danon

"In fact, Spanish cuisine has two faces - you find this kind of mediocre food and you can also find superb gourmet cuisine."
The same can be said for Italian or French cuisine.

The quality varies from restaurant to restaurant .
High prices don't guarantee a great meal.

I had better Italian food in New York than some places in Rome.

Christina

I had some decent food in Spain, and I really like Spain a lot. However, I don't go anywhere mainly for the food, and would not call it memorable or something I would go back for. I think a lot of it is mediocre, and part of my issue is also just that I don't care for the type of food the cuisine is based heavily upon. The only outstanding thing I had there was the wine, I do love Spanish wine and drink it all the time even at home.

Paul1950

We ended up just doing tapas bars--that way we got to try a lot of different dishes, and we enjoyed it very much. But Spain doesn't stand out as a culinary mecca.

Robert2533

"But Spain doesn't stand out as a culinary mecca" Really?

I take it you've never heard of El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz, Arzak, Martin Berasategui, Akelarre, Etxebarri, Ruscalleda Sant Pau, Quique Dacosta or Can Fabes, to name just a few of the best.

Tapas do not make a meal, nor do they represent the best of Spanish Gastronomy. Tapas and pintxos are something you eat when out socializing with your friends, before sitting down to lunch or dinner.

ribeirasacra

As anyone recently been to the UK? I have had some terrible pub meals there and they cost twice as much as Spain.

mikelg

Paul, tapas are NOT Spanish food, but something you have while you have a drink!!!! They are not "dishes", and Spanish food is so varied from region to region that it doesn´t make sense to talk about it in general.

kimhe

In small Nerja (pop. 20 000) in the Málaga region, I would at least recommend three restaurants for an excellent Spanish meal. And Nerja isn't that special.

Sollun:
http://www.sollunrestaurante.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalusia.html

Casa Luque:
http://www.casaluque.com/restaurant-in-nerja.php

And for the best fresh fish and seafood, extremely popular La Marina:
http://www.guideofnerja.com/pages/gu.../marina_en.htm
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...Andalusia.html

danon

"Spanish food is so varied from region to region that it doesn´t make sense to talk about it in general."
Same as French and Italian food.

Although tapas ( mostly "raciones" now)are not a meal, after not being able to resist having a great many
pintxos, I often don't have much room for a full lunch or dinner.
"As anyone recently been to the UK? I have had some terrible pub meals there and they cost twice as much as Spain."
Must agree...the worst food ever was in Scotland and Ireland. Fortunately, in London one can find many good restaurants.

nytraveler

Yes - but Latin American food isn't like food in Spain. the food in Spain is closer to that in France in many cases - but with an even stronger emphasis on seafood and pork.

And I'm used to Chinese food that is Hunan or Szechuan or whatever - not stuffed with olives (which I don;t care for).

Christina

If you don't eat tons of food normally, tapas certainly can be a meal, they are for me. And in the US, there are restaurants now where I live that people order tapas as a meal. And they are run by Spaniards, actually. Anything cn be a meal if you eat enough of it, and of course, tapas are food, in any case.

That's one thing I didn't like about Spanish food, it was very heavy. I had some fried fish in Seville at a good restaurant that is supposed to be a specialty around there and I nearly got sick, it was just disgusting to me. Too much frying around there.

I would never go out and eat a bunch of tapas before dinner, who can eat like that.

mikelg

The thing is, you don´t eat a bunch of tapas, just one or two, with a glass of wine, and then you dine, one hour later or so...

And frying is done in olive oil, healthy and good to keep your cholesterol levels low. So yes, it may be greasy sometime, but very, very good for you!!

Those Spaniards running restaurants where they serve tapas as a meal are just making money out of a custom that is popular in the US, a imported habit that just doesn´t make sense in Spain (at least, not in many parts of Spain)

eyelids

mikelg
You talk about food in Spain as if its the same everywhere. Here in Murcia, Tapas is a meal. Murcia city which is the 7th largest in Spain is full of wonderful tapas bars which are full to the brim. Most restaurants have tapas and Al a carte. You take your choice. If in a group most people choose several differant tapas dishes and everyone dives in. Its a great way of spending an evening. Throw in a few bottles of vino and your in heaven.The same can be said for Valencia which is spains 3rd largest city. Granted its only 135 miles from Murcia, which might explain the similar eating habits, but your description of tapas does not apply to everywhere in Spain. You liken it to an appetizer and i can say from my experiance that both those large regions of Spain do not treat tapas as a starter.
If you just order drinks then you get a bowl of nuts and a plate of olives with the drink. Gratis i might add
I am enjoying the thread by the way and am waiting for more customs and traditions. The only problem i have is being able to buy a bottle of Jumila vino for Euro 1.10.

danon

mike, we had a ton of great tapas ( raciones) at
Cerveceria Catalana for 20 euros pp including a glass of vino.
The place was jammed with locals as most tapas bars in Barcelona and Madrid.
Sitting down for a formal dinner was often more expensive and not half the fun.

mikelg

then, eyelids and danon, we are talking about Raciones and not Tapas...The bowl of nuts and olive is a tapa. And yes, I enjoy a good evening having raciones with friends...

ribeirasacra

Galicia does not have tapas, unless they are tourist traps.

indianapearl

I've had fabulous food in Spain -- I've been all over the country -- delicious seafood, roast pork, duck, olives, olive oil, vegetables. El Bulli, the innovative restaurant north of Barcelona, is famous around the world. San Sebastian has excellent restaurants and chefs that are doing great things with food.

Spain tends to encourage innovation rather than sticking with the traditional foods as France and Italy are prone to do.

persimmondeb

I've certainly had Cuban-Chinese food in New York that featured olives. It can be very good, actually, but if your expectation is for the kind of chinese food served in most of the US, it could be kind of odd, particularily if you do not care for olives. My sister once had a lovely time eating in La Palma (and mostly the little bites flogged in better touristy restaurants), but she likes ham, olives, fried codfish, preserved fruit etc. I think a lot of it depends on what you like, how you order, and what your expectations are.

Food in the British Isles gets routinely dumped on, but I can always find things to eat that I like very much, and have learned to avoid some of the more awful things inflicted on the unsuspecting (burgers, for example).

Egbert

Just to chime in, tapas are not considered gourmet food. I have had mediocre sit down dinners in San Sebastian. There are restaurants and then there are "gastronomic temples" in the Basque country, Catalonia and Madrid mostly. If you don't mind spending 130 eu per person you will experience the world's finest food at any of the places Robert mentions and more.

danon

mike, I know.
when I was in Spain for the first time ( many years ago) bars in Madrid would give tapas with drinks. I seldom find that anymore.
What we had on recent four visits to Spain was always raciones or pintxos.
It is hard to find such wonderful way to sample different dishes in other cuisines ( mezze in Turkey and some other countries is similar).

Robert2533

We've had excellent gastronomic (business) lunches at Restaurante Kokotxa, with one Michelin star, in San Sebastia-Donostia. It's still priced at only €25/person, including everything (wine, bread, coffee, desert).

www.restaurantekokotxa.com/home.php