Robert2533

Gure Arkupe was an interesting find, as it is on a side street in Antiguo. As Mikel pointed out, chicken is considered "cheap and low quality", something you would find in an inexpensive menú del día, but Gure Arkupe does serve some quality dishes.

Chicken has allways been available in the south because of its price. And chicken in paella isn't unusual, depending on where you get it, but would not be found in the traditional seafood paella that Valencia is famous for.

Casa Mingo is one of the oldest roasting houses/asador in Madrid, a bit off the beaten path for most tourists, near the Templo de Debod, and inexpensive, a good find if looking to dine cheaply. It serves excellent Asturian cider from Villaviciosa.

Bedar

Balloon glasses for gin and tonics are an obscenity. Would never drink in such a gin palace !!

maitaitom

"Balloon glasses for gin and tonics are an obscenity."

You are missing out Bedar.

http://gincubator.com/8-steps-perfect-gin-tonic/

Bedar

Were you to ask for such a glass at the Huntington Hotel in Pasadena ( you may know it as the Langham), they'd have you put in the Huntington Hospital for mental illness. But, it is a way to get a big drink. What was the name of the tonic you so liked in Spain ? You said you'd mention it but haven't.

Robert2533

Try "Fever Tree, poured from a fresly opened bottle only. For gin it's Larios 12. And yes, the big bubble glass (or large wine goblet) is failry normal in Spain, but The Dry in Madrid serves their gin-tonics in their standard large glasse and you can go for the Tanqueray Rangpur or the Bombay Sapphire, but my favorite is Hendrick's Gin.

Bedar

The Dry in Madrid sounds like a very civilized place. Where is it ?

maitaitom

"they'd have you put in the Huntington Hospital for mental illness."

bedar...I have my own private suite at that place. I've spent was too much time at that hospital. The brand is Nordic Mist Blue..not sold in U.S., and you really should try a GT in a balloon glass (don't knock it until you try it).

A quote from Henry Stephenson, the former Spirit Buyer for Sainsburys, "Gin & tonic undoubtedly tastes at its best in a Stemmed Balloon Glass. When we apply what we learnt about wine to gin, this glassware choice makes the most sense. We want to stop the drink from warming up too quickly and control how fast the aroma escapes. The bulbous nature of the bowl, the stem and the tapered tip create a perfect combination of aroma, taste and temperature.”

Robert, yes I have started using the Fever Tree tonic, which I also "discovered" while in Spain. Hendrick's is also my favorite gin.

maitaitom

"As I do not drink, I often have coke dieta or coke lite."

IMD, Tracy is also a Coke Lite drinker at lunch (and sometimes even at dinner), and never an eyebrow was raised when she ordered it.

maitaitom

"ice in drinks! I guess if you don't like the taste or the "mouth feel" it would be a good way of dulling your mouth but why drink stuff you don't like."

bilboburgler...this is for you...It is excerpted from 8 Simple Steps for the Perfect Gin & Tonic....

"Step 3...Fill it up with ice....Use a minimum amount of 2/3 of the glass. Yes, you read it right, 2/3. Minimum. I know it sounds a bit contradictory, but a large amount of ice will prevent dilution of your gin and tonic. The more ice, the longer it takes for it to melt. As there is a lot of it, the ice will keep itself cool. And that’s also why we choose a large balloon glass: it can hold more ice. Haven’t you noticed that most of the bars serve their GT’s in tumblers? Or even long-drink glasses? And haven’t you noticed how fast the ice melts? Exactly. So do yourself a favour and use a balloon glass."

http://gincubator.com/8-steps-perfect-gin-tonic/

Robert2533

The DRY Martini Bar in Madrid in is the Hotel Gran Meliá Fénix, on Calle de Hermosilla. We sit outside on the terrace at midnight in the summer's warmth and enjoy the moment.

http://www.melia.com/es/hoteles/espa...-martini.htmlt.

They also have a place in Barcelona at Calle Aribau, 162-166, The Dry and the Dry Martini Speakeasy.

Bedar

We'll try those tonic waters when in Spain again next summer. The Sainsbury guy doesn't sound very kosher; I think he also wants you to lift your pinky, a no-no thanks. I'm going out to buy a bottle of Hendricks RIGHT NOW !

maitaitom

"I'm going out to buy a bottle of Hendricks RIGHT NOW !"

Bring a little extra cash for it...but well worth it.

Nelson

Robert, Your link to Gran Meliá Fénix had a typo. Try this:
http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/spain...y-martini.html

I've been using Fever Tree for a couple of years, but even it's a tad sweet to me. My liquor store just started carrying Jack Rudy small batch tonic. I may give that a try when we return, perhaps spoiled, from Spain.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restau...-tonic-syrups/

We are 90% vegetarian, down from decades of 100%, and expect to lower this number even more on our trip. Casa Mingo had turned up in some kind of search a couple weeks ago, and I marked it on my map. Glad to hear it gets good reviews from folks in the know. Who knows, we may go all out and eat jamón too!

mikelg

Someone is missing the point here...I don´t mean to say that you can´t drink Coke while in Spain...it´s just that locals rarely have Coke with their meals. This post is addressed to those that want to behave like locals and want to follow (or adapt to) our habits. Of course you can have ice with your water, Coke with your meal and whatever you ask...YOU ARE VISITORS and you´re always welcome!! Chicken is not served at good restaurants...and that´s a FACT. Casa Mingo is not a quality restaurant, and paella may have chicken on it, obviously. And as I pointed out in my post, chicken is also served on our cheap daily menus. I do not intend, AT ALL, to convert new apostles to the Spanish way of life...I just wanted to post some hints on how we do things and to answer some whys.

danon

In five days in Madrid ( so far) we have not seen chicken on one
menu of the restaurants and bars we had dinner ( lunch) at .

Obviously, people eat and drink what they wish ( or what they are used to consuming at
home ) and the tourist industry is only happy to oblige.

Bedar

Mikel - I think you might be quite young and so don't know about these two things to add to your list on Spaniards: generally speaking, they didn't eat sweet corn (except roasted on the beach in Valencia) and, get this, they didn't go to the beach (except for a few people in SS). If you were on an empty beach in, say, Marbella, a family might warily approach and plunk themselves down right next to you. Ah, the beginnings of beach culture in Spain !

maitaitom

"Chicken is not served at good restaurants...and that´s a FACT."

Well, the best restaurant we ate while in Spain was in Granada...Restaurante Aben Humeya. On its menu...Rulada chicken and pineapple with cream of zucchini and lemon sauce.

So, in my opinion, it's not a fact unless you have visited every good restaurant in Spain.

IMDonehere

The farm family in Galicia also made of Americans eating corn as it really food for pigs.

cafegoddess

Sorry but I love my Coke light with my dinner when I am in Europe. As long as I am paying for my dinner, I will eat and drink what I want! And you do the same.

Bedar

Well, yes, because it is pig corn, even the stuff in Valencia. Sweet corn didn't exist and may not still. Didn't look for it this summer, but our friend who has a couple of restaurants in Madrid serves it there, and the Spaniards gobble it up.