Saturday, May 19, 2012

We have evening plans today, but I have nothing scheduled before then.  Susan will pay a visit to the Russafa Art Walk this afternoon, but I think I will pass.  The streets will be overcrowded and I don’t think that bumping into people will be helpful for my recovering knee.  Tonight’s guitar concert is at a new venue that is located across the riverbed from us and is not as easily accessed as the former site.

Yesterday we had a late lunch at A Nou.  Valencian mussels called clóchinas are in season so we decided to start with a bowl full of those.  They were plump, juicy and delicious.  Our main course was an arroz de langostinos filled with langoustines, shrimp, fish and squid.  We were unable to finish it all.  I think Teresa adds a little bit extra to our dishes when Javi tells her that it’s for us.  We had fresh fruit for dessert, but skipped the coffee and the after dinner drink.

When we finished our meal we crossed the street and went back home.  For the first time in recent memory Susan was able to take a nap in the afternoon.  I conked out, too.  That is not unusual for me.  A little before 7:00 we got dressed to go out again and this time we were headed to a space called the Espacio Inestable to see our friend, Nacho Diago, in a three person play entitled Cardiovascular.  We arrived a bit early and that gave us the opportunity to explore this part of the Carmen district.

We stopped in at a small restaurant called Chez Vic where we sat at the bar and while we munched on some olives I enjoyed an ice-cold beer and Susan had a glass of wine.  We chatted with Gayle who owns the space along with her husband, David.  Gayle is French and came to Salamanca a number of years ago to finish up her degree, met David and for the past six years they have been living in Valencia.  We studied the menu and both Susan and I agreed that we would have to give the place a try in the near future.

When we returned to the theater they had just opened the doors and we took two seats in the front row.  The crowd was sparse partly due to the fact that there was an important soccer game on TV and partly because the publicity for the play has been minimal.  We settled into our chairs and no sooner had we done so than the play began.

The play was written by one of the actors, Paula Llorens and she also directed the piece.  It is a series of vignettes that deal with affairs of the heart, loneliness and the mysteries of sex and relationships in the minds and hearts of both adolescents and adults.  It lasts a little more than an hour and in the course of that hour each of the three actors play a number of different roles.  Nacho plays a husband who is separated from his wife and son, an adolescent and a married man having an affair and about to separate from his wife.

After the play we waited outside for Nacho so that we could say hello and congratulate him on his performance.  We chatted for a while and it turned out that Paula’s family and friends had attended the performance and that a group of the actors, technicians and family were going to have dinner.  We were invited to join them and we accepted the invitation.

We made our way to a restaurant called Secreter and is located on Calle de Los Maestres 5.  It opened on January 3, 2012 and it is a small space with room for thirty diners inside and there is a small outdoor patio that seats another twenty.  We started out on the patio with drinks and conversation.  Eventually the conversation turned to magic and nacho did a little something and, even though I had not brought along my toys, I did something, also.  Nacho’s technical director who is a budding magician did an effect for us, also.

It was 10:30 when we moved indoors for dinner.  The menu is small, but international in scope.  In addition to a number of salads and patés there are items such as gyoza, Vietnamese spring rolls, a chicken quesadilla and a Thai style hamburger.  We all ordered a main course and we agreed that everything that came out of the kitchen was very tasty and enjoyable.  We could not pass up dessert and so we ordered two of each of the three desserts they were offering last night.  One was a crepe filled with green tea ice cream and bits of chocolate, the second was a chocolate cake and the third was an orange and almond cake.  The ten of us around the table made short work of the dessert.  Coffee followed, as well as an after dinner drink and at 12:45 we were all ready to pay the bill and head out.

Nacho was parked nearby so we walked to his car and he very kindly drove us home.  It was a little after 1:00 when we walked through the door and it was a little before 2:00 when we retired for the night.  Here is a link to the restaurant so that you can check it out http://www.secretersaladeestar.com/