Eating BIG in Spain: Seville

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-Eating and Seeing Southern Spain

The second stop of our two week trip thru Spain takes us to the beautiful southern city of Seville or Sevilla as it's called by locals. Upon our arrival at the airport and the taxi ride to our rental I felt like I do when arriving in Florida. It was warm, there were palm trees and fresh squeezed orange juice was being sold all over. It felt totally different than Madrid in that it was a little more relaxed than the fast paced atmosphere they had going on there.

Seville

Bodeguita Romero

We used AirBNB for this trip and ended up in a beautiful top floor apartment located in a popular part of town. Some research led me to a site that rounded up all the tapas bars in town. It was also really helpful in explaining some of the specialties of the region which ended up being as good as any of the areas in Spain we visited. First up was a place that came highly rec'd on the site.

Locals Favorite I was led to by Alzahar 

Bodeguita Romero was a short walk thru the small winding streets of our neighborhood. It was a great call by the site as we ended up back here for more. I basically followed the lead and ordered what I saw was good in the review. First plate up was some prawns wrapped in potato shoestrings which were then freshly fried. Simple seemed to reign supreme throughout town and these were as good a bar snack as I had on the trip. Then came the much hyped potato salad which is made fresh. Owner Pedro Romero makes it fresh every morning. Served cold it didnt look like much upon arrival to the bar but once I ate it I needed more immediatley. Chopped green onions and the most amazing olive oil infused sauce was all it had but it was oh so good. Next up was their famous pringá montaditos. This small sandwich is made with a fresh toasted bun and stuffed with tender shredded pork, black pudding and chorizo. The most glorious breakfast tasting sandwich I can remember eating.

Prawns wrapped with Shoestring Potatoes

Marinated House Potatoes 

Pringá Montaditos Sandwich

Some Sights from Town

Seville was stunning so I recommend walking around as much as you can. So many wonderful buildings and winding streets with all sorts of surprises on them. I wish we got to stay longer than just two nights but I now have a reason to go back.

Beautiful Place to Walk Around

La Azotea

Locals Favorite that Tourists tend to find

The next stop might of been my favorite place to eat on the trip and that's saying something. We went here for lunch on our first day in town and ended up going back twice. Owned by a woman from California and her Spanish husband the place was packed with locals and tourists like us who did our homework. On our first visit we couldnt resist the local specialty of Seville. Carrillada's are slow cooked pork cheeks and places serve them all over town. I'd read La Azotea had one of the best plates in town and they were fantastic. Served with perfectly cooked potatoes and a chunk of goat cheese on top this was a delectable snack. Off the tapas of the day menu there were all sorts of fresh locally caught tuna dishes available. We ended up doing much of our ordering off this and each and every dish was fantastic. The sashimi on day one had a mango and cucumber topping that paired perfectly and day two was no different with a avocado based topping ($8). The tarter was fresh and the drinks were great. Pricing was as reasonable as any place we went to. I'd highly recommend a stop here. They also have other restaurants in town.

Tuna Sashimi Special from different days

Fresh Oysters and Tuna Tartar

Carrilladas with Goat Cheese (Stewed Pork Cheeks)

La Primera Del Puente

Down by the river there's a nice scene going on with shopping, bars and restaurants all gathered together in an area popular with the younger locals. We were told the seafood at this place which had a tapas bar across the street that featured the same dishes for cheaper was a nice stop. We enjoyed a few cold refreshments while snacking on some freshly fried baby squid. All good in my book.

Fried Baby Squid

Eslava

a peak inside as it died down before closing

This was another place that came highly recommended online and we were eager to check them out. We stopped in one late evening for dinner and were able to squeeze a space right at the end of the bar. Many places will be packed but dont let that deter you. Once you get your spot the bartenders are good with getting over to you. We enjoyed a plate of cod stuffed in pepper, their much praised ribs, a Brie Pastry with cuttlefish + algae which looked like a lit joint but ended up being really interesting. Along with those wonderful taste we also got a few plates of seafood including the first of many plates of razor clams we'd end up ordering on this trip. Everything was excellent.

Some of our plates ordered from Eslava

More Sights from Town 

A Gorgeous City

Levies Cafe Bar

Popular Stop with Students and Art Folk Types

After catching a fantastic free flamenco show we were narrowed down on eating options. Seville is a city that totally closes around Midnight on weekdays and if you dont eat before then your options are Burger King around where we were. On our walk to the free show we passed a place that was packed both inside and out and made a not we should try it on the rebound home. They served smaller plates as well as large ones and we were able to try a few of them. First up was marinated and fried dogfish. So good we ordered more. I loved the curry spice in the breading. The paella was ok. No crust on the bottom but still a nice rice dish. The grilled calamari was also really good. Nothing fancy here but good food for those from the neighborhood.

Good Home Cooked Spanish Food

Flamenco in the city where it as born

Note: I'm choosing not to include addresses because they're easy enough to find online. However if you're headed this way, feel free to email me and I'll forward my list of all the spots I deemed worth of a stop, many of which I never made it too. That said Spain as a whole was worthy of a second visit so I'll have another crack at them someday soon. See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating PIG in Spain: Segovia

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Finding Wilbur

On our visit to Madrid we decided it'd be fun to take a daytrip to one of the little towns you can access from the train station. After a little bit of research it became a no-brainer as to where we would be headed. Segovia Spain was about a 45 minute train ride and is famed for its deep history, some amazing structures that still stand today as well as a famous dish they serve all over town.

The old Roman Aqueduct of Segovia 

The Alzacar Castle 

The Alzacar Castle which is said to be what inspired Walt Disney to make 'Beauty & the Beast' was our first stop. The palace was first documented in 1122 and has quite a rich history which visitors are allowed to experience.You can purchase one of those phones you hold up to your ear that will give you the entire castles history. It's got quite a rich background and plenty of old artifacts to look at. I'm pretty sure this was my favorite monument and or museum we visited on this trip. I'll share pics but it's really something you need to experience for yourself to fully appreciate.

Entryway

Some views from around the inside and outside

Indoors

More from Indoors

The Weaponry Room

Segovia Cathedral

After an hour or so of exploring the castle we headed over to the magnificent Segovia Cathedral which is another one of the towns three old time treasures. This massive monument was said to was built between 1525-1577 in a late Gothic style. You're allowed to see most of it and if you're there at the right time you can even take part in a Mass at one of the many chapels inside. Much like the castle this is a gorgeous monument thats best seen in-person.

The Outside

Some view's from the Inside

Cochinillo Asado

Ok enough sightseeing, you know the reason we visited Segovia wasn't for seeing these. Segovia is also the home Cochinillo Asado aka roast Suckling Pig and the purpose of our visit was to eat these. The town takes them so seriously that almost every sit-down restaurant serves it and there's many homages to the baby pigs around town.You can find the "certified" spots by looking for a common plaque found outside at all the famous spots.

Just a few of the Pig Statues seen around town 

Choosing a spot to eat the pig at can be tough for those of us viewing online. I'd seen alot about many of the spots but the one that was most consistent in reviews was the place I would end up asking out hotel concierge to make us a reservation for. Booking a time in advance is crucial for anyone looking to get the maximum experience. The pigs take hours to cook and your reservation will guarantee you're getting fresh cooked pig and not some leftovers from last night. Segovia is by no means an under the radar place so you're going to be visiting with plenty of other tourists.

Restaurante José María

I ended up choosing this place because I got sick of looking around and it seemed to fit the description of goodness perfectly. We got there a little bit before our scheduled time and enjoyed some drinks and snacks up front in the bar area which is where they'll send you while your table is being made. Cerveza for me and Vino De la Casa Roja for her and some fresh fried suckling pig pork cracklins on the house to go with them. Upon my first bite of the still warm rinds I knew it was on.

a peak inside, some cracklins served as a snack

Decided to get a salad and pretend there was some healthy eating going on too. It was excellent.

As you're supposed to do when making a reservation, tell them you'll be getting X amount of orders of the suckling pig. One pig feeds six people. Although there's no reason four hungry folks couldn't finish one. There are no sides served with it and some people may find the $25/Euro pricetag a tad too much but I doubt there's many who thought the same way after eating a plate of it. Jose Maria was a white tablecloth restaurant with some 1st rate service and it was only lunchtime on our visit so the place wasnt packed. When the pig is ready there's a big presentation upon it's arrival into the room.

Servers serving the Suckling Pig

Ready for Presentation

When they bring the portable slicing table to your table-side they'll pause for a moment and let you get some pictures as they know it's the reason you came into town, whether you want to admit it or not. The baby pig is so tender that they slice the portions with a plate. As they do so you'll hear a crack and thats the skin which is without a doubt the best piece of crispy anything I've ever had. Seen in the last pic of the four-set is a cup and that's the au jus they pour on top. I never did get a chance to ask what happens with the cheeks but I'm guessing the staff eats them. The meat is seasoned with salt and has that rare pure pig taste. There's no smoke, no seasoning, no sauce and no hormones or any of that other crap. We each got a back leg and there was even a hair or two still sticking out, I happily plucked it put and kept on eating. This was indeed one of the best meals we'd have on a trip that featured many. Sevilla is up next.

Segovia Suckling Pig

Some Tips for Visitors

If you're interested in going to Segovia I wouldn't hesitate to spend the night. The town is bigger than I thought it would be and also one of the most charming places I can remember visiting. If visiting from Madrid it's best to pre-buy a ticket however the prices online were much more than they were at the counter. the problem was we got there maybe 25 minutes before the 8:30a train was set to take off and it was sold out so we had to wait for the 9:45a instead. So it might be worth paying the extra especially if its peak tourist season, but if you can visit the station the day before you head there thats even better. The train drops you off in the middle of nowhere with nothing but mountains,green grass and cows insight so you'll have to take a bus (or pay more for a cab) into town. It's really easy and once you're there most everything you need is near.

Sights around town

See next time @chibbqking