Madrid report, 3 days, Ciriaco, Plateria, Cenador do Prado (long)

[Mouton Noir]

My wife and I were just in Madrid, June 23 to 25, and here is what I have to report:

JUNE 23
Lunch: Maceiras, on Calle Huertas, near Calle Jesus. 33 Euros
calamares fritos were Ok, but the real good stuff was the Galician cheese plate, Pimientos a Padron, and the pulpo a Galicia. Excellent atmosphere. If anything we ordered too much food. And the seafood was good. Great white wine in cups. Overall: B+
Dinner: Casa Ciriaco, Calle Mayor, 74 Euros
Opted for this Madrid old time place instead of Casa Lucio. I had an outstanding appetizer, artichokes with jamon, which ranked as one of the best dishes in Madrid. My wife had a good ensalada mixta, which had tuna. I had the partridge special, which was served cold but came in this killer white wine sauce which was to die for. Some locals had come in later to order the same thing, so I knew I made a good choice. My wife loved the creme caramel. The waiter recommended a bottle of the house red and he did not steer us wrong. Overall: A-
Late night snack: El Toro de Oro, Plaza Mayor.
It was raining and we needed shelter. Stopped in and got some delicious freebies with our white wine: a white bean & green pepper stew, and a beet salad. Overall: B+

JUNE 24
Lunch: La Plateria, 23 Euros
Wife had a delicious plate of lentil stew, which had a great smoky ham taste to it. I ordered something called a Tipilla de Buey, knowing it was meat but not sure what, ended up being a very good version of steak frites, with the steak marinated in a nice red wine sauce. Before hand, had great tuna and ham croquets. We would have gone back there for another meal. Overall: A
(Also of note: La Plateria also owns a cafe at corner of Calle Jesus and Huertas called La Esquina, or corner, that made the best cafe con leche during our time in Spain and a delicious tostada con aceite y tomate. For 2.1 euros, you can get the coffee and tostada in the morning.)
Dinner: Tapas tour in Huertas
We opted for salmon & shrimp tostada at Cervezeria Cervantes. Very good. Went to La Fabrica for bacalau, pickle anchovie sandwich and a roquefort cheese montada. OK, not spectacular. Then Los Gatos Cervezeria, where a pushy waiter tried to get us to order a salad of jamon iberico, but instead we got some tostadas that were amazing: Mushrooms with brie, then pulpo on an unidentified cheese. Ended tapas tour at Taberna dos Conspiradores, for a Extramadura style vegetable stew, Pista Machego, and then huevos rotos with jamon iberico, which was a tad greasy but tasty. Didn't want french fries with it. I regret not ordering the Migas specialty at Conspiradores. Best of bunch: Cervantes and Los Gatos. Average: Conspiradores. Not recommended: La Fabrica.

June 25
Lunch: El Bierza in Chueca, 22 euros
Decided to have lunch in Chueca after an hour of shoe shopping. Great menu del dia deal at El Bierza, noted as a favourite with locals. And it is strictly good, basic no-nonsense food at very good prices.
I opted for a fresh and tangy chickpea salad, my wife an ensalada mixta that came with hardboiled eggs, tuna and olives that, she said, were the best she had yet eaten. Then came our mains: I had young hake a la plancha, she had perch. Presentation was nothing to write home about, but the fish was solid, with my young hake just edging out her perch. We both had flan for dessert, and it was good, just like my grandmother used to make it in Portugal. I had a small bottle of decent red wine while my wife had a large beer. Overall: B.
Predinner snack: Vinoteca Barbechera.
The service was so-so, as young, tattooed, pierced Madrilenos were in charge of this wine bar off Plaza Santa Ana. But what lacked in service made up in wine selection -- we had two glasses of a Tempranillo that was to die for -- and then two tapas which both were excellent: goat cheese and carmalized onion tostada, and then iberico ham on melted cheese. Overall: B
Dinner: El Cenador do Prado, 80 euros.
We ended our stay in Madrid with an excellent dinner. We ordered seafood croquets to start, and they were good. The kitchen also brought out an amuse bouche, of a small piece of toasted bread with a sardine paste. Sardines have never tasted better. But the real excitement came with the mains. My wife had a risotto-like dish coloured with black ink from squid. IT was simply one of the best rice-based dishes I had ever eaten. In retrospect, we probably should have ordered the dish to be split into two as an appetizer. Perhaps the best main course in our time in Spain. I had a fish dish called corvina with green beans and asparagus. Didn't know much about corvina, but knew it was also offered on the degustacion menu, so I went for it. All I can say is that corvina -- which is a white sea bass -- was excellent. It was beautifully and perfectly roasted, with a small but delicious coating of tomato sauce, accompanied by green beans and asparagus. It was outstanding. For dessert, we split a chocolate mousse in a pear sauce. The chocolate was good but the pear sauce made the dish. The waitress gave us a complementary Spanish-style "cookie" at the end. We went with a reasonably priced Montecillo Crianza 2004 for dinner. For 80 euros, I thought we got a grand bargain, given the attentive service and focus on detail. Overall: A+

[Maximilien]

Thanks for the review, will be in Madrid later in september; and will add those to my list.