Will try my best to give (more) brief updates to this report, as I am now In Madrid where I wish I could fit in 5 meals per day, the food is that exciting. Is anyone old enough to remember when a trip to Spain came with the caveat…"oh, yes, Spain is wonderful, but the food is not good…no vegetables, the meat is very poor quality(I remember when Americans would say that "the meat in Europe is not good…I guess I had clueless friends at that time!!) quality, you will have to be reduced in Spain to eating strange parts off strange animals. "Oh, but that have this thing called paella…just order that (as if it was one single dish) and you MIGHT be ok. Guess I am giving away my age bit time time here, but I remember this so clearly…my first visit was to summer school program in Valencia where I was more taken with the local “boys,” than with the food! We are talking a loooong time ago, as if you cannot guess…
From JEREZ, I took a rental car to my base on the rolling green lands outside the “white town,” of Vejer. I think I mentioned earlier that I’ve been very taken by the province of Cadiz and this all-too-short visit cementer the desire to return more often.
To be brief, and save myself the extra work, I will compress meals taken at 2 different times to one report.
ANTONIO…ZAHARA DE LOS ATUNES.
When small town has “atun” its name, ou get an inkling of what you might consider ordering at restaurants in the zone.
I think that my comida at ANTONIO the last time I was in the area, about 4 years ago when based in Cadiz (recommend the Parador in that city) after a stay in Sevilla…(now there is one great food city…also so different than what it was (food wise) when I made my first foray so long ago from Valencia to Granada…imagine me on top of a slooow truck laden with carrots, .we could have walked faster but had our fill of Vitamin C) RIP my great travel companion.
SO…
ANTONIO, ZAHARA DE LOS ATUNES. I arrived by car from Jerez on the Saturday and made sure to book for Sunday comida at ANTONIO. No easy task, as they take no online bookings and answer the phone only at set hours. It took a few days before I was able to book a table for Sunday comida for one person (thank goodness no one has said “only one people??” as I’ve heard in a few places…not in Spain…disgression…slap of hand sound…(slap, slap…)
ANTONIO has a lovely, light-saturated dining room with windows onto the beach. I like to sit in the bar area, especially when traveling solo ad this is generally true throughout Spain, for me.
ANTONIO does have a proper menu, but I tend to have a look at the case, and ask a few questions, before ordering.
I knew that I had swooned over the artichokes the last time, same time of year, so I began with a half order, which was one lovely specimen of the interior of the choke…a bit more than only the heart. Superb, and I will try to drag photos… If you visit in season, artichokes are ubiquitous and almost uniformly excellent. FLOR DE ALCAHOFA CON JAMON (half racion=one artichoke) was the first of many wows. Bread in rear of shot was one of 3 choices; this one was infused with turmeric…the bread here is top notch
Sleepy…more very soon…
