Had a fabulous time in Madrid and Valencia! Great food/drink/music/accommodations and culture. Trip report soon (with pics)
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Here goes nothing!
Spain/Madrid/Valencia trip report Sept 16th-27th 2022
Iâll break this down into a few separate posts, I ate a lot of delicious food 
First dinner in Madrid was Sala de Despiece.
Fun funky bar/resto that was all the rage a while back. On the suggestion of the bartender/server I ordered some of their âclassicâ dishes and some Cava.
Fried artichoke- caviar/avocado/lime
Delicious
Red tuna sirloin- Pedero Jimenez/lemon/baby onion
âRolexâ Cured egg yolk/pancetta/foie/truffle
Chuleton beef carpaccio/tomato/olive oil
Razor clams- olive oil/fried garlic chips/shaved fennel Delicious but full of sand/grit, one so bad I almost spit it out and when I mentioned it to the server all I got was a grimaced face and a âmeh, what do you expect from natural productsâ bad attitude if you ask me, sort of soured my experience tbh.
Dessert was âpepper ice creamâ Cotton candy/strawberry/black peppercorns Nice and refreshing and unusual combo.
There was way more to each plate than I can recall, ingredient wise, but you get the gist of it.
It was fun watching the servers put together the dishes right in front of you, the food and cava were really tasty, the room was âfunkyâ and lively, but the razor clam incident was very unprofessional. No âsorry, weâll let the kitchen know right awayâ just attitude.
Would not return, but Iâm glad I went.
Breakfast the next day was Casa Dani for their Tortilla Espanola.
Arrived early to beat the crowds and sat at the bar. Delicious tortilla, fresh bread and a cafe con leche for only 5 Euros. What a deal! Would def return and maybe try some different things as well as the tortilla.
To be continuedâŠ
Add images here
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It looks like Iâm missing a lot of text on this post, can anyone see what I wrote?
Read thisâŠ
Ugh, lots of text missing if thatâs all you can see 
Going clockwise, second photo is âRolexâ Cured egg yolk/pancetta/foie/truffles.
Chuleton- beef tartare/tomato/olive oil.
Delicious tortilla Espanola from Casa Dani with fresh bread and cafe con leche. A steal at 5 Euros, would def return.
Dessert from Despiece Pepper ice cream/cotton candy/strawberry/peppercorns
Razor clams- delicious and simple but full of grit/sand. When I pointed this out to the bartender/server his response was a grimaced face and a âya, what do you expect from natural products?â from the manager(?) Not the response I was looking for tbh and it soured my whole mood.
It was fun and whimsical, food was good and it was cool watching the servers assemble the dishes right in front of you, which is their schtick, but the razor clam incident was totally unacceptable.
Glad I went but wouldnât return.
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Various breakfasts and dinners in Madrid.
Breakfast at Mercado San Miguel before the crush of people⊠8:30am La Hora del Vermut Swanky upscale market that Iâd def visit again
Churros and chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines Probably one of the greatest breakfasts ever invented.
Pre flamenco show dinner at Casa Toni. Pigâs ears and scrambled eggs with chorizo. Didnât care for the pigâs ears (too ârareâ for my liking) but the eggs and chorizo were delicious. Great old school vibe, would return to try other stuff on the menu. Portions are hugeâŠ
Flamenco show was at Cardemomo Tablao, great show and venue. I just bought the show and drink âpackageâ Glad I did cause the food didnât look very appetizing especially for the price.
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Last few meals in Madrid.
Gambas al Ajillo and calamari a la plancha at La Casa del Abuelo, both delicious, but I shouldnât have ordered the squid⊠way too much food for 1 but no regrets
Last minute reservation at the charming Taberna La Carmencita. I was there at 8pm and I was the only one in the joint for at least 45 mins
the food was really good and homey, nothing pretentious or too fancy, the music was fun ( 40âs 50âs and 60âs pop and jazzy stuff) and the service was very good.House pate⊠mixed salad plate, Russian salad, anchovies and tomato bocconcini.
Entre was chicken stew in a pepitoria sauce, good old school comfort food.
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My last meal was at Sacha, and what a meal it was! Everything was amazing, the food/service and the beautiful garden on a perfect summer night.
Half order of Falsa Lasana Txangu (fake lasagna)
Tortilla Vaga (lazy omelet)
Leguado Menier (Sole Meuniere)
For dessert I went with the Tarta Dispersa (smashed cheesecake?)
The bread course was very good and I had 2 glasses of Albarino which went well with my choices I think.
Probably my favorite meal of the entire trip, everything top notch. Iâm glad I didnât walk or take public transport, I would have gotten lost for sure
Uber and cabs were plentiful and not expensive.Thatâs it for Madrid. Such a fabulous city, I wish I had spent more time there. My hotel, Hotel Sandinero, was absolutely amazing and I would recommend it 100% and Iâd def stay there again . I splashed out for the âTower Roomâ as this was a belated 60th bday/retirement treat. Not 1 but 2 terraces and a welcome gift of cava and macarons, so nice.
See you next time Madrid!
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Iâd also like to thank Maribel for all the great tips and suggestions for Madrid, I wish I had more time to get to all of them , Muchas gracias
Hola Pedro,
Love your photos and thanks so much for sharing them!
We too really enjoy the Taberna Carmencita. Itâs the second oldest tavern in Madrid, reinvented now to be a neo-taberna but keeping the charm of the original tiles. So glad you found it.
Your meal at Sacha looked great and it was nice that you were able to enjoy the al fresco dining in the garden.
Weâll keep that tower room in mind at the Hotel Sardinero. We stay just a few blocks away and have often considered it. Glad to know that you enjoyed your stay there.
Hope youâre able to return to Madrid soon!
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Hola Maribel,
Iâm already thinking of where to go next Spain and Italy are on the top of my list, but Spain has a slight lead. Maybe Madrid and Malaga , with more time spent in Madrid this go round.
Hotel Sardinero was such a treat and they have a couple of rooms with private terraces besides the Tower room.
All my meals in Madrid were excellent, even though I didnât care for the pigâs ears (not the restaurantsâ fault) or the gritty razor clams.
I still have a lot of photos from Valencia, but Iâm thinking I might start a separate post.
Thanks again for your suggestions and recommendations, I wouldnât have found Taberna Carmecita without them.
Cheers!
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Thank you so much for the report!
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Youâre very welcome, it truly was my pleasure
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@beam where did you end up going in Madrid?
@Maribel you seem to be the Spanish master on HO. Aside from recs above anything else to recommend?
We are looking for one or two recommendations thatre super family friendly and one dining experience without the family, your thoughts are appreciated!
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Hi,
For super family friendly, I would look at those that have an outdoor terrace (if your upcoming trip is in spring, summer or fall). And it depends on the age of the children, of course. And Sunday evenings are tough for family-friendly restaurants, many of which are closed.
So if there are small children in tow, you might want to go to La Florida in beautiful Retiro Park, that has multiple dining venues, the most family friendly being La GalerĂŹa, where kids have plenty of room to wander and to enjoy the many attractions of Madridâs most beautiful green spaceâŠ
or to CafĂ© del RĂo on the banks of the Manzanares River with views of the Royal Palace. The bonus of these two is that there is plenty of room for the kids to roam and where families do congregate on weekends.
And consider the GalerĂa Food Hall inside the Canalejas building attached to the Four Seasons, in the center of the city, as downstairs it has multiple venues for those diners of all budgets, from paella at St James to Galician food at Taberna Garelos to other even more informal spots. The best partâitâs open daily with long hours.
If you have teenagers with you who love pizza, the Grosso Napoletano mini chain with 8 Madrid restaurants would fit the bill. The Hermosilla branch, in the elegant Salamanca district would be central.
Or in the Latina district of Old Madrid, the Bacaro de Fabio Gasparini on the pretty Plaza de la Paja is family friendly.
If there are teenagers in tow, they would love the look, the buzz and the ambience of the Italian Bel Mondo on the very upscale street of VelĂĄquez, number 39, in the Salamanca district. Itâs very, very popular and with an over-the-top decor and a cool outdoor terrace.
As to one dining experience w/o family, it really depends on your dining budget. There are several fine Michelin stars, many more restaurants with 1 Repsol sun, too many to mention here actually, but the restaurant that I choose for more affordable than Michelin star prices and fine consistency is LAKASA, which never fails me. Itâs just a fine modern bistrot.
A step above in price would be LA BIEN APARECIDA on tony Jorge Juan, Salamanca districtâs most elegant ârestaurant rowâ. I usually recommend it because itâs open on Sunday evenings and has a lovely outdoor terrace. It sports 1 Repsol sun and comes Michelin recommended (but no star).
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Thanks maribel this sounds so awesome I will research and report back
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HHH,
I get most of my recommendations for Madrid, and the rest of Spain, from Maribel, who might be the most informative poster on this site, and certainly THE most informative for Spain. But for what itâs worth, I just spend 4 nights in Madrid (late last month) and had four superb dinners. I plan to post a short report, with photos, as soon as I get the time, but for now, for your couples meal, based on my recent experience, there are two restaurants where I had wonderful dinners and would recommend:
LA TASQUITA DE ENFRENTE (there are some negative reviews, mainly about the treatment of non-Spaniards, and I did have a tiny issue about feeling pressured by the owner to place my order with less time than I would have liked to scan the menu; I will go into this more in my report) BUT, I had a marvelous meal there and would return although I think this restaurant might ânot be for everyone,â to put it vaguely, and poorly! I should mention that I do speak Spanish, but would never be taken for a local. Some specials (menu changes often, if not daily) are what I would deem âexpensiveâ but I believe their price is fair owing to the origin and quality. Just north of Gran Via, not far from SOL.
LA MANDUCA DE AZAGRA Fine dining, heavy on vegetables, from the northern region of Navarra (famous for the quality of their vegetables) Impeccable food, quiet but relaxed, contemporary dining room(s); family owned and, again, I was waited on by the owner. Many vegetable dishes from the ownerâs âhuerta;â also some tempting-sounding fish and meat offerings. Staff/owner very good about offering suggestions on which dishes, and whether to order full or half raciones. Easy walk west from ALONSO MARTINEZ at address that (I guess) might be called borderland between north Chueca and Chamberi.
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just a question here Erica - are half portions regularly available in Spain? dont see much of this in Italy.
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Iâm not Erica but I can answer that it does depend on the restaurant. Some do, some donât. I would say that more donât than do⊠In Madrid, at our favorite taberna, La Catapa, some dishes are available in half portions. At one of our favorite bistrots, Lakasa, in Madrid several dishes are also available in half portions.
In Jerez during my 6-night stay, at A Mar I was dining solo and was able to order my dishes in half portions.
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