GALICIA 2025....Brief comments

[erica1]

We arrived in Santiago de Compostela yesterday and will stay at the Parador for three nights. We have a standard double room and it’s lovely. Highly recommend lodging here IF you can secure a room.

Our first dinner in the city, last night, was chosen for its mention as a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and for its location, a scant block–downhill–from the Parador.
We had a good meal at A HORTA DO OBRADOIRO, my partner being more enthusiastic than me, but this was due to our choices and the next time, I would order differently.

We began with a dish from the “para comparatIr” (to share) section—a round bread made with chestnut flour and stuffed with a mix of Galician Arzua-Ulloa and chicharrones. No wonder this is listed under the category “to share!” We were both stuffed to the gills and I had barely a quarter of the serving!

For the main dish, we ordered the rice with pork “solomillo” and hake with coconut and pineapple in tempura batter. Our server immediately nixed this, telling us that the rice alone was enough for both of us. I love when servers honestly advise us to refrain from over-ordering. Does this happen often in the US? (I’m not sure). We took her advice but, unfortunately, I wished that we had ordered the battered hake, as the pair of American pilgrims seated next to us (surprisingly, the only Americans we over heard since our arrival) raved about this fish dish.

The rice with pork sadly paled in comparison with that pork rice I had at SeBe in Lanzarote a year ago. That stand out as among the best meat/rice dishes I’ve ever had the fortune to sample.

The dish here was good; we liked the rice very much(no soccarrat) but the pork was slices of very rare pork laid atop the cazuela of rice. So the pork was not incorporated into the rice bu served, rather, as an addition. It was very good but I cannot help regretting not ordering that hake, or any of the fish specialties of the day which included turbot and besugo, and San Martin (??) among several others. I imagined that I would be gorging on fish and shellfish at our next stop, near O"Grove, so I was keen to try some meat while in inland Santiago.

To finish up, this is a lovely restaurant, with eclectic, vaguely
shabby chic" decor, and a wide menu of interesting-sounding dishes. I might not return, given the other tempting address in this city, but I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone wanting a place convenient to the parador where one can eat for a most reasonable price (we paid 44 euro, with Albarino and water) for the two dishes, plus the highlight of the meal: An entrante (complimentary) of a sublime puree of mussels atop a handkerchief-thin crispy wafer. This looked pretty served on the rounds wood plate traditionally used as a vessel for Octopus in Galicia.

De sabor e producto

Dining room (there is also an open-air section)

Terrific Galician bread, with mussel puree in foreground:

Portioning chestnut bread stuffed with cheese and chicharrones:

Close up of entrante, to share, for sure!!

Restaurant exterior, about a block from the Parador and the Cathedral:

I forgot to take a pic of the pork rice.

[dostrovs]

I was just looking at this place for my upcoming Galicia trip in fall…
So far I have it on my “maybe” list. The “definite” list includes Lume and Abastos 2.0…

[erica1]

You must keep LUME on your list. We just returned from ABASTOS 2.O and I will post my comments tomorrow…

[erica1]

Dinner last night was at ABASTOS 2.0, where we had a stellar dinner in May of last year. Last night, in comparison to the bustling, festive atmosphere that pervaded the dining room (across from the bar room which is adjacent to the market) only two tables were occupied: Ours and a long table with a tour group of about a dozen Americans. Our ebuliient waiter from last year, Frank, is now a full-time tattoo artist and his place was taken by the smiling Sardinian, Valentina, who was lovely but had only three days on the job, so had to pass all questions to the bearded young guy attending the tour group. (Valentina was insistent that we visit her home city, Cagliari, and soon!!). No problem there, though–all of our questions were answered with a smile.

The menu here might present a problem for some, as there is neither a translation in English, nor in Castellano–it’s written in Gallego. Fairly easy to understand for a Spanish speaker but maybe a little problematic for a diner lacking knowledge of Spanish. But staff is fluent in English so that’s not an issue.

The carta is heavy on shellfish and it’s difficult to decide with so many tempting options. I began with simply steamed berberechos. These were good but they paled in comparison with those I had last year at LUME, which arrived with that incredibly delicious broth that I slurped up after devouring the cockles.

I spotted “guistantes” on the menu and asked what type these were, hoping for the vaunted “tear peas” that I had tasted in Madrid and seen, for astounding prices, in markets. I was told that these were “guisantes de raza,” which, upon later reading, I realize means something like “heirloom peas,” but not the Galician “Bagoa Atlantic,” which apparently are the finest example of this vegetable grown in the region. The upshot of all this is that our peas, served over sliced of sautéed cabbage (?) were nothing special; my partner actually said that he liked LeSueur (canned) peas better! I would not go that far, but these were not even close in taste of texture to those “green pearls,” the guisantes de lagrima, as they had a slight mealiness that I did not expect.

OK, on to the much-more-pleasing main courses:

Merluza al horno, roasted hake, delighted my partner and this was an impeccable example of this popular Spanish fish. Lovely! My octupus was not as exceptional as the one I had here last year, which I believed to be the best octopus dish I’d ever eaten (I think I wrote something of that order in my comments on HO), but it was excellent–boiled and then roasted enough to achieve a slight char, so the different textures were a pleasure. With a single glass of Albarino (excellent) and water, our bill totaled about 70 euro.

We skipped dessert because I had BICO on my mind–the heladeria I had stopped into the day before. The ice cream shop was bustling–there wa a small line to enter, but service is quick and we both loved our large cups–mine a combo of dulce de leche and chocolate and orange with bits of candied fruit, and his chocolate and banana. We paid about 8.50 euro for the pair of large-sized cups that lasted us almost all the way along the walk back to the Parador. I liked this ice cream better than that at MITO in Sevilla.
This is a Galician chain and their flavors include mustard, tomato, and cream de orujo, along with more usual ones.

Bico de Xeado | Helados cremosos de elaboración artesanal

Carta, in Gallego:

Berberechos, with peas in background:

Guisantes (chícharos) de Raza, from Gres, en la provincia de Pontevedra:

Pulpo:

Hake (perfection!)

BIKO DE XEADO, on Rua do Franco (other outposts in Galicia).

[erica1]

SIMPAR, SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

This is my fourth visit to this city (two of these being more than ten years ago) and my dinner at SIMPAR was, by far, the most outstanding meal of any of those stays.

SIMPAR is a relatively new restaurant, already bearing a Michelin star and, we had a spectacular dinner here. (A special thank you to Maribel, who urged me to add this to my restaurant list for our three nights in the city.)

The restaurant is tasting menu only, with the option of supplementing either of the two menus with one or both award-winning a la carte dishes–callos and croquettes de jamon Iberico. We chose the latter, and selected the shorter of the two tasting menus–the 11-course “Conocer.” This was a good choice.

I began with the best cider I’ve ever tasted (although I’ve not tasted too many) a late-harvest from ZAPIAIN, in Astigarraga, in Guipuzcoa. This was an outstanding beginning to my dinner; note how the tiny bubbles ring the surface of the pour; this is a Basque ice cider available for shipping, online:

Zapiain Bizi-Goxo 2017 • Zapiain Sagardoa

[erica1]

SIMPAR’S take on “brunch:”

Waldorf salad in a heart of Gem-type lettuce; yolk of an egg in a savory meringue “egg white,:” almond concoction in a tartlet—we were instructed to sip the “coffee” aka mushroom broth (delicious) after each bite of the “brunch” tidbits:

Supplement to the Conocer tasting menu; croquetas de jamón Iberico that won the prize for the best croquette in Spain at last January’s Madrid Fusion:
I can understand why Chef Axel Smyth’s rendition took this prestigious award!

I had not known that olive oil was produced in Galicia, until we dined at SIMPAR, and were presented with this excellent, fruity variety to complement the excellent bread; its made from a blend of two olive varieties grown near Lugo on trees, many of which are more than a hundred year’s in age:

Refer to the menu to read the descriptions of this parade of dishes, beginning with white asparagus from the white asparagus Mecca of Tudela del Duero, near Valladolid, served with a scoop of asparagus ice cream and plated atop a terrific ajoblanco, the signature Malagueña cold soup. Brutal!!

Bonito del Norte, a small Atlantic tuna (those of you who know the jarred conserva from Ortiz will recognize the name of this fish). Lightly cooked and served over a pair of emulsions composed of garlic, pimenton (smoked paprika from Extremadura, and olive oil)…

Amazing arroz meloso with saffron and green asparagus…among my favorite of many excellent tastes:

Rooster…a disc of dark meat from the Galician counterpart to the Asturian Pitu de Caleya, which we had sampled several times during our Asturian visit about eight years ago. This incredible bird is HUGE!! and much, if not all, of the meat is dark… The added dark chocolate and a type of mild truffle combined to create a memorable taste, another highlight of this memorable dinner at SIMPAR.

The components here are a “secret,” but this is a triangular frozen wedge, topped with blossoms and herbs, designated on the carta as “herbs,” and served on a frozen rectangular dish. The courses were served on beautiful ceramic plates–each one more beautiful than the next…

SIMPAR’S deconstructed TARTA DE SANTIAGO, the most famous dessert of Galicia; all components are edible,e even the white cross of St.James, and all were sublime!

The CONOCER menus were 85 euro per person with an additional 7.40euro for a pair of croquettes. The total bill was 190 euro, for two, with water, the cider, and a glass of Albarino. Highly recommended!

https://www.restaurantesimpar.com

The restaurant has one sol in the Repsol guide and, as I mentioned above, one Michelin star. Both well deserved.

[erica1]

After three nights at the Parador in Santiago, we collected our rental car at SIXT, opposite the train station, and drove to our next destination on the Isla de la Toxa, where we will spend eight nights.

Because it’s June, and not full high season, many restaurants have limited opening hours; some are closed during the week, others are open only for lunch on weekdays and on Sundays, so you need to plan well if you have specific places that you want to try.

On our day of arrival, a Friday, ASADOR D’BERTO, just outside the main town of O’Grove and only a five-minute drive from our hotel, was open for dinner, and we booked the earliest time slot: 8pm/20:00.

We were, of course, the first diners to arrive, but a few more trickled in during our dinner hours. We had eaten here last year, so you can read more about this on an earlier thread.

The weather is beautiful now, sunny and in the 70s-80s F, but I have a recurrence of a horrible cough/bronchial issue that I thought I had kicked just before we left home. So the next few days will not have too much enthusiastic commentary.

Dinner at D’BERTO was excellent, although somehow the bogavante Frito did not thrill me as much as last year. Was this because I was not feeling well? Was the meat really a little tough this time? All in all, an excellent, if not superlative dinner, with the highlights being the virrey ordered by my partner, a repeat of last year, and those Gallego potatoes. Is there anywhere in the world that has better potatoes than Galicia? They are usually served unadorned but the flavor is just extraordinary. At D’BERTO they paired them with cabbage, as a side to the fish and lobster.

It would be best to visit D’BERTO with a larger group; the bogavante was far too large for me to finish, and it would be so great to share this, with lots of other shellfish.

Complimentary entrante;

Superb caldo Gallego–just the consommé here; I wish I had a gallon to heat up in. my hotel room; I might pass by and see if I can buy some to take away.

Serving of virrey, palometa roja, the red-skinned fish easily identifiable, raw, by its huge eye; I think this is considered among the royalty of fish caught off Spanish waters: (75 euro)

Bogavante frito: 91 euro:@ 130 euro per kilo:

Those Gallego potato chips, fried in olive oil:

Entrance area of ASADOR D’BERTO, on a main road at the edge of O’Grove, with a dedicated parking lot next door.

Dessert of rich chocolate ice cream.

We may return for another dinner here, depending on their opening days; our bill, with one glass of Albarino, and water and bread charge: 186 euro.

[erica1]

Sunday lunch@MELOXERIA PRAIA, in San Vicente do Mar, not far by car from O’Grove. Car essential in this area, if you venture out of O"Grove.

The GPS/Google maps do not show the current location of the restaurant, which moved to a beachfront location about two years ago. so please take car if driving, to get the current address.

We arrived late, after what might be termed the proverbial “wild goose chase,” which involved me stopping into one restaurant and, a few minutes later on, clamping down to the sands and badgering a pair of loungers to assist me to reach the restaurant before the kitchen shuttered. And help me they did, with much grace and patience.

We arrived well past the posted hours but were offered an excellent table after I recounted my travails in finding the restaurant, which occupies a spot atop a glorious beach in the municipality of San Vicente do Mar, about 10km from the town of O’Grove.

There’s not much online in English; the restaurant has a Repsol “sun.”

Restaurante ‘Meloxeira Praia’ (O Grove, Pontevedra) - Guía Repsol

More very soon…

[erica1]

Before the restaurant comments, this is the sculpture that dominates the market area of O"Grove; testament to how revered the people who brave the seas are here in Galicia:

MELOXIERA PRAIA, near O’Grove, but do not follow the directions on Google maps, as the restaurant has changed location several years ago.

View from front-line table on Sunday afternoon in June, 2005…glorious beach with water temps about 63F, 17C:

Maybe the best mussel escabeche (complimentary) I’ve ever sampled…quite a bit of spice…mop up the sauce with good bread.

Carta; no English translation but servers are well-versed in the language, as are many Gallegos that we’ve met this week:

Berberechos; look at that glorious turquoise (cold) water in the background!

The surprising hit of the late lunch was this marinated and grilled chicken, with those superlative Gallego potatoes, here: fried…exceptional! Worth a return just for this dish. Note that restaurants have shortly curtailed hours outside of July and August, and that Monday is difficult.

We also shared a good roasted leek with a pumpkin sauce but I forgot to snap a photo…

An excellent destination to combine with time at the beach…many diners wore shorts and t-shorts and there were many young families on this late Sunday afternoon…highly recommended, but limited hours outside of July and August… About a ten minute, easy drive (if you do not get hopelessly lost as we did) from O’Grove or from Isla de la Toxa.

Total cuenta for lunch for two persons, sharing, with one glass of Albarino and water, about 64 euro. Good price/value ratio. Recommended.

There is a good Mercado Municial en O’Grove, with ample parking. Mondays have only a few vendors but I’ve been told that Tuesdays are very good due to the fact that shellfish-gatherers and fisherfolk will go out late tonight and into early morning Tuesday.

My only pics of the market on Monday around 11am. Very good cherries from La Valle de Jerte. There is also a Froiz supermarket a block or so away.

[erica1]

BEIRAMAR, O"Grove

This is a solid, long-running restaurant facing the Port and market area of O"Grove; it seems to be one of the mainstays of the dining scene in the area. When we entered at 8pm, we noticed two tables occupied by parties with whom we were acquainted with from our hotel on La Toxa. A couple from Lisbon were seated at the next table, so we were able to chat about, what else, restaurants in the area. They visit O"Grove often, driving from Lisbon, because they feel that nowhere in Europe has better seafood than right here.
They told us the there was one restaurant that we HAD to visit while in the area and that restaurant, of course, was ASADOR D’BERTO, where we had been a few days before. They also gave me another tip for a popular restaurant in OP"Grove where the prices are more moderate than either D’BERTO or BEIRAMAR, so we may go there tonight.

BERIMAR is a lovely restaurant with a cozy and handsome dining room, much smaller than that of D’BERTO. Service was courtly and dignified, and very warm. While we were eating, we noticed two men who appeared to be fishermen, arrive at the restaurant with products that they proceeded to drop into the large tanks in the dining room-- a bucket of cigalas and a bag of bogavante. Our next-table neighbor raved about his three large cigalas (these are translated as langoustines and as Dublin Bay prawns; they look similar to large pink crayfish)

He had ordered a large plate of percebes and was kind enough to share some with me; these were spectacular, I’ve never tasted a morsel of any sea creature that is so sweet. I hope to return there to have my own plate. I think these were superior to the ones I had last year at ABASTOS 2.0 in Santiago–they may have been sweeter but I’m no expert. Certainly worth the not-difficult work in removing the white meat from the little claw (looks like a prehistoric creature–the foot of a miniature dinosaur, perhaps)

Our dinner began with a dish of green olives (I was surprised to spot an olive tree growing near the supermarket)and cubes of a mild marinated cheese.

We shared a spectacular appetizer of artichokes two ways: Stems were fried in a light tempura batter and the heated were grilled and stuffed with an egg yolk that had a light crumb; the yolk might have been sous vide. (or is it sous vided??). one of the best dishes of the trip so far; my partner, who thought he did not like artichokes, also pronounced it to be superb.

Exterior of BEIRAMAR, facing the port; lots of gaily painted small fishing boats were docked.

Carta:

Cheese and olives; bread was also excellent here:

Artichokes prepared both ways; worth a return visit just to order this dish:

We decided to share a sole (in the US, we would call this “Dover sole…” I forgot to request a small fish, so we had far too much food, since my appetite was diminished due to not feeling so well. My partner asked for the fish to be fried, which would not have been my choice. It was lightly sautéed and was delicious, but I could only manage half of my half of the fish.
A plate of excellent potatoes, lightly dusted with pimenton, and a little pile of pimientos de Padron (small green peppers from nearby Padron, fried in olive oil and salted with large flakes. Just superb!!! And again, those potatoes!!! I thought about bringing home potatoes but they are forbidden to bring into the US.

Our kind water with the sole, for our approval:

The cooked sole, with the potatoes and peppers:

One superb half portion of sole (lenguado); To repeat!!!

The price for two, for dinner, was a very fair 83.95 euro, with one glass of Albarino, water and bread. The lenguado is priced at 75 euro per kilo so our order came to 56.25 which is remarkable considering what I’d probably pay for a raw Dover sole in a NYC fish market if I could find it.

BEIRMAR—to repeat soon!!!

Inicio - Restaurante Beiramar

Open daily except Sunday dinner and all day Monday.

[erica1]

Dinner last night was at A SOLAINA, one of two restaurants of similar name, and same owners, located a block or so from one another, near the marina in O’GROVE. This was recommended by our Portuguese friends as a spot popular with locals. (Every restaurant we’ve been to has been popular with locals; still have not heard one word of a foreign language spoken by fellow diners anywhere, except one single time in Santiago)

The Avenida Beiramar, which fronts the marina and market area of O"GROVE, is lined with eateries–mostly offering seafood but we spotted a pizza place and a great Galician artisanal ice cream shop (Albarino ice cream, anyone??) where we went after dinner last night.

Unlike many other towns where I’ve had trouble finding places to park, there are many free spots in this area of O’GROVE; both driving, and parking, are a snap. The architecture here is pretty nondescript in O"GROVE itself, lord of blocky modern buildings along the sea, but it’s a really homey and welcoming place. The back streets were al but deserted on a Wednesday night at 10pm.

A SOLAINA (we were instructed to go to this one, NOT the more modern two-level restaurant named MARISQUERIA SOLAINA nearby. Once again the Google address is wrong, as the name of the street has changed. The correct street address is Rua do Cruceiro, 8B.

Unfortunately, they were all but wiped of of several varieties of scallops and clams last night, and had no cigalas except very small ones which our waiter did not recommend.

I began with a half portion (100 grammes) of percebes. At first our waiter said that the minimum order was 200 grams, but when I told him that my partner would not share the order, he relented. Wait staff has been exceptionally accommodating everywhere we’ve been here. And restaurants have a fraction of the staff that we find in New York…they work so hard and manage to be so welcoming and kind here.

Cartal they also have one in English:

Creamy “huevos al diablo,” Tasty, and the bread roll was good, too.

Plate of 100 grammes of percebes (barnacles); be careful-they squirt when you twist them to reach the white meat!

Percebes remains, after my attack:

I’m not so familiar with the various fish found in these waters so I took the waiter’s recommendation of mero, similar to grouper, grilled. My partner did not want to share, so I had a single portion, not a whole fish tho I would have preferred. It was good but I do wish I had asked for olive oil and flake salt; this is not set on the table as it often is in Andalucia and next time I will not be so hesitant to ask for it, because it would have improved the fish, which was kind of bland for me. It came with a very fresh small mixed lettuce salad and some great marinated cold potatoes and peppers. The tomatoes in the salad, though, were very poor, like the ones we see at the supermarkets back home.
The piece of fish was very large and I could barely finish half.

My partner spied cocochas de merluza a la Romana on the next table and wanted those lightly fried delicacies from near the throat of the hake that are popular along Northern Spanish coasts. These came with disappointing fried potatoes and a large, nice salad marred only by the mealy tomatoes.

The dinner was ok, cozy local place with kind service. I think we did not order the best dishes, though.
Total came to 95 euro

Superb ice cream at a small Galcian chain based in Ourense, at Avenida de Beirmar, 50:

LA CENTRAL HERLADERA
My combo of dulce de leche and dark chocolate with orange–pure pleasure.
Two medium cups for 8 euro.

https://www.lacentralheladera.com

[erica1]

BEIRAMAR…O"Grove, second dinner in three days…onen of the finest of the trip because I ordered better than the first time:

Began with the same artichoke duo of last time—among my favorite dishes of this trip–large enough for two persons to be come full after only a half portion of this entrante.

Prior to this, we were given a dish of hummus (hummus–how boring, right?? NOT RIGHT!!). This was hummus flavored with roasted red peppers and I kept having to wave away the staff who attempted to clear the plate from my table…ample portions, partnered with the excellent brown bread of BEIRAMAR (I skipped the crackers and ate the hummus with the bread)

FINALLY, for the first time, I ordered cigalas and I am not sure I have ever tasted sweeter meat coming from the sea. The claws were a little tedious to eat and I did leave some claw meat behind, but two decent-sized cigalas (the waiter advised two, not the three I wanted to order) were of a perfect amount and I will long remember this sweet pure-white meat, gleaned from the body of the North Atlantic langoustine.

It’s now a close contest for the best shellfish in Spain–the red carabineros of the Costa de la Luz—or the cigalas of the Rias Baixas??? Carabineros are easier to eat, but I have to have a taste test of both together to decide which meat is sweeter. The meat of the cigalas are a bit more delicate than that of the carabineros, which more resembles the texture of lobster meat if finer…

A superlative dinner, at BEIRMAR. Worth a detour.

My favorite waiter, presenting the selections:

Terrific artichokes:

Cigalas!! A revelation for me; thank you to our new friends from Lisboa who urged me to order these, saying they could drive the five hours to O"Grove to have them at BEIRAMAR; this pair, grilled and shown split, cost a surprisingly moderate price of 28.50 euro:

Correct, but formal dining room–I like this place and recommend. We were too full to sample their lauded Galician version of cheesecake. Next time!!

Total bill, well under 90 euro for two.

For comparison, one large carabinero, grilled and split, in Zahara de los Atunes, Andalucia, last March:

Note for fruit lovers: I still remember making a special trip to the La Jerte Valley of Extremadura to find their legendary cherries. Alas, we were far too early.

It’s now mid June and cherries from La Valle de la Jerte are in good supply, at various sizes and at various prices, in local markets–in general, the larger the fruit, the higher the price.

We are well supplied in our hotel room with products from local street vendors in Santiago, and from two supermarkets here in O"Grove.

I should add that our original plan had us departing from La Toxa on Sunday and spending two nights in a guest house in Padron, so be close to ASADOR O’PAZO.

We are so happy here that we are staying until Tuesday when we will transfer to our last home, the Parador Costa do Morte, in Muxia. We will lunch at O’PAZO on Sunday, driving the hour or so there and return, from La Toxa. It’s a good decision.

For foreigners, this area feels like an undiscovered hideaway. although we are at this grand old hostelry, the nearby area seems replete with many small hotels and apartments that look appealing… There is a bus station in the port of O"Grove, steps from the market and the center of town, and many good restaurants. From there, a walk over the bridge to the thermal springs of La Toxa would be easy for anyone is halfway decent condition. And there are many beaches within a fifteen-minute drive, and an array of boat tours that departs from the port of O"GROVE at least twice a day…

[erica1]

This is a good write-up of ASADOR D’BERTO, where we hope to have our second meal of this month, tomorrow. I wonder when this restaurant will garner the fame among foreigners that the great Basque (and at least one, Asturian) seafood grills already enjoy.

The “undiscovered” lure of D’BERTO might have to do with the fact that far less English-speaking tourists venture to this region of Spain, as compared to the droves that descend in increasing quantities every year, on San Sebastián and nearby Basque coastal towns and cities.

Likewise, there are other seafood “temples,” that are sacred names in Spain and part of Europe, but that also seem relatively unknown to North American tourists–GUEYU MAR (I’ve still not dined here) is one I can think of now. And mention of LOS MARINOS JOSE, not too far from Malaga and smack dab on that overloaded the tourist strip of the Costa del Sol, draws no response when I mention the name to Americans bound for that area. (I’ve not been there, either, but hope to change that before too long)

Also in Andalucia, EL CAMPERO might be considered a temple of tuna rather than a “seafood Mecca,” but I see few foreigners there during my lunches in March.

What are the other less widely known addresses, outside the major cities, for seafood lovers in Spain? Years ago, a major tv personality–I think it was Anthony Bourdain, filmed his visit to MARISQUERIA RAFA in Roses, but I’ve not read much about this restaurant in years, although that’s an area I am not yet familiar with…

Does BAR FM in Granada belong in this category, or is that notable merely because it’s on the edge of that city visited by so many tourists…??? LA MAREA DE MARCOS in Jerez is pretty great, great enough to be an address well known to Jose Andres and the Roca brothers, but I don’t think it fits the category of a grand “seafood temple.”

Does anyone have a favorite “undiscovered” gem you care to share? I know Maribel will know them all!!

D’Berto — A Galician Seafood Temple - Gastromondiale

[erica1]

After both myself and our hotel staff were unable to reach anyone at SANSIBAR, restaurant outside O"Grove noted for their techniques of grilling fish and shellfish (we placed about a dozen calls over the course of a few days, including Friday night, when the restaurant is listed as “open,” (in just one example of the incredible service offered at this hotel, one of the staff biked to the restaurant on his day off and left a note asking them when they would be open and to please give him a call, as he had two guests who were very eager to dine there).

With no luck and no plans for Friday night, what did we end up eating in one of the seafood capitals of Galicia? Pizza. My partner really did want a break from anything coming from the water, and we had passed this two-story spot fronting the port many times. It seems like a very popular spot for local families and there were many diners of all ages last night when we arrived about 10pm. (I notice that we are acclimating more and more to the late dining hours here, and to even think about having dinner at 7pm once we get home sounds ridiculous. It’s light out until past 10pm and I think the light makes dinner hour seem a bit too soon.

Another happy thing is that neither of us had any jet lag on this trip; maybe the more I travel to Europe, the more I get adjust to the time change and that this carries over to the next visit (??). or could it be that I refrained from my usual alcohol intake on the planes from NY to Santiago.

Back to the pizza: There’s not much to say except that my partner was happy and particularly taken with the abundant cheese which, to me, tasted like that low-moisture mozzarella we all know from mediocre places in the US. But if you ever find yourselves in O"Grove and are longing for something other than exquisite seafood, rest assured that. you will neither go hungry, nor empty the wallet with the 8 euro Margarita at PIZZERIA RESTAURANTE AMALFI. (They also have an ample menu of the usual pastas and other southern Italian staples.). For 13.20 euro, we had a Margherita large enough for both of us, and two bottled Cokes, made with cane sugar. (And served in very cool vintage-style coke-labeled glasses); the upper level of the restaurant has a gorgeous view of the marina.

PIZZERIA AMALFI

After dinner we returned to that fantastic ice cream shop (“xeado,” is Gallego for ice cream), where I again was very happy with. my cup of dulce leche and chocolate/orange, with bits of embedded candied orange rind. One odd thing, though, that I had also noticed on an earlier night: The ice cream melted very quickly, and it was not at all hot outside. I have to look up what that means…my partner had different flavors than mine and. also commented on how fast it was melting. Before we could finish our small cups, the bottom had turned to ice cream soup. But it certainly was delicious!!

[Madrid]

I was amazed by the very late summer sunsets when I lived in Spain decades ago. Found out after I came back that Spain used to be in the same time zone as Portugal and England, but Franco changed it to align with Germany time zone and Hitler.

[Maribel]

Tonight sunset arrived at our house in Madrid at 9:50,

[erica1]

ASADOR D’BERTO…second visit

We returned here last night, with a booking for 8:30 which now seems uncomfortably early for dinner. From the moment we entered, we were taken under the wing of Owner Berto, with the result of a meal that, consisting of only a few courses, was transportive:

We were gifted, again, that superlative Caldo Gallego, which might be the best consommé I’ve ever tasted. The base is veal stock. If I lived here, I would always have this in my freezer, ready to heat at the first sight of a cold, or anytime at all… I just can’t convey how delicious this was but I am certain that it entailed a lot of browning of bones, simmering, and straining–I have enough trouble trying to make chicken soup so can barely imagine the steps involved in creating this intense, perfectly clear specimen.

D’Berto’s bread is some of the best we’ve had here, and last night there was even a slice of. a raisin-studded dark bread which I was not given a chance to taste.

An excellent Galician sparkling Albarino:

My first course was a revelation.

I love Navajas, razor clams; D’BERTO offers the Galician relative, Longueirones (the name is written in Gallego on the iPad menu). Berto asked me how many I wanted and I, naively said–“maybe six??”
He told me, “No .these are very large, I recommend two, or three at the most.”

Three longueirones soon appeared before me and they were tremendous!!! Perhaps 8" long, and fatter than the razor clams I knew. Intense flavor, enhanced by a touch of olive oil–I could have gone on to dessert after these.
Berto is known for selecting the largest specimens of the best fish on offer at the lonxa; his card reads, in Spanish: “Specialist in fish and shellfish of great size.”

He remembered how much my partner had enjoyed the virrey a few days ago (and last year; this man has a memory!!) and s suggested that we both share one order of this fish, palometa Roja. This was a fish I had never tasted, although my partner, a former fish-hater, would talk about it endlessly afterwards when he had ordered it, here and somewhere else on the North coast… (NOT at Gueyu Mar, nor at La Huertona, where the last portion has been snagged by diners who had left ahead of us…)

I’ve not seen this on another restaurant menu in O"Grove and I was in a state of high anticipation last night.

My high hopes were not dashed. This was the single best grilled fish I have ever tasted!! (It’s offered either baked, al horno, or grilled; we chose the latter)
I’ve had some astonishingly great sole in Spain, particularly at ANTONIO and at EL CAMPERO in the south, but this fish was from another planet. You could almost taste the collagen or whatever substance gave it that incomparable, unctuous texture. “Slimey” is a horrible word, but the texture here was something…well, I just cannot describe it–kind of slippery (??) but it was the best fish I’ve tasted in my life. We had the thinner, tail portion and it was filleted at the table; a few nights ago my partner had it baked and that was a thicker portion from the center of the fish.

The virrey came with a large bowl of delicious cabbage and, alas, only one–of the most delicious potatoes I’ve ever tasted. We had to share one potato and I’m still longing for more this morning.

Also brought to the table were large-flake salt which I did not need, an oil with macerating small red peppers, and a terrific mustard-based sauce, which I added to the fish and to the vegetable.

This dinner was among the best I’ve had in Spain. To repeat!!

After filleting the fish, the skeleton and the bits of fish closest to the bone are left for us; I ate all those bits.

[erica1]

Interesting: When Berto came to advise us on what to order, I asked him for cigalas (crayfish; langoustines.).

He replied that there were no cigalas now in Galicia.

“But, Alberto, I had cigalas at a restaurant in O"Grove earlier this week!”

Alberto, “Yes, Erica, you had cigalas, but they were flown in from Scotland; there are no cigalas here, in this season. You ask always ask many questions, but you did not ask them if they were serving local cigalas…”

"But, Alberto, I ordered them in “tal” restaurant, (I did then tell him the name) and they told me that these cigalas were from “el rio!”

"Si, Erica–they are from a river (inlet; as in “Rias Baixas)), but not from a rio in Galicia; these are flown in live daily, , from Scotland or maybe from Norway, and that is why you saw them placed (still alive) in the restaurant that you visited the other night…”

And I had been so impressed by the fact (I think I mentioned it here, that I saw the shellfish-gatherer enter BEIRAMAR and place them, very much alive, into the tank inside the dining room. (In the US, most langoustines arrive, frozen, from the North Atlantic, and sold at a very high price)

To be fair, I did not ask where they were from…I ASSUMED that these were local specimens. We all know the meaning of “assume!”

There is so much to learn, and learn by asking questions and by reading. the cigalas I had the other night were lovely; I marveled at their sweetness and I thought that the cigalas at D"BERTO might even surpass the ones I had the previous night.

But I can only wonder, now, how much more lovely, perhaps, they would have been if they had been plucked hours before, from the Isla de Arousa or a nearby waterway. I will have to ask Berto when he will have local cigalas, as we are already dreaming about a return visit.
This is a very kind and, perhaps, somewhat shy, man who is more than happy to discuss the products of local waters. Interestingly, D’BERTO began as a meat restaurant, hence the “Asador” in the name. Berto changed his focus to seafood in the early 2000s after believing that the riches of the immediate area might be of great appeal to the tourists who arrived in greater and greater numbers at the beginning of the 2000s.

Live and learn. Above all–ask questions!

To paraphrase Michelin, ASADOR D’BERTO is well worth a long drive to partake of its carta. The best plan would be to have a base nearby so as to be able to make a return visit or two. There are many hotels in O"Grove that look fine from the outside…prices are most agreeable. On the high end, the island of la Toja across the bridge and within walking distance of D"BERTO, offers upscale lodging at two or three properties under the banner of Eurostars. We are ensconced at the Grand Hotel La Toja and, while expensive, the value is excellent, I can’t imagine a hotel so excellent for an equal price anywhere else (do not take my word for this, however----I am not exactly familiar with all the grand hotels of this country–very far from that!!)

[erica1]

Sunday lunch at ASADOR O’PAZO in Padron:

This is a handsome, elegant restaurant that’s tucked into a complex with Hotel Scala (same ownership as the restaurant, but not the small inn five minutes away (Pazo d’Arreten, also owned by the O"PAZO team) where it might be good to overnight; the latter hotel fills up with weddings so I cold not find a room there but I think that would be THE place to stay in Padron) outdoor pool, and playground, right off the main highway leading to Santiago. To find ASADOR O’PAZO, look for the tall building housing HOTEL SCALA…there is a large parking lot.

It would be very easy to drive from Santiago de Compostela and was about an hour-long drive for us, coming from Isla de la Toja. We originally planned to spend two nights at a rural inn outside Padron, to be near the restaurant, but liked the Hotel on La Toja so much that we extended our stay there by two nights.

It’s possible that the restaurant offers a la carte but I’m not one-hundred percent clear on that. They asked me when I booked if I wanted the tasting menu (190 euro with option of adding a larger portion of steak) or a portion of percebes for 40 euro per person.

Our meal began in an anteroom where we were served on a spectacular low table crafted of magnolia wood. Every plate in this restaurant is a work of art!

We had a cup of a broth, whose details I forget but it was spectacular; then, amazing butter from a local dairy served with a thin rectangular cracker infused with pork (??). Just out of this world!
Along with those, this strips of cured pork (see third, fourth and fifth photos) that we were instructed to place in the tiny round rolls and eat as a bocadillo. This is as good as food gets, and we’ve only just begun!!

Close ups of that gossamer pork, to eat in a roll:

We are shown the components of the meal to come–all included except the percebes (barnacles), at right, available as a 40-euro supplement.

And then this fellow is wheeled in!!!

The grouper (mero) that will prove to be the highlight of the meal for me, and one of the two best fish of our trip so far:

After this, we move into the dining room, which contains about ten tables, with vast amounts of room between them. It’s beautiful!

It’s almost time to check out of our hotel, so will continue later…

[erica1]

Continuing with Sunday lunch at ASADOR O’PAZO:

Lobster served three ways; the first photo shows meat and viscous liquid from the head:

Berberechos, cockles, simply presented, as seems to always be the case in these parts:

Longueiron (these relatives of razor clams can grow as long as 22cm in length):

Squid

Flattened roasted peppers; it takes more than two days to make these, according to our host. Not wonder the ones I make at home don’t taste as good.

Smoked yolk of egg; I’ve not had better eggs anywhere than the ones we’ve had during the past couple of weeks, in Galicia. From the plain scrambled eggs on the breakfast buffets to this concoction:

This is the grouper (mero) that we saw earlier (or its relative); now tied with two others for the best fish of the trip, and close to the best fish I’ve ever eaten
(the others were the palometa roja at D’BERTO and the lubina we had yesterday at TIRO DE CORDEL, in Fisterra (I will get to that, later). Alongside the mero, a pile of blistered Padron peppers. Manuel explained earlier that the grouper is aged before cooking, but I don’t know for how long. I’ve also read about sushi masters who age their raw fish before serving but know nothing past that. I wish I had asked for details. This all goes against the mantra that fish is best when eaten just after capture. (A few nights earlier, I ordered (roasted) grouper in a restaurant in O"Grove that was one of the dishes I liked least on this entire trip. It was dry and, just plain boring. I described that dinner, above).

The last savory course was Rubia Gellego steak.

When Manuel put it on the table, he asked if either of us wanted our portion to be cooked further. So my partner’s steak was returned, close to well done. He loved it but I thought the longer cooking time removed much of the pleasure, The steak (my share is pictured, served as originally presented) was served with a salad that was as astounding as it was simple. Tender lettuce leaves dressed with vinegar and olive oil. I do this at home, of course, but my salad does not taste like this one.

In elected to mention above that O"PAZO, which began as a meat-centric “asador,” roast restaurant, owned by the two Vidal brothers. Oscar cooks and Manuel oversees the front of the house. Manuel waited on us, and was more than willing to answer questions; is English is excellent and a written English translation is available.

Lunch concluded with three dishes:

An apple “tabardilla:”

O"PAZO’s version of TARTA DE SANTIAGO

And a third sweet, named Pied de Lobo, after a coveted local mushroom, which I neglected to photograph and have completely forgotten.
Both sweets that I do remember were perfect!

I drank: