Tag Archives: menú del día

Menú del Día-ing

In Spain, it is not uncommon for most restaurants to offer un menú del
día for lunch – sort of a prix-fixe- but for only about 10-12 €. It’s
about the hottest deal in town and usually includes 2 courses, a
beverage, bread and your choice of coffee or dessert.  I’ve definitely
taken advantage of this amazing deal, as to try as many Spanish foods
as possible.

A few  Saturdays ago, I went to this restaurant off of Calle called
Cervcería. Though it wasn’t my favorite menú thus far, I’m glad I
tried it because I got to taste new dishes including. This past weekend in Barcelona, I somehow ended up with baby octopuses in my soup – trying food has definitely become an adventure.

Potaje de vigilia – soup filled with garbanzo beans and grape leaves;
it sort of tastes like miso soup but with a lot more filling
Brucheta de solomillo – This dish was a kebab with French fries and
fancy mustard on the side. The meat was a pork chop – very tasty
naturally  but super fatty as well (not exactly my fav).

At the end of my meal I enjoyed a cappuccino – nothing beats frothed
milk and steaming hot coffee in Europe.

That’s all for now. I’ve included pictures from my other menú del día
adventures below with restaurant names as well, so if any one is in
the area they can indulge themselves as well.

Segovia

If I were to describe the architecture of Spain to anybody based on my ten days here, all I could possibly say is : cobblestones, castles, and cathedrals galore! This country is sprinkled with some of the most beautiful churches and palaces – I think the Queen of England would be jealous. Maybe it’s just our amazing location, but everywhere you look theres another church or monument to explore. Last Friday NYU took all 140-somethings of us to Segovia, a beautiful town situated about an hour- hour and a half outside Madrid. After an early wake up and a quick nap on the bus, we were in Segovia, home to the El Alcázar – the inspiration for the Disney castle. As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were immediately immersed in history. A look to the North and you saw beautiful Alcázar Castle, to the west snow capped mountains, and a look about 100 meters up was a beautiful fortified city.

In front of El Alcázar

In front of El Alcázar

Out to the West

Out to the West

View of El Catedral from El Alcázar

View of El Catedral from El Alcázar

Out to the West

Out to the West

We entered the ancient city, built in the eleventh century, by way of stairs. Though the numerous stairs seemed endless, they were a welcome site due the frigid temperatures and rain that seemed to come and go every ten minutes. Our tour guide began by taking note of the many arches that we passed under. The city of Segovia underwent numerous changes of power so you can definitely see the impact on architecture. First stop was El Alcázar – a beautiful castle. There was tons of gold encrusted ceilings, caballeros in armor, a church inside the castle and a beautiful view from the top!  I can definitely see the similarities between the Disney castle and the Alcazar – the sharp slate spires being the most prominent distinction.

Gold in the Castle

Gold in the Castle

El Catedral

El Catedral

Next up we headed to El Catedral de Segovia. Though the interior was no where near similar to the beauty and impressiveness of Notre Dame in Paris, it was still remarkable. The one question that kept popping up into my mind was “How did they do this without modern technology?” I know that I for one that I am not cut out to live in the Stone Ages.

Panorama of El Aqueducto

Panorama of El Aqueducto

Our final major stop in Segovia also happened to be our meeting stop before returning back to Madrid. To the Southwest of Segovia are Roman Aqueducts which are still working! I don’t know what’s more impressive – the fact that they’re still functioning or that they’re still standing. From what I’ve experienced thus far, Spain knows how to take care of their ancient culture. Before boarding the bus, a group of us found a cute little restaurant and tried el menú del día. Though we did not get to try the famous suckling pig, we did have fun trying to decode the menu and ended up with some pretty delicious comida including our postre (dessert) which was similar to a taken apart cannoli with hot chocolate drizzled on top.

Our Dessert

Our Dessert

A quick bus ride back into the city found us at the end of Gran Vía. Our “group” consisting of the Amherst boys, a group of guys from NYU and us headed back into Sol. Our tired legs yearned to rest so we took a glorious siesta before rewarding ourselves with a night out on the town.  That’s all from Segovia – mucho amor!

Comida Coma

Let me start by asking, why in the world isn’t Spanish food more popular in the United States? I live in two cities where Spanish is widely spoken and where the cuisine would be widely accepted, but I still have yet to come across any Chocolate con Churros places in the East Village. I digress.

Mercado San Míguel

Mercado San Míguel

The food here is absolutely amazing. I have yet to have a full meal per se, but don’t let that fool you. I think the only thing we’ve really eaten are tapas and croissants for desayuno (breakfast) that we split among ourselves – we look back on our days here and realize we forget to eat full meals most of the time because we snack here and there (but once again I’m going to blame the extremely warped sense of time here). Madrileños typically have a Café con Leche (Espresso coffee with steamed milk) for a breakfast around 8 or 9, which is followed a few hours later by a brief break where they are free to grab another coffee or snack. Around 2:30, they head out to lunch which can either be menú del día (prix fixe) or just sides of things – we usually have been snacking on pincho de tortilla and other tapas like items. What seems like a million hours later, but is actually only 10PM , dinner is usually served. It’s an extremely awkward time, or so it seems to eat dinner, but seeing as most Madrileños don’t go to bed until the wee hours of the morning, it only seems natural.

A cup of café con leche

A cup of café con leche

Wine flows as freely as water here

Wine flows as freely as water here

So far, the girls and I have pretty much have had the same foods from the same restaurants because we are obsessed but here’s our top choices since being here.

Chocolate con churros – Jess and I have frequented the most famous Chocolatería in all of Madrid known as San Gínes. In no less than seven days, we have indulged ourselves five times. The waiters know us (I’m sure by the name las chicas locas americanas) and have begun to give us porras gratis, which are thicker delicious versions of churros FOR FREE.

Our favorite Churro Place

Our favorite Churro Place

Pincho de Tortilla – This Spanish delicacy is composed of egg, onion, and potatoes. It can be served either hot or room temperature, though I prefer the warmer pincho. Accompanied with a side of bread, this comida (food) is always a favorite. When munching away at our local Mercado de San Miguel (the NY version of Eatly), Madrileños can be seen eating this as a late breakfast, lunch or dinner side. This is definitely one recipe I need to learn before returning home!

 

 

Pincho de Tortilla

Pincho de Tortilla

Croquetas – I’m not entirely sure how to explain this tapa, but when I asked my roommate, Alinah, to help me come up with some descriptive words, she said, “Oh those fried balls?”Essentially coquetas are a mix of potato and jamón, but are particulary creamy and deep fried. Can anybody say YUM? I’m so excited to try and make these at home!

Croquetas

Croquetas

Paella – As if it wasn’t already the most famous food of Spain, I am in love with Paella (and I’ve only had it once)! Jess and I are on a mission to find a really good plate, but are honestly waiting to go to Barça and Valencia to find our new favorite place 🙂

 

That’s about all the food for now, but I promise to keep updating my facebook with my latest food adventures 🙂

P.S. Enjoying our American food!

McDonalds in Europe? Don't ask!

McDonalds in Europe? Don’t ask!