MADRID - 6 nights in October, what to do/see?
Jul 26th, 2019, 07:33 AM
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Maribel - thank you! We will have one very nice dinner - this is our first trip overseas since our honeymoon 14 years ago. Both restaurants sound wonderful! I can't imagine eating thistle, but it may not be the flowering weed that I'm familiar with...
Nelson - thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to pack snacks when we go to Toledo!
Nick - I've been following the "Madrid" hashtag on instagram and yes, the best pictures of Debod are when there's water. It's close to several sites we want to see, so we may be in the area a few times to know if there's water and make a trip back at dusk. And the changing of the guard sounds neat!
Nelson - thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to pack snacks when we go to Toledo!
Nick - I've been following the "Madrid" hashtag on instagram and yes, the best pictures of Debod are when there's water. It's close to several sites we want to see, so we may be in the area a few times to know if there's water and make a trip back at dusk. And the changing of the guard sounds neat!
Last edited by Flwrhead; Jul 26th, 2019 at 07:34 AM. Reason: additional thoughts
Jul 26th, 2019, 08:23 AM
#22
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,817
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flwrhead,
This is what the cardo navarro looks like:
Macrotina: CARDO A LA NAVARRA
The chef Karlos Arguiñano prepares them with almonds while some chefs in Navarra prepare them with tiny bits of Iberian ham (so make sure that the dish doesn't contain ham).
Not too far from your hotel, about a 12-minute walk north, is the casual dining spot, Las Tortillas de Gabino, good for vegetarians to try the delicious Spanish egg, potato (and sometimes onion) omelette that you'll find featured at every tapas bar. It's a place I recommend for lunch after a visit to the nearby wonderful Sorolla Museum (Spain's foremost Post-Impressionist).
https://lastortillasdegabino.com
One of the most acclaimed versions of the beloved vegetarian-friendly tortilla española (and there are so, so many "bests") can be found at the simple lunch counter, Casa Dani, in the Mercado de la Paz in the Salamanca quarter on Calle Lagasca/corner of Ayala, if you find yourselves walking around there. It's a favorite of José Andrés and it won "the best tortilla in Spain" award in a recent competition. A very large portion and cheap, 2,80 euros! *Dani's wife prepares it with sunflower oil in a cast iron skillet. She starts up the stoves every morning at 6:30 am, and she and her team make 400 tortillas a day both for consuming there at the 2 counters and for take out. I have it for a late breakfast every morning that I'm there. Casa Dani also serves an incredibly good value, market fresh 3-course weekday lunch menú del día, with many options for each course.
https://www.casadani.es
*
This is what the cardo navarro looks like:
Macrotina: CARDO A LA NAVARRA
The chef Karlos Arguiñano prepares them with almonds while some chefs in Navarra prepare them with tiny bits of Iberian ham (so make sure that the dish doesn't contain ham).
Not too far from your hotel, about a 12-minute walk north, is the casual dining spot, Las Tortillas de Gabino, good for vegetarians to try the delicious Spanish egg, potato (and sometimes onion) omelette that you'll find featured at every tapas bar. It's a place I recommend for lunch after a visit to the nearby wonderful Sorolla Museum (Spain's foremost Post-Impressionist).
https://lastortillasdegabino.com
One of the most acclaimed versions of the beloved vegetarian-friendly tortilla española (and there are so, so many "bests") can be found at the simple lunch counter, Casa Dani, in the Mercado de la Paz in the Salamanca quarter on Calle Lagasca/corner of Ayala, if you find yourselves walking around there. It's a favorite of José Andrés and it won "the best tortilla in Spain" award in a recent competition. A very large portion and cheap, 2,80 euros! *Dani's wife prepares it with sunflower oil in a cast iron skillet. She starts up the stoves every morning at 6:30 am, and she and her team make 400 tortillas a day both for consuming there at the 2 counters and for take out. I have it for a late breakfast every morning that I'm there. Casa Dani also serves an incredibly good value, market fresh 3-course weekday lunch menú del día, with many options for each course.
https://www.casadani.es
*
Jul 26th, 2019, 11:11 AM
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Casa Dani sounds wonderful! My husband makes his own tortillas so this will really be a treat for him and a challenge to duplicate when we get home.
I've marked all these on Maps and will be sure to try the cardo navarra!
Thanks again!
I've marked all these on Maps and will be sure to try the cardo navarra!
Thanks again!
Jul 26th, 2019, 11:24 AM
#24
We're intently following along on this thread.
Maribel: thank you! We'll certainly eat at Casa Dania when we're in Madrid in early Oct. ... our hotel in Recoletos is only a few blocks from there.
My biggest concern about our trip to Spain is the food. We're not vegetarian at all, but a few years ago my doc tried to get me to go on statins to reduce my cholesterol. I resisted and we agreed that changing my diet was a good compromise. Now 2 years later I've successfully brought down my total cholesterol by about 100 to the low to mid 100's, principally by reducing animal fats and eating more nuts, vegetables, and fish (the two things that I still most miss are ice cream and american hamburgers.) At least our planned relatively intensive walking and easy biking while we're there may offset some of the fat-laden diet that I fear I may have there.
And Maribel: In planning our month-long trip Barcelona - Andalucia - Extramurda - Madrid we've been making extensive use of your wonderfully helpful guides.
Maribel: thank you! We'll certainly eat at Casa Dania when we're in Madrid in early Oct. ... our hotel in Recoletos is only a few blocks from there.
My biggest concern about our trip to Spain is the food. We're not vegetarian at all, but a few years ago my doc tried to get me to go on statins to reduce my cholesterol. I resisted and we agreed that changing my diet was a good compromise. Now 2 years later I've successfully brought down my total cholesterol by about 100 to the low to mid 100's, principally by reducing animal fats and eating more nuts, vegetables, and fish (the two things that I still most miss are ice cream and american hamburgers.) At least our planned relatively intensive walking and easy biking while we're there may offset some of the fat-laden diet that I fear I may have there.
And Maribel: In planning our month-long trip Barcelona - Andalucia - Extramurda - Madrid we've been making extensive use of your wonderfully helpful guides.
Jul 26th, 2019, 01:55 PM
#25
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 29,611
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here's my 2014 Madrid TR. My focus was/is art so FWIW:
Madrid and London
Have a fabulous trip and please share what you do and see.
Madrid and London
Have a fabulous trip and please share what you do and see.
Jul 26th, 2019, 03:18 PM
#28
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 4,416
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Joannyc, those are gorgeous photos of the Temple of Debod. We were there in September 2017 during the day. It never occurred to us to visit it at sunset. Darn! I also don't remember the fountain.
Jul 26th, 2019, 04:36 PM
#29
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,817
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
elbegewa,
Yes, you'll be able to walk to Casa Dani in the market from your hotel on Recoletos. I like that location very much.
On Calle Recoletos, the rather chic Taberna Pedraza (recently moved from Calle Ibiza) serves a great tortilla as well, but it's "Betanzos" style, from Betanzos, Galicia. They even have a counter that displays how many thousands of tortillas they've sold since their opening day, 5+ years ago. At Taberna Pedraza they make their tortillas without onions and "runny"...delicious, but you have to like runny eggs, and some people don't.
Since you're focusing now on eating lots of vegetables and fish, you'll be delighted by the wonderful fish offerings in Barcelona, Andalucía and Madrid, heavenly for a pescatarian. When I'm dining out in Spain, I (almost) always order fish or crustaceans--cod, turbot, octopus, squid, hake, monkfish, sole, sea bass, grouper, red mullet, tuna & anchovies (fantastic!), shrimp from Palamós, Denia or Huelva...it's all good!
El Barril de Recoletos near your hotel is a seafood focused restaurant. Ocafú Taberna Gallega on Jorge Juan also offers many Galician seafood options. And the fishmongers' stand, Pescadería Oñate, at the Mercado de la Paz has an incredible display of this bounty from the sea.
Joannyc,
Beautiful sunset photos!
Yes, you'll be able to walk to Casa Dani in the market from your hotel on Recoletos. I like that location very much.
On Calle Recoletos, the rather chic Taberna Pedraza (recently moved from Calle Ibiza) serves a great tortilla as well, but it's "Betanzos" style, from Betanzos, Galicia. They even have a counter that displays how many thousands of tortillas they've sold since their opening day, 5+ years ago. At Taberna Pedraza they make their tortillas without onions and "runny"...delicious, but you have to like runny eggs, and some people don't.
Since you're focusing now on eating lots of vegetables and fish, you'll be delighted by the wonderful fish offerings in Barcelona, Andalucía and Madrid, heavenly for a pescatarian. When I'm dining out in Spain, I (almost) always order fish or crustaceans--cod, turbot, octopus, squid, hake, monkfish, sole, sea bass, grouper, red mullet, tuna & anchovies (fantastic!), shrimp from Palamós, Denia or Huelva...it's all good!
El Barril de Recoletos near your hotel is a seafood focused restaurant. Ocafú Taberna Gallega on Jorge Juan also offers many Galician seafood options. And the fishmongers' stand, Pescadería Oñate, at the Mercado de la Paz has an incredible display of this bounty from the sea.
Joannyc,
Beautiful sunset photos!
Jul 26th, 2019, 06:46 PM
#33
If you happen to be in Toledo around the October 12 National Day holiday, then it will be unbelievably packed. But not so much in the Cathedral Tapestry and Textile Museum, which I highly recommend since you say you like fiber arts. Even better than the also excellent Tapestry Factory in Madrid. It was empty when we were in there that weekend a few years ago.
Also around that date the cathedral and Alcazar are lit up at night, spectacular, so worth staying there to see even if you are just there for a day trip. You can have a meal at the Parador or La Ermita to enjoy the view. No problem getting veg food at either.
Great photos Joannyc!
Also around that date the cathedral and Alcazar are lit up at night, spectacular, so worth staying there to see even if you are just there for a day trip. You can have a meal at the Parador or La Ermita to enjoy the view. No problem getting veg food at either.
Great photos Joannyc!
Jul 29th, 2019, 09:33 AM
#35
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,049
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In Hortaleza, not so far from your hotel, you can find Honest Greens.
https://honestgreens.com/en/
Plenty of vegetables and organic meats, good prices and quick. There might a bit of a queue, but the place is quick. You order at the counter, pay and they bring it to your table. Mostly communal tables. I really like them.
If you and your husband like hummus, La Humusseria is a tiny, simple place between Fuencarral and Hortaleza. Their humus is really good, and they also had another place called La Falafeleria
https://www.lahummuseria.es/home-es?lang=en
https://www.falafeleria.es/home-es?lang=en
Superchulo is not bad, but I feel as if I am inside an Instagram post, and almost never look at the food
https://superchulomadrid.com/
And you can always go to La Ardosa in Colon and have a pintxo of their tortilla ... I am torn between La Ardosa and Casa
Bodega la ardosa
and it is a pity, I was going to send you to Arima, and I have remembered that the only vegetarian dish they have are the leeks ... but everything is so good ...
https://arimabasquegastronomy.com/nuestra-carta/
Bye, Cova
https://honestgreens.com/en/
Plenty of vegetables and organic meats, good prices and quick. There might a bit of a queue, but the place is quick. You order at the counter, pay and they bring it to your table. Mostly communal tables. I really like them.
If you and your husband like hummus, La Humusseria is a tiny, simple place between Fuencarral and Hortaleza. Their humus is really good, and they also had another place called La Falafeleria
https://www.lahummuseria.es/home-es?lang=en
https://www.falafeleria.es/home-es?lang=en
Superchulo is not bad, but I feel as if I am inside an Instagram post, and almost never look at the food
https://superchulomadrid.com/
And you can always go to La Ardosa in Colon and have a pintxo of their tortilla ... I am torn between La Ardosa and Casa
Bodega la ardosa
and it is a pity, I was going to send you to Arima, and I have remembered that the only vegetarian dish they have are the leeks ... but everything is so good ...
https://arimabasquegastronomy.com/nuestra-carta/
Bye, Cova
