Spain Trip Food Diary July 2017

Here at The Tasting Spoon, we've been lucky enough to spend the last two weeks in Barajas and Madrid, Spain. While it's been a business-centered trip, our meals have been enjoyably different than what we're used to in Laredo. Colors pop off the plate, tastes and textures excite and some dishes were a first. We traveled with a group and thus were able to partake in many more plates than we normally would on our own.

Restaurante Campanillas (Pepe's) [Barajas]

Our first meal consisted of a stroll across the street from our hostel to Restaurante Campanillas. The owner Pepe was so accommodating, hospitable and made us and the rest of our group feel like regulars at his establishment. Fellow guitar groups simply called the restaurant Pepe's and we came to know it as such in our time there.

Gazpacho

Perfectly crisp/soft bread and Pepe's famous sangria

Beans with clams, mixed salad, stewed peas with veal, Campanillas salad

Eggs, potatoes and blood sausage

Shrimp Flake

Dessert

Universo Kebab [Barajas]

A member of our group who'd been in Europe for a month before we arrived kept going on about kebabs. He followed his nose and found a place a couple of blocks from our hostel.This was our first time trying Spanish Orange Fanta and it was quite the discovery. No sodium, low carbonation, zest of natural orange and a mellow yellow color made this shockingly different from Fanta in the states. Let it be known the memory of this perfect soda will live on and we wish it were available here.

Mixed beef and chicken kebab

Mixed beef and chicken Durum

The illustrious Fanta Naranja

Salad with protein

Lizarran [Barajas]

After practice one afternoon we wandered around the vicinity of our rehearsal space and found a great plaza surrounded in restaurants. Lizarran's calamari, menu of the day and pleasant outdoor patio enticed us to enjoy a meal there.  

Fettucine

Seafood Paella

Baby squid with caramelized onion and aioli

Chicken with potatoes

Veal with potatoes

Cafe de Jardin (inside Museo Romanticismo) [Madrid]

At each performance our group was last which gave us time to hang around the museums. We enjoyed just desserts at a sweet little cafe inside Museo Romanticismo. Though we didn't get to eat in the garden, the charm inside the cafe really made the desserts that much better. 

Brownie Cake

Red Velvet Cake (which I unfortunately couldn't wait for)

Telepizza [Barajas]

Telepizza became something of a staple in our Spain diet. With rehearsals in the mornings and concerts in the evenings, we surely weren't promised a lovely evening meal every night. So some nights we walked over and others we called for delivery; not to mention they had beer for 1 Euro apiece. 

Florentina

Pepperoni

La Latina [Barajas]

This gastrobar was a little pricey but the tastes were superb. I'd never seen bigger mussels and they had this spritely quality to them which was exciting.

Tapas

Mussels

Ham croquettes

Mushroom Croquettes

Octopus

Steak

Mercado San Anton [Madrid]

The market was an experience in itself. We asked locals to take us somewhere they'd recommend and followed them through tall city buildings down a winding path. Numerous vendors covered both upstairs and downstairs with all types of dishes and cuisines.

Octopus and tuna crostinis

Razor clams

Papas Locas (potatoes and ternera)

Dulce de leche and chocolate gelato with 2 strawberry and 1 caramel macaroon

El Brillante [Madrid]

On one of our days off we decided to check out the Museo Reina Sofia. Right out of the metro station we found El Brillante with signs advertising calamari sub sandwiches. They were huge, bigger calamari than I'd ever seen before and the simplicity of the sandwich made sure the calamari was the star. It did lack moisture and our waiter forgot to bring mayonnaise around but my roommate slipped a perfectly good cooked green pepper from her burger and this was the perfect savior for my dry sandwich.

Ham sandwich

Chicken burger

Large calamari sandwich

Small calamari sandwich

Udon Sol "Noodle Bar" [Madrid]

While not exactly Spanish cuisine, the Udon Noodle Bar was still a tasty spot we thoroughly enjoyed.

Steamed pork dumplings

Steamed vegetable dumpings

Udon Noodle

Vegetable tempura

Pork belly miso ramen

Chicken ramen noodle

Lizarran (again)

A different menu of the day made sure everyone got to try something new (excluding me, the calamari was just divine). We even got to stick around for dessert this time!

Crab, omelette and beef

Cheese tomato, crab and beef

Calamari with caramelized onion

Fish with boiled eggs and potatoes

Chicken barbecue pizza

Egg, ham and potatoes

Oreo cake

Carrot cake

Las Palmas [Toledo]

On our day trip to Toledo (2^nd day off) we found this little gem which felt like we were in an underground chamber (we were). Every plate was delicious and the bread was perfect for making sure not a drop was wasted.

Chicken carbonara

Red gazpacho

Vegetable paella

Brie pear salad

Octopus with potato puree

Stuffed cheese pimento peppers

Honeydew melon

Hairy Calamari [Madrid restaurant in Plaza del Sol]

The name of this restaurant in the plaza will forever escape me, maybe because there wasn't much about it worth remembering (for myself at least) besides two beard hairs found in my calamari. The plate was replaced and after careful inspection passed the test but the damage had been done.

Potato salad with tuna

Patatas bravas (these were excellent)

Sangria

Calamari

Restaurante Campanillas (Pepe's) [Madrid]

The end of our trip just wouldn't feel it right if we didn't end it at Pepe's. We opted for simple burgers, sandwiches and a kebab. He brought out his famous sangria and we toasted the end of a wonderful trip.

El Pepito which included potatoes to add inside the sandwich

Kebab

Tender burger

Final Performance 

After our final performance there was a great snack spread laid out for us and needless to say we went to town. Our experience was one we'll never forget and if you're thinking about heading out to Spain anytime soon—don't think, just go!