Spain and the breakfast thing
Oct 21st, 2007, 11:59 AM
#41
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Hi Mikel,
double shot expresso is something like two solos. Extra strong. Given pdx´s description, I´d say that the best idea would be to ask for a "cortado doble".
How are things in Bilbao? I haven´t been there since september, and I really miss it (although this weekend in Sevilla has been great).
Bye, Cova
double shot expresso is something like two solos. Extra strong. Given pdx´s description, I´d say that the best idea would be to ask for a "cortado doble".
How are things in Bilbao? I haven´t been there since september, and I really miss it (although this weekend in Sevilla has been great).
Bye, Cova
Oct 21st, 2007, 12:05 PM
#42
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Hi Cova, great to hear from you again
10th anniversary of the Guggenheim, great night show last Friday (fireworks, music, lights...), new look of Puente de la Salve (I think I like it), and free entry today.
A couple of new restaurants, posh and expensive, Waterboys in concert next Tuesday, Nacha Pop on Wednesday...business as usual
And best of all, three dry weeks in a row, sunny and nice every single day...and more next week
10th anniversary of the Guggenheim, great night show last Friday (fireworks, music, lights...), new look of Puente de la Salve (I think I like it), and free entry today.
A couple of new restaurants, posh and expensive, Waterboys in concert next Tuesday, Nacha Pop on Wednesday...business as usual
And best of all, three dry weeks in a row, sunny and nice every single day...and more next week
Oct 22nd, 2007, 07:22 AM
#43
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Some points from a recent trip to Barcelona; we ate breakfast away from the hotel each day and for breakfast had either just cafe con leche and something to go with it at a small cafe, or breakfast (twice) at the Boqueria.
1. Breakfast at a cafe. There are so many cafes where you can have just coffee (cafe con leche) and something light that I won't tell you where to go, but one morning we had two coffees (1.50e each) and two chocolate croissants (1.60e each). Another morning, at another cafe, we had two coffees (1.65e each) and two pasta xocolats (2.50e each). These sound wierd but are flakey pastries about 8 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, and filled with chocolate. Go for it.
2. Breakfast at the Boqeria. There are three or four bars in the Boqueria and we ate at two in particular, one because it is famous (and good) and the other because of the variety of the food. We later ate lunch here. They close late in the afternoon)
-Bar Pinotxo (Pinocchio). We had cafe con leche and a croissant here and I do not have the cost, but it was comparable to the cafes. This gets crowded but since people are only having breakfast it moves quickly.
-Kiosko Universale. One morning while walking through the Boqueria, the big covered food market off La Rambla, we watched people eating breakfast here and decided to go back, and this is where we started to fall into a more Catalan mode of eating.
One mornng we had
-two cafe con leche (1.20e each)
-two fired eggs (2.50e) just so that we had something to go with the five, fresh sausage links that they grill for you right there (3.60e) And natually what is sausage and eggs without patatas bravas (2.50e). And, just like everyone else who was having a late breakfast, we had a cerzeza (1.50e) Total...12.50e, about $15.00.
On a second visit we had
-two cafe con leche (1.20e each)
-a big slice of the spinch tortilla, which is more like quiche, (5.00e) and a plate of another kind of sausage (2.50e). But this time we finished with two cervezas (1.75e each). I don't know why there was a difference.
3. If we stopped in the afternoon just for a drink we always ordered either a draft beer (cerveza), a bottle of beer (Voll Damm is the darker, more tastey version), a glass of red wine (vino tinto) or a glass of the local champagne (cava, either red or white), and a dish of olives (olivas variadas). The drinks would run from about 1.10e to 3.00e and the olives about 2.00e. We could not imagine sipping a drink without snacking on olives or a plate of cheese or ham (jambon), but there is a dish of small, roasted, green peppers that
4. Cava bars. There were two places that we found in a guide book that specialized in cava;
- El Xampanyet, C/Montcada 22. They also serve food here and it looks very good, but we simply sat and sipped several glasses of the red cava. 1.10e / glass. I started liking the red best.
- La Vinya del Senyor, Plaça de Santa María 5 (across from the church) This became one of our favorite places to sit and drink but there are only four tables outside so it may take a while to sit down. You can sit at the bar or at a small table upstairs if you prefer. This is famous for the variety of the wine, and there is no beer served here. One afternoon we just decided to order a bottle of red cava (12.00e) and spend some quality time. But this is us trying several diferent glasses (copas) of wine with a dish of cheese (plattillo formatges) for 17.45e:
copa a. torello 2.65e
copa perelada 1.90e
plattillo formatges 7.50e
copa dido la universal 2.40e
copa s. villarica rva 3.00e
Pjk
1. Breakfast at a cafe. There are so many cafes where you can have just coffee (cafe con leche) and something light that I won't tell you where to go, but one morning we had two coffees (1.50e each) and two chocolate croissants (1.60e each). Another morning, at another cafe, we had two coffees (1.65e each) and two pasta xocolats (2.50e each). These sound wierd but are flakey pastries about 8 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, and filled with chocolate. Go for it.
2. Breakfast at the Boqeria. There are three or four bars in the Boqueria and we ate at two in particular, one because it is famous (and good) and the other because of the variety of the food. We later ate lunch here. They close late in the afternoon)
-Bar Pinotxo (Pinocchio). We had cafe con leche and a croissant here and I do not have the cost, but it was comparable to the cafes. This gets crowded but since people are only having breakfast it moves quickly.
-Kiosko Universale. One morning while walking through the Boqueria, the big covered food market off La Rambla, we watched people eating breakfast here and decided to go back, and this is where we started to fall into a more Catalan mode of eating.
One mornng we had
-two cafe con leche (1.20e each)
-two fired eggs (2.50e) just so that we had something to go with the five, fresh sausage links that they grill for you right there (3.60e) And natually what is sausage and eggs without patatas bravas (2.50e). And, just like everyone else who was having a late breakfast, we had a cerzeza (1.50e) Total...12.50e, about $15.00.
On a second visit we had
-two cafe con leche (1.20e each)
-a big slice of the spinch tortilla, which is more like quiche, (5.00e) and a plate of another kind of sausage (2.50e). But this time we finished with two cervezas (1.75e each). I don't know why there was a difference.
3. If we stopped in the afternoon just for a drink we always ordered either a draft beer (cerveza), a bottle of beer (Voll Damm is the darker, more tastey version), a glass of red wine (vino tinto) or a glass of the local champagne (cava, either red or white), and a dish of olives (olivas variadas). The drinks would run from about 1.10e to 3.00e and the olives about 2.00e. We could not imagine sipping a drink without snacking on olives or a plate of cheese or ham (jambon), but there is a dish of small, roasted, green peppers that
4. Cava bars. There were two places that we found in a guide book that specialized in cava;
- El Xampanyet, C/Montcada 22. They also serve food here and it looks very good, but we simply sat and sipped several glasses of the red cava. 1.10e / glass. I started liking the red best.
- La Vinya del Senyor, Plaça de Santa María 5 (across from the church) This became one of our favorite places to sit and drink but there are only four tables outside so it may take a while to sit down. You can sit at the bar or at a small table upstairs if you prefer. This is famous for the variety of the wine, and there is no beer served here. One afternoon we just decided to order a bottle of red cava (12.00e) and spend some quality time. But this is us trying several diferent glasses (copas) of wine with a dish of cheese (plattillo formatges) for 17.45e:
copa a. torello 2.65e
copa perelada 1.90e
plattillo formatges 7.50e
copa dido la universal 2.40e
copa s. villarica rva 3.00e
Pjk
Oct 23rd, 2007, 06:39 AM
#48
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When we go back to Paris next year we will most likely sign up for breakfast at the hotel. We eat there and then are good walking around and exploring until about 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon at which time we have a drink and a snack - an omelette, crote monsieur, mussels, e.g. Then we go out later for one more drink somewhere, then dinner.
In Barca we will not get breakfast at the hotel again next time and either just find a cafe and somethng light to eat, saving up for the bigger lunch.
The breakfasts that are described on various hotels web pages in Barcelona look exactly like those in Paris, and our daily strategy for the day is simmilar in both cities, but in Paris we do one thing for breakfast (hotel)and in Barcelona we do another (no hotel).
Pjk
In Barca we will not get breakfast at the hotel again next time and either just find a cafe and somethng light to eat, saving up for the bigger lunch.
The breakfasts that are described on various hotels web pages in Barcelona look exactly like those in Paris, and our daily strategy for the day is simmilar in both cities, but in Paris we do one thing for breakfast (hotel)and in Barcelona we do another (no hotel).
Pjk
Oct 23rd, 2007, 10:45 AM
#49
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hi amsdon,
I am a bit lazy to write a real report.
Got back only on Monday!
We visited Madrid Barcelona, Granada and Toledo (this time )Some years ago we traveled to Seville, Cordoba and the coast.
If you have some specific questions , I will be glad to answer.
FYI , we like to take it easy, don't drive ; stayed in a hotel in Granada, rented an apt. in Madrid and stayed in a private home in Barcelona.
The weather was fantastic, had great food, walked for miles. Barcelona is our new favorite city ( well, right after Paris)
I am a bit lazy to write a real report.
Got back only on Monday!
We visited Madrid Barcelona, Granada and Toledo (this time )Some years ago we traveled to Seville, Cordoba and the coast.
If you have some specific questions , I will be glad to answer.
FYI , we like to take it easy, don't drive ; stayed in a hotel in Granada, rented an apt. in Madrid and stayed in a private home in Barcelona.
The weather was fantastic, had great food, walked for miles. Barcelona is our new favorite city ( well, right after Paris)
Oct 23rd, 2007, 11:04 AM
#50
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ok no prob anyway Danon
don't want to hijack the breakfast post anyway..
BTW re breakfast to PDX & all
I find that cafe solo is not really as strong as expresso, perhaps because I like to drink Cuban cofee which is even a bit stonger IMO.
I am also a big cafe con leche & milk drinker at home, but I did not find cafe solo hard to take at all, quite the contray I loved it.
don't want to hijack the breakfast post anyway..
BTW re breakfast to PDX & all
I find that cafe solo is not really as strong as expresso, perhaps because I like to drink Cuban cofee which is even a bit stonger IMO.
I am also a big cafe con leche & milk drinker at home, but I did not find cafe solo hard to take at all, quite the contray I loved it.
Oct 23rd, 2007, 10:25 PM
#56
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Loved, loved, loved breakfast at Pinotxo in the Boqueria!
When we were too lazy to leave the apt. and couldn't make it out past 1/2 a block, I loved the churros and chocolate in the morning.
Can't wait to return to BCN -- I think this might be my favorite city.
When we were too lazy to leave the apt. and couldn't make it out past 1/2 a block, I loved the churros and chocolate in the morning.
Can't wait to return to BCN -- I think this might be my favorite city.
Oct 24th, 2007, 03:06 AM
#57
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The brand name of the hot chocolate mix I bring back from Spain is 'Paladin.' It's from the Barcelona area and one can find it in most grocery stores. I never had any problem with U.S. Customs bringing it into the U.S.
In Madrid, Café con léche is served in a bowl-like cup. In Andalucia, Café con léche is served in a glass but Chocolate caliente is served in the same type bowl-like cup as Café in Madrid.
In Madrid, Café con léche is served in a bowl-like cup. In Andalucia, Café con léche is served in a glass but Chocolate caliente is served in the same type bowl-like cup as Café in Madrid.
