Tapas in Madrid

Dinner in this country starts round 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.  We haven’t ever adjusted to that, so instead we go for the tapas, which are served earlier at any of the many bars crammed in the city.

We go out with the kids occasionally, although it can be difficult for them to sit still for the hour and a half or so that it takes to have a meal (even just tapas).  But most every Thursday night, Dave and I hire a babysitter (two of Dave’s students alternate (thank you Shannon and Megan!)) so that we can go out and eat some tapas, which includes a huge array of things.  Each bar uses has a speciality or two.

We’ve had some bad things, but very few.  The standout of bad would be callos.  It’s an oily stew with tripe (and other, um… parts) and I think it might be something you have to grow up with to appreciate.

But for the most part, the food has been excellent with the seafood as a general highlight.  I eat as much fish and shellfish here as I can because it’s better than anything I’ve had elsewhere.  

Here are some pictures of some of the things we eat most frequently:

Serrano ham and manchego cheese to start out is typical

Paella

Chiperones (squid)

Croquetas (Owen's favorite)

Chipitos (Cuttlefish fried in butter)

Gambas (delectable)

Olives, always

So much wine and it's so good

Lastly, friend Mike Jordan, who knows more about good food than anyone I know, has lived in Madrid before.  Just in case you’re in Madrid for tapas sometime, here’s the advice he gave Dave and me, which is better than anything else we’ve found:

“With regard to tapas places, my favorites are always the old traditional ones -- marble walls stained with decades of pork fat dripping down them, stainless steel bar tops, food piled up where you can see it. Following are some places I like.

• There are a couple of very good bars (especially for seafood tapas) on Calle Postas between Sol and Plaza Mayor; both are on the left-hand side as you're walking towards Plaza Mayor; both are small, kind of grimy looking, lots of napkins on the floor (always a good sign).
• Cafetería at Preciados 38 (near Callao Metro stop) -- very good food, especially the mollejas (sweetbreads -- trust me, they're great)
• Restaurante/Cafetería El Prado on Calle de Silva, between Santo Domingo Plaza and Gran Vía (near Santo Domingo and Callao Metro stations) -- old school tapas joint.
• Paraíso del Jamón (San Bernardo 8, just off of Gran Vía) - good stuff, relatively cheap
• El Brillante C/ Eloy Gonzalo, 12, 28010 Madrid, Spain -- also old school, great tapas. A block from Quevedo Metro station. The canned seafood they sell there, believe it or not, is absolutely exceptional -- try some of the mussels. They also make fresh churros and porras (fat churros) all morning -- you can watch them pumping into the vat of oil. Great with chocolate or café con leche.
• Mesón el Pobre, Calle Cardenal Cisneros, 40 -- very good food, used to be cheap (haven't been there in a long time)
• La Trucha - right off of the Plaza de Santa Ana. It is expensive, but has some of the best seafood tapas in Madrid -- especially their smoked fish. If  you go, do not pass up the chopitos (inch-long whole fried squid) or chanquetes (even smaller fried cephalopods).

As for dishes

• Tortilla de patatas -- a must.
• Albondigas, or meatballs in a brown sauce, are very good, and kids tend to like them.
• Fried calamares are excellent.
• The aforementioned mollejas - lamb sweetbreads -- are delectable.
• "Embutidos" are sausages -- chorizo (my favorite - made with smoked paprika), salchichon (salami-like product), lomo (cured pork loin), morcilla de Burgos (sausage made of blood, rice and onion -- don't knock it till you've tried it - it is excellent)
• Jamón -- quintessentially Spanish. Be aware of the different varieties (i.e. prices) -- serrano, ibérico, pata negra, etc. They can get VERY expensive.
• Montados - small sandwiches -- good with a caña. Try off-beat things like boquerones (picked smelt)
• Pimientos de padrón -- roasted peppers. Some are hot, others aren't -- and you don't know till you pop it into your mouth
• Ensaladilla rusa -- potato salad. Does nothing for me, but the Spaniards love it.
• Chopitos - small whole fried squid
• Sepia - cuttlefish, often served stuffed and baked
• Cheese - manchego (which you probably know) and cabrales - the most famous Spanish blue from up north.
• Just try everything; the "callos" notwithstanding, you'll find you like most of it.”

He’s right about the mollejas by the wayJ