Tasty, we have to trademark that phrase asap before someone else reads this..
Love the upcoming music thread....I have to ponder where to begin....Mali or Mexico???

I'm done, for the night!!!

I forgot to add something interesting for shoppers:

The last time I paid attention, a tourist had to spend a minimum of a couple of hundred euro in one store to qualify for a tax refund.

I went to the large Zara next to El Corte Ingles, in Sevilla. I picked out a few t-shirts and went to the cashier area (mostly self pay). While waiting for someone to help me, I struck up a conversation with a trio of South Korean tourists who were waiting to get paperwork allowing for a taxi refund at the airport. I asked the sales person and he explained that there is now no minimum that a tourist must spend in order to get a refund. So even though I was buying only 60 euro worth of goods (five cotton t-shirts) I could get about 12 euro back!! Unfortunately, I left my passport at the hotel (I almost never carry it with me), but if I had had it with me, I would have gotten the forms entitling me to that 12 euro or so money back.

I might be the very last person to know about this, but in case not, that's the story. Certainly worth carrying your foreign passport if you are planning on shopping!!

You're not the last person, eks, I've just learned something new. But now that we live here we can't get our VAT back, boo, hoo. That's certainly good to know for others.

I sure hope that you're warmer in your beautiful, cozy La Janda hideaway than we are up here in the Madrid Community. But at least it's not raining!

Once again, I deleted my post by mistake when I tried to post photos, so here goes, again:

I finally saw some sun on the drive from Jerez to my hotel near Vejer!!!!
Today is sunny but very windy, and I will bring my padded vest and a jacket when I go for lunch near Zahara de los Atunes, where I booked a table for 2:30pm (takes a few phone calls and e-mails to do this), because the restaurant is directly on the beach, known for being windy even when its calm a few miles inland.

This is the third March I've visited this hotel and I feel very at home. There are only about ten rooms; it's like staying at the country home of a wealthy friend. Very informal; I think some might refer to the style as "Andalusian boho chic." Lots of worn tiles (owner has, or had, a tile business in London), stone, brick, stucco and weathered wood. Walls are what I think of is Venetian plaster but more rough, without any shine; a pale pink. Furnishings are probably vintage finds, maybe a little worn but it all comes together very well. As usual my fellow guests are the competitors in the Sunshine Tour, a big horse event that takes place in a club nearby.

Last night I had dinner here--three courses. (I tried to post photos but that's when everything got deleted so will try to post this text and add the photos later;
Gambas al ajillo--shrimp in garlic--were excellent.
Solomillo (roast beef???) was good but she (Connie, the cook) served the meat with a wonderful vegetable that I first thought was sweet potato. But it was CAULIFLOWER, maybe the best rendition of that vegetable I've ever had!!!!

She never discloses her recipes but from poking around in the kitchen, I am almost sure that she mashed up the cauliflower and added onions that she had browned, earlier. There were also bits of cooked red pepper, but there were other ingredients that I MUST investigate because I will try to replicate this as soon as I get home. Connie's very secretive about her recipes!! So this will take further snooping, I'm afraid....

Last year I learned a wonderful salad dressing tip from here--add both lemon AND ORANGE juice (fresh) to your vinaigrette. Just those, with good olive oil and flake salt (She uses La Carmencita brand, which she bought for me last year but I think it's available widely in supermarkets...it's not at all fancy and not expensive but it has very large flakes, larger than Maldon.

For dessert we had almond tart, but I must say that this was good if not as fantastic as the authentic Torta de Santiago from that city, in Galicia (that's among my favorite cakes, anywhere!). And vanilla ice cream, too.

It's very good to be able to eat here at night, rather than having to drive in the dark, but I do plan on doing some night driving, if only to VENTA PINTO (pork and red lard bocadillo!!) which is close to here and has a parking lot across the street. Also close is LA CASTILLERIA but I don't think they are open for dinner during this month. (I will go for lunch Monday). And maybe I will be brave and attempt driving up into the town of Vejer for dinner one night.....

I will post the photos of the dinner later; do not want to delete this text again... Also, the internet here is a little spotty in the room.

Hi eks,
Solomillo could be pork tenderloin or beef tenderloin but it was probably La Janda beef (??).

You are right, Maribel; it was beef. It was written on the chalkboard menu.
Tonight she made Secreto Iberico, which I loved last year. But I had lunch at ANTONIO (!!!) so I skipped it.
More on that later on; I will try again to post photos of the dinner at the hotel last night, with the solomillo:


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Dinner at my hotel, first night after arriving: Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp w with garlic sauce)
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Shrimp, from my table in living/dining area of hotel.
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Beef solomillo (local Retinto beef) over wonderful chunky puree of cauliflower and browned onions; I love their beautiful hand-made-looking pottery plates

Your trip brought me back to our short but wonderful time in Sevilla in 2019. I found my tr (we’re also all about the food) and it’s looks like you gave me good advice for that trip. We used to go to Europe twice a year and I’ve made use of your great trip reports especially from Chowhound. Still remember reading your TR about Matera, and knowing that I had to go there. I included a bit from the report for old time sake-

.”Here’s a summary of our visit to Sevilla and Granada that I wrote up on Chowhound. Our three meals in Sevilla were amazing!

We are enjoying Sevilla. A beautiful place and it reminds us a little bit of where we live, Santa Barbara. The Casa del Poeta hotel is lovely and a beautiful spot to sip some cava in the early evening in their stunning courtyard. Our first night here, we walked up to La Azotea (Calle Condé de Barajas) and I basically handed my notes from this thread to the waiter and said we want this meal (thank you Eks!). So we had the delicious large shrimp with sherry, small clams with artichoke, a larger artichoke dish with sweetbreads in a cheese sauce and then sliced angus beef with tomatoes, peppers and French fries. Needless to say we were stuffed but very happy. We ended up chatting with the owner Juan for awhile, his wife is from California, he lived in San Diego for awhile and my husband and he discovered a mutual love of surfing. Really delicious meal and I think we may go back to the more casual bar across the street tonight for our last dinner. Next day, after a big breakfast at the hotel we visited Salvador church and also got tickets for the Cathedral. For a very light lunch we went to Torch coffee, a third wave coffee place (very hipster) on the street that runs next to the river. For dinner we walked back up to the same neighborhood and put on our name in at Bar Eslava. We ended up outside on a high table and had a great succession of tapas. The cigar with cuttlefish, razor clams, the egg on mushroom pate, croquettes with delicious side potatoes, artichoke with almonds and salt cod and spare ribs with honey. Sadly they were out of fried sea anemone. Everything was wonderful and I had some very nice Albariño at $3 a glass. We always marvel at how inexpensive wine and beer is in Europe. In the US our wine costs would have been at least triple the cost.

Just to wrap up, we had a delicious last dinner at Petit Corner after a lovely afternoon at the Alcazar, perhaps my favorite over the Alhambra. We got there at 8 and got a table that had to be vacated by 9:45. Started with a tuna tartare because I realized we hadn’t had tuna yet and I knew the region is well known for its tuna. It was very flavorable and a nice change of pace. We continued with crougettes, artichoke with Ibérico ham, a duck and foie served on toast and one of my favorite dishes anywhere ever, octopus with “silky” potatoes, truffle oil and an egg. Just a delicious flavor bomb. Highly recommend. We had 3 wonderful dinners in Sevilla. Paris has a lot to live up to!

Wow, that artichoke at Casa Morales looks so gorgeous. I haven't seen anything like it. Thank you so much for sharing your exploits.

I've fallen down on the job with this thread; I did add comments to one I'm writing about food for www.HUNGRYONION.ORG, but to continue here:

I've been at my little hideaway outside Vejer for a week now. Anyone looking for sightseeing tips, or anything NOT related to food, will not find much of interest from here on. (Not that there was much of that in the first part of this report!)

Picked up rental car at the small Jerez airport and drove to this rural inn, where I'd been two times before. Even though the weather has not been on my side, I've gotten out most days. It's usually on off and on mixture of rain, drizzle and clouds interspersed with brief periods of sunshine. One constant is the wind---on some nights I hear it howling outside my windows (mixing with the chickens crowing early in the morning). But I've been sleeping extremely well; this room is large and very comfortable. Guests have the run of the place--so I can scurry down for a drink from the "honor bar," or for my stash of cheeses that I keep in my own designated container in the fridge, which is wells stocked with sherries, sodas, and waters.

I've been having breakfast around 10am and then lounging around, reading and generally wasting time, until the hour approaches for lunch. Most days I've had a reservation at a restaurant within a 35 minute drive. This part of the COSTA DE LA LUZ must have one of the highest concentrations of great restaurants than any rural area in Spain (well, maybe not counting the Basque Country and Asturias....and maybe Galicia...ok forget I wrote that. ). I'm talking about really SUPERB eating!! So I've been taking full advantage. The trouble is, there are so many restaurants I want to try and even though I have two weeks, it's not enough since I return to my favorites as many times as I can..

I usually book a table for 2 or 2:30. So lunch finishes by 4pm or so. Then sometimes I take a detour to get back to my hotel. It's a pleasure to drive around here, as the roads are impeccable and there is very little traffic, since the deluge of tourists that come for the beaches has not yet arrived. When I get back "home," I head for the pool and swim my laps, sometimes until 6pm or even later if it's not raining or too windy. since I have the large lunches on most days, I have only cheese and fruit in my room for dinner. But tonight, for example I'll be eating downstairs in the large living-dining area, where secreto Iberico, a cut of pork that I like, is on the menu. (I missed it last Saturday since I had eaten a giant seafood lunch a few hours earlier)

Well if there is anyone not yet sleeping, I'll tell you that yesterday I took a drive that had me almost breathless. It was raining hard when I left RESTAURANTE ANTONIO, which is probably my favorite restaurant in the area and I'm sure is among the best seafood restaurants in Andalucia.


I'm going to take an annoying break here; I want to post in bits because the wireless is a little spotty and I've already lost a few long posts....

..so yesterday I left the restaurant in Atlanterra, a coastal strip just east of the little town of Zahara de los Atunes, bound for my hotel, in the countryside outside Vejer.
Instead of taking the quickest route, I drove along west the coast from Zahara, bound for the large fishing town of Barbate. The road was almost empty and there was drizzle and fog casting a silvery shroud over the landscape. I don't think I've ever driven a stretch of road that kept me exclaiming, over and over again, out loud: "Look at this!! Will you just look at this!!!!" To my left was the Atlantic, frothy with big waves. And edging the sea, between the water and the waves, a curving lien of white sand beach that gave way to sloping grassland dotted with large, mostly red cows. There were more cows to my right, before the grass stopped at tall grey cliffs. it looked like photos of those gorgeous Irish coastal stretches I've seen in films. (Remember Ryan's Daughter? I'm making a mess of the description but I was in awe. And barely a car in sight. And no buildings!!! Just once or twice, a small house offering bait and fishing supplies for sale. No other people, save for a couple of men with their fishing poles. This has to be one of the best beaches in Europe and there was no human stain anyplace.

Even when I reached the outskirts of Barbate, the white buildings looks like sugar cubes, rising out of the mist. It was just so beautiful, I felt like crying!

From there, I drove through the edge of Barbate, and back to my hotel....but I'll never lose the mental images of that drive!!

And the reason I took that drive in the first place, was to lunch at ANTONIO; I've been there twice in the past week, so here is a mix of photos from both lunches; two dishes are repeats--the sashimi of belly tuna and the carabineros, the large scarlet prawns-- both are local to this coast.





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View of Atlanterra beach, outside Zahara de los Atunes (Zahara of the Tuna) from RESTAURANTE ANTONIO
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These are the roads like I've been navigating almost every day; very little traffic and fun to drive! I always request that my rental car has a built-in GPS, which makes getting lost almost impossible, and gives me so much peace of mind, driving alone and sometimes after dark. Sunset comes about 7:30pm this third week in March
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Entrance to main road, from unpaved lane that leads to my tucked-away, country hotel. The hotel has about ten rooms and few are occupied right now. So I feel as if I'm in my country estate!!

RESTAURANTE ANTONIO. I wrote about this last year, and probably the year before, since this is my third year here and I've visited the restaurant quite a few times.
While the prices seem high, they represent excellent value. I usually take a half order of a dish. This is my main meal of the day since I do not have dinner on the days that I eat here, or in other restaurants. Sometimes I find myself eating lunch at 4pm, not so much earlier than my usual diner time back home in the winter.


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The bar area at ANTONIO, where I sit at a high-topped small table facing the bar
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Complimentary mussel in escabeche. Why do the mussels here taste so much better than those back home? Bread at left is flavored and colored with turmeric..terrific!!
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Braised leek with bits of black truffle and black salt..draped with a razor-thin slice of Iberian bacon whose fat melts into the vegetable....incredibly flavorful touch..drape this over almost any vegetable.
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Pair of scarlet Carabinero prawns...my favorite thing to order here. Look at the juicy innard liquid!!
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Complimentary croqueta filled with spinach and local Payoyo cheese; you can almost always depend on croquetas to be delicious!! So if you see nothing else on a menu that appeals, go for these. They might not be as delicious as this one, but you will probably be happy with your choice. More usual fillings are jamon, cheese, and both together.
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Sashimi of ventresca, raw slices of the bluefin tuna caught every spring along this coast using a sustainable net system dating back to the Phoenicians. Many Japanese gourmands visit this area to eat bluefin tuna. Restaurants use parts of the fish from the brain to the tail and almost everything in between. The next day I visited EL CAMPERO, considered by many to be the best tuna restaurant in the world. Many Japanese come there to indulge.
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A pair of \"alistado" prawns from Huelva, source of some of Europe's most adored shrimp. Spanish restaurants usually leave the head on, for it contains much of the taste. Wipes and water with lemon are offered to clean your fingers. The meat of these was incredibly sweet. No comparison to most shrimp I've tasted in the US, even in Louisiana.
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A Carabinero prawn..I used the turmeric break to sop up all of the delicious liquid in there inside cavity, which acted like a bowl.... For a seafood lover, these are heaven.
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Close up of the carabinero with flesh lifted high; turmeric bread for sopping up juices is at right



Here are some of the day's offerings, including
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Part of the day's catch at ANTONIO restaurant on the Costa de la Luz in Andalucia, including three types of shrimp

Wow ekscrunchy what a great trip and the food photos are mouth watering. Seafood looks deliciously fresh. I love the photo from Antonios looking at the sea over the sand. Enjoy!

Thanks, RainyCityGirl!!

I've not kept up with this report. I've visited a couple of restaurants--EL CAMPERO, VENTA PINTO and ANTONIO, several times.

I will post a few more photos of new (to me) dishes.

Today I'm relishing my last full day at my hotel near Vejer. I've had two full weeks here and am in the process of booking for a longer stay next March..(2026, ojalal!!)


I know my time here is probably no model for others, as I've mainly driven out only for one late lunchl a day and spent the rest of the time relaxing here (we finally have had beautiful weather, in my second week) at the salt-water swimming pool. As there are never more than two or three (out of a total of six) rooms occupied, I feel as if I am on my weekend estate in a dreamscape...and the staff here are now more than just staff..they have become almost friends.

Yesterday Jessica, a manager who I came to know during my two previous stays and who now enjoys maternity leave to care for her first child, came back to visit and it was a joyful reunion with here, not only with her daughter but her mother as well....so staying here for me means more than just staying at a random hotel. But this is that kind of place and if anyone is interested, I am happy to share the details about the hotel if you send me a message.....you will find it if you do a search for real hotels outside Vejer de la Frontera.


I very rarely write reviews on TripAdvisor but I did write one for RESTAURANTE ANTONIO, and you can read it here, along with their nice response:


https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...Andalucia.html


What I meant to add here was this: I've taken many, many trips to Spain and to Italy, in previous decades. Many times I've rented a car, but my partner has done the driving.
In 2023 for the first time, I took a chance and rented a car for a solo visit to Andalucia. (Partner stayed at home). I was terrified!! But it worked out so well.

Since then, I have done the driving on three trips to Italy (with partner along as navigator but also with GPS in car) I found myself far more relaxed when I drove, rather than being in the passenger seat--even in Sicily, which does NOT deserve the reputation for being a difficult place to drive in....

Not only that, but this is the THIRD trip I've taken (2023, 2024, and now--2025) to Andalucia on my own. Every day I am more and more confident and I can say that the driving in this area is a LOT less stressful than driving in the NYC area where I live.

But the BIG milestone took place the night before last.
I do not like having to venture out during beautiful, sunny days to spend the afternoon in a restaurant. I'd much rather relax and take small explorations in the immediate area, and then go out for dinner, after dark.

But until Wednesday night, I'd been afraid to drive after dark. Nevertheless, I took the chance and drove from here to Barbate, a drive of under 35 minutes, for a solo dinner at EL CAMPERO. It was SO EASY!!!! Yes, I drove slowly and I did have a few drivers on my tail. I pulled over a few times to let them pass and I tried to maintain calm, even when there were 4 or 5 cars in back of me.....

And it worked out just FINE!!!! I found a parking spot on the street in Barbate, walked to the restaurant, had a lovely dinner, and drove home, arriving around 10:30 or so....

Not only that, but I took another after-dark drive on another night to a "venta" about 10 minutes from here...IN THE DARK!!
There are no streetlights but the headlights provided perfect illumination.

I know this sounds lame to people who think northing of driving after dark but for me it was a big step and I find myself so happy that I will not find my mealtimes curtailed, and can now feel secure venturing out in the car after dark!!

After all that, I'll post a few photos of my dinner on that night---at EL CAMPERO, the legendary tuna "temple" in Barbate, on the Costa de la Luz in the province of Cadiz:


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Aperitivo of tuna lasagna..impossibly thin sheets of pasta wedged between luscious pate of bluefin tuna
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The bar area of EL CAMPERO on a Wednesday evening at 9pm
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Half order of sashimi of bluefin tuna!!!!!! Melt in your mouth! One bit and ascend to gustatory paradise (ouch..sorry for that!!).
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This is a half order of parpatana of tuna...with curried coconut sauce...the parpatana is a very fatty cut of the fish, located between the head and the belly..somewhere in there !!! I doubt if you would find this cut outside Spain and even then, not outside restaurants in this area and in Madrid...(Maribel will know more!!). If you see it on a menu--order it..you have not had any part of any fish that tastes anything like this one.....outstanding!!! Can this really come from the sea????
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Again, melt in your mouth..it pulls apart like no other fish I've seen tried...incredible!!! Total bill that night, with white wine and bread/cover: 54 euro.

I love reading about your trips! Well done for the driving in the dark bit, too. I'm sure your reports are inspiring to others, too. Although I do I have a slight suspicion that people are always nice to you because you are so nice yourself and to them (even though I've never met you!)

Oh the food looks so good, look at that sashimi! Sounds like a wonderful trip, beautiful place to stay where you feel at home and good for you driving all over the place.

Everything looks so delicious. I think I had some of my favorite meals in Europe in Spain. And thanks for your kind words about my broken wrist and our mutual low level dissatisfaction of our user names. Under my present circumstances I’m just excited to get out of the house and got to go to the Santa Barbara farmers market this morning and have some great Mexican food last night. I am also mastering the art of driving with one usable arm. I believe you live in New York City so at least you don’t have to drive there and everything is walkable or taxi or subway friendly. Have a safe trip home.

ek, I'm just catching up with this report, being in Florida, staying with a friend for a couple of months and spending most of my time swimming and enjoying the sun!😁
Everything looks and sounds wonderful, as usual. I do have to note that I've had gelato in Italy more times than I can count and have never paid 7 Euro! I think the most has been 5 Euro, and often less than that.

Thanks for reading!!
Susan, I'm probably wrong bout the 7euro gelato in Italy...that does sound high, although maybe for a very large cup (??0

MacDogMom: I hope the wrist is coming along. I do live in NYC most of the year, but we do have a car, and with the Greenmarket, I often have my partner drive me and wait for me (feverishly scanning the area to make sure a meter person is not gong to pounce and give him a ticket) while I shop. Otherwise, imagine carting all the stuff home don the bus?
I'm so envious of those gorgeous markets you have in California!

I'm back home now after an amazing trip. Besides the food, I was overwhelmed at just how KIND everyone seemed. Every last person, be it a hotel worker, a pedestrian on the street who I stopped for directions..etc etc....they were just so warm and friendly and just plain NICE. I know this reads pretty silly but it's how I felt. Maybe an "older" woman alone gets special treatment (??). I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I speak Spanish but I also feel this in italy,, so.. Do you all have similar feelings?

I'll come back and write a little wrap up and for now, 'm just dreaming of the next trip!! I really do feel as if I have to cover a lot of ground while I still can.

I spent a night in Jerez at the end (I drove there from Vejer and dropped my car at the airport, then took taxi into the city for one night)
Next day, I had a flight to Madrid from Jerez with a connection to the US of 1 hour 5 minutes. I knew about that connection time all along but I guess I put it out of my mind until the day before, so by the time I got to Jerez airport, I'm very nervous. I tell the flight attendant I have a very short connection and when I tell her just how short, she frowns and agrees that this is very tight.

Well, can you imagine that I not only made that flight but I had time to spare to go to the lounge and have two slices of a fantastic baked vegetable dish encased in pastry...with spinach and cheese..AND time to use the facilities!!!

There was no extra security check before boarding the flight to Miami....I was sure I'd have to go through another one but no! So the only security check was in Jerez, before boarding the flight to MAD. Once in Madrid it was only through immigration and then onto the plane.

I'm still in a fog but this was absolutely a DREAM trip, and I already booked my stay for next March I the hotel outside Vejer.

Also, I seemed to have gained 6 pounds in three weeks. But I will weigh myself again later..I wonder if flying swells your tissues a little (??).

Yes, perhaps 7 Euro for a large cup.of gelato. I never had that size! 😁
Great to hear that everyone was so kind.