellent hijiki salad. This is a favorite starter of mine along this coast, Spain's "Tuna Paradise. A whole portion can make a great lunch, and later that week, I took some home from another restaurant to enjoy such a lunch, in my room. Many of the good restaurants along this coast and slightly inland have a separate section on their menus featuring dishes made with "atun rojo de la almadraba." (Blue fin tuna sustainably caught in a net system dating back to the Phoenicians.)

Coquinas al Jerez, tiny clams from Huelva, sautéed in a sherry sauce.. Surprisingly, I found the sauce a bit too salty and the clams so tiny they were difficult to eat except with the hands. (So I used my hands to extract every bit of the tiny meat!). One of about 5 types of clams on offer at the restaurant that afternoon!

I took this photo to offer an idea of how miniscule these (now empty) clamshells were....

Another photo of the heaping plate of clams; this is a racion, a whole portion, priced at 25 euro, offered with one of two varieties of crusty, perfect bread. This chunk bears the yellow hue of turmeric.

ekscrunchy

The segment of ANTONIO'S Carta devoted to bluefin (atun rojo de la almadraba). Many of the dishes here, and throughout the long menu, can be ordered in half portions (Media raciones)
Tuna fanatics will also be in awe of the even more extensive selection of tuna cuts and tuna preparations on offer at nearby EL CAMPERO, the Barbate restaurant synonymous with tuna throughout Spain and far beyond. (I had lunch there a couple of days later, and consider EL CAMPERO, along with ANTONIO, to be my two favorite upscale places to eat on the Costa de la Luz.). Both sit within 15 minutes of each other, about a half an hour's drive from Vejer, and from my rural hotel.

Maribel

I agree with you eks. Our two upscale favorites for almadraba-caught tuna are El Campero and Antonio, where we last did a "doublete"--easy to do because they're close together.
We like to sit in the bar area at one of the banquettes. That bar that they made out of a boat is a great idea.
I don't find it snobbish at all--we were last there about 5 days before you and long before Easter, so the chic crowd hadn't yet arrived. Yes, there are some nice villas but it's pretty understated. A nice new 5-star hotel the Zahara Beach.

You mentioned migas at some point on this thread. I love them, both the Extremadura and the Navarran versions. There's a village in Navarra, Ujué, that's famous for its migas, but today I had the best version ever in Castilla-La Mancha, after wine touring (occupational hazard).
We had these migas at Restaurante Palio in Octaña, a Michelin Bib Gourmand and with one Repsol sun, with bits of green pepper, chorizo and a fried egg on top. Best ever!

I thought of you because they also had on the menu lomo en manteca. I think I mentioned that in Vejer in October they celebrate an international lomo en manteca day with tour buses bringing in hundreds or even a thousand people!

Migas con huevo frito-Restaurante Palio, Ocaña, Toledo

ekscrunchy

Catch-of-the day on ice, at RESTAURANTE ANTONIO in Zahara de los Atunes, Province of Cadiz, Region of Andalucia. Here, and at the top seafood restaurants throughout most of Spain, you can expect to have your selections priced by weight; prices per 100 grams, or 500 grams, or perkily (1,000 grams) are either printed on the menu or will told you to orally by your wait person. Be sure to ask the price before ordering, if you are wary.



Saturday's shellfish offerings,, displayed on ice and usually sold by weight or, very occasionally, by the piece (unidad). Remember that prices are presented in kilograms and not in pounds!
GADIRA is a very well-respected name in the tuna industry in Spain. Based in Barbate, they are wholesalers of tuna products, including tinned tuna of various cuts, to fine food shops throughout Europe and have two points of sale in the nearby town of Barbate. Another celebrated name here is Herpec and likewise, you will find their products in fine retailers throughout Spain and beyond. Tinned fish products, known in Spanish as conservas, have recently become accepted in sophisticated urban markets in the US. There is are several high-end retailers in Manhattan that sell canned Spanish fish, seafood and vegetables. This is NOT the canned tuna you ate as a child! I've seen cans of Ventresca tuna (coveted part of the fish from the belly) selling for upwards of $25 per can in Manhattan, at Russ and Daughters, Despana on Broomem Street, etc! (I make ventresca salad several times a month when I am back in my home kitchen!! We share one can between two diners and it's a favorite meal in our house). Needless to say, cans of ventresca are usually the heaviest purchases in my suitcase when I fly back to the US. Prices have risen drastically both in Spain and in the US, in the past year.

Maribel

And sometimes they aren't priced on the menu at all, as it will say S/M=según mercado (=according to the price at the market), as prices can change daily, and the waiter will recite the price to you.
Eks, did they have the prices per kilo on the menu or did the waiter recite them to you? Just curious, since at Antonio., we' ve had only bluefin in several guises.

ekscrunchy

Most prices were printed on the menu, but sometimes I would ask the waiter how much an order would cost. For example, grilled carabineros were listed at ANTONIO this afternoon at 190euro per kilo. But since I never know how many prawns would be in a kilo, or how many in an order I might select, I ask the waiter: How much will it cost to order 1 large carabinero?
Today, the one I chose weighed in at .22 kilo, so the end price was 41.80. (I'm really going all out here but I console myself that I'm only paying for one meal per day.)

Interestingly, my waiter Luis, told me that Carabineros were larger and sweeter than the "alistados," tiger prawns, which I think are the prawns with the darker rings in comparison with he scarlet-all-over Carabineros. The alistados were more expensive, at 195 per kilo, and the cigalas were listed at 215.

Maribel, do you think these prices are way out of line for a restaurant like this one, in this area??





Carta: Starters and Shellfish



Fish of the day, today at ANTONIO. (Lobster in center; black spotted shell). I had delicious grilled sole a few days ago.






INTERRUPTION: It looks as if I've just blown out the electricity on my floor attempting to charge my Waterpic!!!!! But help is already on the way!!!!

Maribel

No, eks, the prices aren't totally out of line, but they're on the very high side. Mariscos (shellfish) of the very finest quality, as you know well, are very pricey in Spain. The minute you order gamba roja de Dènia or carabineros or alistados or bogavante, you're looking at a pricey bill. We're used to that. We pay 4 euros each for oysters at the Mercado de la Paz, for example.
It will be interesting to compare these prices to those of D'Berto in O Grove.
Both are world class marisquerías, so I would expect prices to be more or less the same, but maybe less at D´Berto, closer to the source.

ekscrunchy

Road sign near hotel

Look who's coming this summer!

Growing haul of conservas on my bed....they seem to multiply by the hour!!









Thousands of white turbines sprout from the rolling green landscape of this wind-lashed region close to the Atlantic Ocean..there are different types of winds, with various names.
The Levante and the Poniente (named for the directions from which they originate) are the two most common in this area; its about three-quarters of an hour drive from Vejer de la Frontera to the windsurfing Mecca of Tarifa, the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula.

Maribel

Petaca Chico! They've opened a stand in the Mercado de la Paz and have also opened a brand new "show cooking" space, ALMADRABA EXPERIENCE, if you get to the market.

Gadira, Herpac, La Chanca, Petaca Chico and Balfegó (from Barcelona) now all sell the almadraba-caught bluefin tuna. Balfegó had a huge presence this Jan. at Madrid Fusión.

The Tío Pepe Festival is a BIG deal in Jerez. The trouble is that it´s hot as Hades there in August, but at least it´s in the evening!

Yes, the poniente and the levante winds! A poniente almost swept me away at Bolonia.

ekscrunchy

Maribel you're kidding!!! I'd not hear of this before but I saw it in El Jamon in Zahara and the store manager told me it was top quality.
I can see the probably difference in quality in just these few cans..
And I've yet to get to Gadira. (We liked the Yadira ventresca better than the Herpac after I brought both home last year.....there seems to be a VAST difference just between cans of atun roja de la almadraba. I prefer the brands with the long tranches (??) laid horizontally across the oval cans, like, as we agreed, Ortiz, which is not this type of tuna as it comes from the North. But I think even some of the atun roja brands follow that "layout." The Yadira, for example, seems more chunky.

I'm sure you've noticed the prominence of the Gadira name in the ice case at ANTONIO!!

My goodness, Maribel, I''m so busy typing that I just now noticed those MIGAS in your photo....I'm (using the nicer word here) salivating!!!!!

And with that, I MUST see about getting this electricity situation sorted soon, so I can read an actual book before going to sleep!!! I've been staying up WAY too late and therefore getting a very late start each morning....I do not like to do this!!! I feel I am missing far too much!!

Maribel

But we're all enjoying enormously your reports!

klavanche

Absolutely loving all of the detail and great recommendations in these threads about Spain. They are immensely helpful for planning an upcoming trip. This is my first posting on this site, so pls forgive me.if I'm not in the right place and need to start a separate topic and/or questions aren't appropriate.

We are likely to follow the itenerary suggested in other posts but were thinking of adding Valencia. Is it worth seeing? And also possibly San Sebastian in the Bosque area? I know it may be a timing issue but if only one trip to Spain and have up to 3 weeks, what are thoughts?

Also, Maribel, is there any way that folks can hire you to actually plan trips for them? I thought I read someplace that you are associated with a travel group/agency. If so, can we have a conversation off line? Sorry if it is inappropriate to ask here.

Maribel

klavanche,
Welcome to Fodors!
I think you'll receive more helpful replies to your questions if you start a separate topic and give us your travel dates.
Three weeks is a nice amount of time.
You will want to try to avoid the southern cities, however, if planning to travel in the summer, as it will be extremely hot.
You can private message me with any specific questions.

eks,
Here's an article about the October lomo en manteca event in Vejer.
https://vivavejer.es/vejer/1383482/e...internacional/

For this special International Day of Lomo en Manteca they prepared 3,500 kilos of it!

ekscrunchy

Klavanche: I will answer your question about Maribel. Through her very well respected travel planning service, she could formulate an itinerary for you based on your personal taste and budget. I can't imagine anyone knowing as much about traveling in Spain (and Portugal and parts of France) than she does:

https://iberiantraveler.com

You should start your own thread so your questions don't get buried under all these voluminous posts about the South.

ekscrunchy

Maribel: My curiosity is getting the better of me and I am trying to work out the neighborhood in Zahara where the most. upscale of the summer homes are located. I drove through the town of Zahara, and along the beach road to Antonio, and I also drove the pretty, rural road past La Zarzuela that leads directly into Atlanterra from the Cadiz-Tarifa highway.

I spotted a line of very large. houses set close to the road near the El Jamon supermarket. But these are not beach houses or beach estates.

Yesterday I made a right turn out of the Antonio parking lot (not one but TWO Maseratis parked yesterday afternoon!!) away from Zahara town. I drove south along that road, skirting the beach but there were more empty lots than houses and certainly not any lavish looking residences. The road eventually veers left, away from the beach, where a group of new-looking condos rose up, but neither were those the kind of summer places I'm envisioning for many of Antonio's patrons. Where should I be looking/gawking?

Maribel

eks,
Do you think the Antonio well-healed patrons may be participants in the Sunshine Tour? Are there any Sunshine participants at your little hideaway?

This is one of the luxury rentals. Did you pass by it? It's close to the Playa Cabo de Gracia but that's closer to Bolonia than to Zahara. .
https://www.luxuryestate.com/p831507...-de-los-atunes

And here's one that James Edition sent me, which, alas, I can't afford!
https://www.jamesedition.com/es/real...s-atunes-spain

There are some luxury villas in Cala de los Alemanes-- in between Cabo de Gracia and Cabo de la Plata.

klavanche

Thank you both so much! Will do!

ekscrunchy

Maribel, YES...Sunshine participants book out much of the inn during the tour dates which I think are February to April. But I've never heard them asking about outside restaurants and certainly would not imagine that they would drive to Antonio and I've never seen a diner at ANTONIO in the riding get-up the they seem to wear all the time.

The inn has (I think) two renovated "stables,' each one able to house 2 or 4 guests; they have (I think!) two bedrooms and a kitchen. Many of the Sunshine people tend to share those.. Most of the "Sunshiners" seem to be young (tall and slim!) women and a few come accompanied by an older woman who must be a coach (or a parent??). I promise to get some of the scoop about this. Last year I met one young (beautiful) American woman who was a participant and she showed me her Stables room but I don't remember much. If you stay there you are responsible for your own breakfast but you can have dinner (50 euro pp) in the dining room of the main house, where the menu is set but changes each night. (on nights the chef is away you need to. fend for yourself)

The Sunshines seem to be largely Northern European and they don't mingle much with us normal folks. Not at ALL standoffish, but many know each other from the events and from past years, so sometimes they have dinner at a large table in the dining room. I'm not sure I've ever heard any of them asking about ANTONIO or EL CAMPERO; I would not be surprised if many of the riders are even aware of these gems!! Maybe they have to make weight (??).

Last year, the young American rider used to go out late into Vejer to meet friends from the tour, but as I said, restaurants do not seem to be a priority for most of the competitors. But there does seem to be a big late nightlife scene in Vejer among them...from what they've mentioned. Much romance seems to take place among the riders, too, or least that's the scoop Ii got last year!!


Well..just lost a big chunk of text and photos detailing my first visit to EL PALMAR.....UGH!!!!

Maribel

Thanks for the scoop, eks. It makes perfect sense that the riders wouldn't go seeking gourmet restaurants since they must maintain their figures.

I thought we may have seen some Sunshine judges at La Castillería...weren't dressed in riding gear but had some sort of credentials around their necks...seemed to be La Castillería regulars, but maybe they had nothing to do with Sunshine. They were certainly known to Juan and the crew.