I’ve just read about a restaurant outside Malaga Centro that sounds interesting. I wonder if Maribel, TigerJohn, or anyone else, knows this and has been:
JACINTO
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Pinned this to my sidebar, looks good. Will be there mid September.
No, I don’t know it. I see that it has a Guía Repsol recommendation.
The marisquería that I do know is Los Marinos José in Fuengirola, closed Sun/Mon, phone reservations only.
Los Marinos Jose looks just my style!!!
I will be in Cordoba for 5 nights in early March, at the Hospes Palacio de Bailio. This is my meal plan, so far:
Sunday, day of arrival: Late lunch at TABERNA DEL ALMODOVAR
Monday: EL PISTO, late lunch. My hotel told me they are closed in January, so will ask them to book for me once restaurant reopens. Although a few online sources say the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, I think it is only open for lunch, so will have late lunch.
Tuesday: CUCHARA DE SAN LORENZO. dinner (booked)
Wednesday: NOOR (booked)
Thursday: BAR DE PACO MORALES. (booked by hotel for dinner)
If anyone has tips on what to order, I’d love to read them! Do I miss out if I take the shortest tasting menu at NOOR?
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You will miss out with the short tasting menu. Recommend the middle menu if you can manage it. We usually eat a late breakfast then nothing else until noor in the evening.
And just like that our two week road trip came and went. Got much to show and tell. Unless anyone objects, I’ll just do it here? I dont really have a preference. Thanks again to all involved.
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Do it here,ziggy,
I just had a 12 night andaluz trip of my own. We may have coincided some where.
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And I was there about 2 weeks plus in March…please write it here. The site needs much more activity…I don’t understand why there is such a dearth of reports, and even few questions. I would also love to read your take…you are always great to read!!
Starting in Seville, in order of appearance. Two couples. Our first two days were Sunday and Monday so it was bit challenging at the beginning…
Casa Román
I could crawl to it from our hotel right next door ( El Rey Moro - very quiet, highly recommend!). Good, not great start.
Superb Jamon. We’ve had quite a few during the two weeks and I’m not sure we had better.
Tomatoes and tuna was rather meh. Lacking the magic we experienced in the north.
Chickpeas and Spinach lacking seasoning but I didn’t mind as much as some in the group.
The tender Iberian Presa and very satisfying Rabo de Toro (oxtail) more than made up for the shaky start.
Sitting outside right in front of the restaurant wasnt very comfortable. I asked to sit at the pictured courtyard but they didnt let us for some reason
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Castizo tapas bar
Continuing the early theme of “not bad”, although I woud come back here for a few items and one in particular.
Atmosphere was more like a NYC establishment rather than a tapas bar in Seville.
Andalucian Eggplant salad with couscous or similar. It just didnt taste like the couscous I’m used to. But this was a nice and vinegary starter I’d order again.
Pretty good Patatas Bravas.
Garlic soup with sweetbread and Lima beans sounded promising but a bit too sour and not very balanced.
Fried Eggs with shrimp topped with shrimpy gravy was fine.
Squid with some sweet sauce l liked less than the group.
Rice of the day was with pork. Pork was uninspiring but the rice was outstanding.
Octopus was fine, saved somehow by the Capanata-like mixture.
Cheesecake with a dark jam, a revelation. So creamy and satisfying. One of the best I ever had.
I know that bar in San Sebastian reinvented cheesecake, and its fairly popular in the north, but it seems even more popular in the south
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Let me be the first to let you know how glad I am that you are taking time for this report.
About the jamon: You know it’s listed on many, many menus. Sometimes it is specific as Joselito, sometimes just as “jamon Iberico.” I honestly do not know if I could tell the difference between any of these bellota jamones, but I would like to learn. For you, and for Maribel and for any jamon expert, are there questions that I ought to ask my server if I plan to order jamon in a bar or restaurant? Do I assume that all served in a “good” restaurant is bellota ham? I know that even within this category there are sub-categories. What to ask in order to be able to tell if I am getting a top quality ham? (I’m using because you mentioned how good yours was, and while I’ve loved all the ones I’ve tried, I’d like to sample various ones to see if I can discern differences between them)…OUCH…sorry for looong question here!!!
Ask if it 5J’s, Cinco Jotas, which is considered one of the best, if not the very best. But I can’t tell you the differences between the various qualities.
On our second day we took a food tour with Devour partly for this reason (your question). My understanding is that they are labeled. Black, red, green and white, in that order. You want to try the black, tho I believe what you normally get is any of the other three. You can see the labels on the legs, as I dont believe they are allowed to remove them. “Iberico de Bellota” can be either red or black, with black being highest quality of acorn fed. Green is a mix of acorn and grains (“Iberico Cebo de Campo”), and white is grains only (“Iberico de Cebo”). We’ve seen on menus “Iberico de Bellota” which probably means red, or “Iberico de Cebo” specified. If it just says Jamon Iberico its probably the green or white. If it says 5j or some other well known label it means black (I think).
Of course, as always, I can be wrong on any of this.
How was the Devour tour? thinking of doing one in Madrid.
Excellent! Good, knowledgeable local guide, good pace, and plenty of quality food and drinks. We compared to some of the same dishes we had elsewhere and these were better. Fun 4 hours that covered breakfast and lunch
For anyone interested this one is Tastes, Tapas & Traditions of Seville Food Tour
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Sounds like my kind of day! I really enjoy food tours when travelling, and Devour has a great reputation, will check them out for sure. Thanks!
Was considering this food tour in Malaga.
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Malaga | Spain Food Sherpas
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I bumped into one of those Food Sherpas tours in Malaga where they take you to the market and do a cooking class. Sounded interesting. I could have used a guide in that market
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Some great options out there for sure.
Thanks!! I know about the ticket colors soon the ham; black signifies the best, but within the bellota category there are different lengths of aging and different producers and the pigs feed non either acorns only or acorns and other natural things. Joselito and 5Jotas are the best known in the US, and maybe also in Spain.
I did find this article (in Spanish) which ranks the “best,” but I still don’t know the details…I will read more and ask around when I return to Spain. This particular article (2023) ranks “Blasquez,” as the top, fed totally on acorns, while 5Jotas comes in at 3rd position, fed on acorns and natural “pastos.” Joselito is #6 but more expensive by far than the first. I already imagine that there is no way I could ever tell the difference between any of these and it’s already getting a little too deep–maybe just TMI!
