Sunday, January 27, 2013

The wind has dies down and the temperatures have gone up and the sidewalk tables are filled to capacity.  Susan and I went in search of lunch yesterday only to discover that our destination, Nostre Bar, is not open for Saturday lunch.  We then decided to head for Basílico to have lunch with Alex and Arif, but there was no room at the inn, so we continued on our way.  As we walked we remembered that we had dined at a restaurant called Maridaje a while back and the owner had told us that we needed to come by at lunchtime to sample the menu of the day.  Since we were five minutes away from the restaurant we decided that now was the time to do our menu sampling.  We were fortunate enough to get the last available table and we sat down and settled in.

Even though it had been a while since we last visited, the owner recognized us immediately.  I am always amazed when that happens because I was not accustomed to that back in the States with very few exceptions.  We studied the options for the menu of the day and quickly made our decisions. The menu of the day without wine was 10 Euros and with wine it was 18 Euros and the wines selected would pair well with whatever we ordered.

Susan began her meal with a crema de verduras served with a bit of chopped ham.  I began with the ensalada templada – a combination of lettuces served with warm mushrooms and chicken.  Our main dish was an arroz meloso con sepia y cangrejo­ (crab).  The dish was outstanding because the seafood broth in which it was cooked was outstanding.  Susan had baked pumpkin for dessert and I opted for the torrija topped with a small scoop of ice cream.  We ended our meal with coffee and a chupito.

Friday night Brian and Ofelia joined us for dinner. Susan wanted to prepare some Middle-Eastern fare and the fact that we have discovered an amazing stand at the Central Market that makes unbelievably tasty products meant that Susan only needed to prepare two of the treats we enjoyed that evening.  While we chatted in the living room we sampled the hummus, the eggplant dip, the tzatziki, the grape leaves and some cured black olives.  We then made our way to the table where we enjoyed a tabbouleh salad, and chicken fesenjahn served over a bed of white rice.  Dessert was a very tasty version of baklava.  I did some magic as a finale to the evening and around 11:30 Brian and Ofelia headed back home.

Thursday we stopped off at The Ginger Loft with a twofold purpose in mind. We were there to have lunch and to drop off some Mexican cookbooks so that Mike could take a look at them.  We enjoyed yet another magnificent lunch.  We started out with a ham and pea soup, followed by a chicken satay wrap, Thai pork and basil and a green curry.  We were so full that we passed on dessert. An evening meeting with the veteranos and a meeting later in the evening to discuss the upcoming 24 HORAS put the finishing touches on what was a rather busy day.