Apolonia

-Grubbing in Chicago  
New to the 'Scene'

I’ve been an admirer of S.K.Y. in Pilsen since the pre-pandemic days and even during the middle of it as they cooked up some of the best meals in that time of takeout only. So I was overdue on a visit to the South Loop which is home to S.K.Y.’s sister spot - Apolonia. The restaurants name is a feminine one of Greek origin meaning “belonging to Apollo” while the menu has a modern Mediterranean feel. All in all it was a good meal that kind of took me back to my recent trip to Athens so that was cool.

Recently Opened in the South Loop

We tried a handful of the plates starting with their signature ‘Black Truffle Puff Bread’ with crunchy herbs and toasted garlic. You can really taste the staying power in this dish which is some of the better bread I’ve ever had. Bread seems to be a strength of the kitchen as there was also some really nice slices paired with a tasty whipped feta spread. If there’s charcoal grilled skewers on the menu I’m getting them and that was the case with a Harissa Spiced Lamb Skewer over cucumber tzatziki with lime and dill. I much prefer a tomato free pasta and will typically order pasta made with meat and cream this time of the year so I knew an order of the Roasted Lamb Mafaldine with mushroom cream and walnuts was for me. The pasta is made in house and had that perfect bite that only fresh pasta cooked to a perfect al dente gives off. We also liked a Mediterranean Branzino with marinated olives, dill and fennel while dessert was actually the puffy truffle bread so that was that. We’ll have to check out the newest sibling of S.K.Y. and Apolonia, Valhalla, over at Time Out Market this coming spring.

Dinner at Apolonia

Apolonia
2201 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 363-2431
Website

All Too Well

 -Grubbing in Chicago  
New to the 'Scene'

While the pandemic brought us a bunch of restaurant closures there were still spots opening up shop in the middle of it all. One place that comes to mind is Evette’s in Lincoln Park, where Lebanese and Mexican flavors meet. It's a project from a restaurant vet with a Lebanese heritage. They opened on Armitage and have been going pretty strong ever since. So when the storefront next door to Evette’s became available, the owner decided to double down after being offered the space at a discounted price by his landlord. The newly leased building didn’t have a kitchen so they got creative and built it out to where it could share a kitchen with Evette’s and with that All Too Well was born. 

Newly Opened in Lincoln Park 

All Too Well doubles as a deli and a small market and it’s Lebanese inspired just like it's sister restaurant, Evette’s. Doing sandwiches was the right business move as it allows them to use the kitchen at Evette’s. The menu consists of more than ten sandwiches as well as a couple bowls for the gluten free crowd. What I really like about this place is these aren’t just any old sandwiches. You’re not going to find a turkey club or an Italian sub here. Instead you might be inclined to try something like the “I make you Lamb” sandwich which is a pressed sandwich using shredded lamb as it’s base with feta, chimichurri, mayo, pepperjack, pineapple and fried onion on a soft and sturdy ciabatta. I think it’s safe to say this is the only place where you’ll find such a sandwich. Another unique offering I’ve tried is the “Bombay Chulet” which mixes turkey with prosciutto topped with an aioli, spicy fig jam, chili crunch, Monterey Jack, arugula and fried onion. Also on a pressed ciabatta. Then they make an interesting take on Italian beef made with a kefta crumble and sumac laced giardiniera. Great spot.

The Bombay Chulet at All Too Well 

All Too Well 
352 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60614 
(773) 799-8478
Website

The Duplex

-Grubbing in Chicago  
New to the 'Scene' 

One of the best parts about living in Logan Square is the local restaurant scene. One can easily make the case it's the most well rounded dining neighborhood in the city. There's lots to like and the same can be said for the local bar scene. One thing Logan Square lacks when it comes to restaurants is something the city lacks as a whole and that's Black owned spots. Chicago doesn't seem to have as many places as other cities with large Black populations do. The one dining spot in Logan Square I can think of that is Black owned is The Duplex which opened a little over a year ago to date. It's located on the Square in the space that used house Dunlay's on the Square. It's the first project from a local guy with more than 20 years experience and the goal is to give local chefs a platform who might not have one otherwise. This is being done by hosting two different chefs every six months. 

Newly Opened in Logan Square 

At the moment The Duplex is host to both Cacahuates and Kalista. The former of which is ran by a young lady who's professionally trained and draws inspiration from all over Latin America. Kalista is a Mediterranean inspired menu that also pairs well with summer. I stopped in with the wife one Sunday night and there was a pretty live scene as they also have a full cocktail program to go with the food. My pina colada inspired drink was maybe the best part of my meal and that's by no means a knock on the food it was just a really well made drink that was perfect for a warm summer day. The ordering system is entirely done from your phone which isn't ideal but is understandable in the time of both covid and staffing issues. But I missed the intimate experience of personal recs and such. 

Food from Cacahuates

We ordered with the weather in mind and ended up with two items from each menu. First up came those from Cacahuates which was a ceviche that was totally fine, maybe not as exciting as you hope a ceviche to be, but one that still tasted nice and fresh and about as good as you might expect in Chicago. We also got an excellent tlacoyo which is an oval shaped disc of fresh masa cooked and then topped with  Poblano black bean spread, queso fresco, cabbage, herb salad and red tomatillo salsa. Moving onto Kalista where an order of the "Chicken Bites" is a nice dish to order for a group. The balls are made with hand breaded chicken so they're by no means light which is why I mention them as being good for a group. They come with an extra refreshing side of tzatziki sauce that works really well. Moving on we also got a blackened blackened mahi mahi pita which was good but I envisioned something different with a full filet and not the smaller pieces. But it gave me ideas on building my own fish sandwiches with pita bread and I could use the inspiration as I'm trying to cook more fish this summer.  We dined on the patio outside which made for  a lovely evening. But I can see it getting pretty loud on the weekend so be prepared for that kind of atmosphere if you go over there. 

Food from Kalista

The Duplex 
3137 W Logan Blvd
Chicago, IL 60647 
(773) 697-4153
Website

Ed's Kitchen

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)

Charcoal Grilled Meats out West

We all have our loves when it comes to food and cooking. One that sits near the top of my list when it comes to the two is charcoal grilled meats. Or kebabs to be even more specific. While I do think it's possible to achieve a delicious skewer of meat using a gas grill it's never going to match the magnificence of a kebab grilled over live charcoal. You cant replicate the flavor of real flames. It's a rarity when it comes to dining out. Sometimes bc local regulations don't allow restaurants to cook with charcoal and other times bc spots find the gas grills to be easier. So it's a special find when I come across a place cooking with charcoal. That's that case for today's stop out in Woodridge.

Locals Favorite in Woodridge

Ed's Kitchen sits at one end of a half vacant strip mall on Hobson Road in Woodridge which is next to Downers Grove in case you were wondering where that's at. There seems to be a nice sized Eastern European population out in these parts. I'm not positive as to where the people from Ed's Kitchen are from but I'm guessing they're background is some sort of Balkan. I gathered from google reviews that they used to just cater before opening their own restaurant. Pictures and reviews pointed to a special concoction used to grill skewers of meat over real charcoal. I pulled up and smelled the smoke right away. You couldn't really go inside but I could see a ton of Nature-Glo charcoal in the front of the house. Takeout only in the time of covid so I placed an order for a lamb kebab meal and she told me it would be about 15 minutes. I returned in that span of time and my food was ready. No reason to not go full al trunko on what was a perfect day weather wise. So I popped open my container and was greeted by five big chunks of charcoal grilled lamb sitting over rice and toasted vermicelli. Some shredded carrot salad was served with a tomato sauce that reminded me of Taco Bell mild hot sauce. Chopped tomatoes with cucumbers and a piece of semi dry pita rounded it all out. I got nothing but love for this place and will plan to stop by whenever I'm in the area which is admittedly close to never. So I'll probably just have to make plans to go and I suspect I will at some point when the crave for fire grilled meats comes calling but I dont feel like cooking it myself. I was intrigued with a couple of ground meat options mixing beef and pork with chicken. Normally I'm not a fan of mixing meats but it does work for meatloaf and meatballs so maybe it's kebab friendly too. Time will tell.

Lamb Kebab at Ed's Kitchen

Ed's Kitchen
3010 Hobson Rd
Woodridge, IL 60517
(224) 788-7000

Cira

-Grubbing in Chicago

New to the 'Scene'

Sometimes I get sucked into a place by social media. Results can vary. Luckily the team behind this hip Turkish and Spanish spot at the Hoxton Hotel has a great track record. Whether Chicago being dominated by restaurant groups is a good thing is a discussion for another day. But the folks at Boka Restaurant Group are damn good at what they do. If it wasn't them behind Cira I'm not sure I would've had any interest. It's location in a hotel on Green st. in the Fulton Market District is a bit of a foreign place to me. So much so I felt like a tourist when we came here. It was packed with people many of who were dragging luggage. Others were posing for pictures on the property in hope of lots of likes.

Newly Opened in Fulton Market

Cira is located on the downstairs floor next to the hotel bar. This means the scene is pretty rocking as far as atmosphere. Don't expect a quiet night at the restaurant as it's one big open space between the bar and Cira. The kitchen is at the end and it's also open which makes for more noise. This is without a doubt a spot for the younger crowd. That said the food isnt your typical upscale bar food. The folks at Boka are hopping on board with the current trend in Turkish food which is a mixture of Eastern European, Mediterranean, Central Asian, and more. It's long been one of the worlds more underrated cuisines as it goes all the way back to the Ottoman Empire. The menu also has Spanish influence which I believe is where an appetizer of fried olives comes from. Described as " Crispy Castelvetrano Olives" they come served over a basmati rice crema and topped with lavender honey.

  Crispy Castelvetrano Olives at Cira

The smell of fresh made pita kept passing by to other tables so we were sold. They serve them hot with a hummus made from brown butter, chicken chorizo verde, and pumpkin seeds. As you can see in the pic they toast up the pita really nicely and that adds another dimension of flavor. Delicious.

 Brown Butter Hummus at Cira

The dish that got me in were the Manti. Turkish dumplings are the product of Central Asian influence. That of the Mongol Empire to be exact. Found on the pasta section of the menu this is a good place to look as far as what you're going to get to eat at Cira. That's bc the folks at Boka are one of the city's best pasta purveyors. Little dumplings are stuffed with lamb and then steamed and served in a yogurt and charred tomato sauce. I loved these as I suspected I would. Of course my only complaint was I could have ate about 30 more pieces as I had to share this dish with the wife who also very much liked it. I could see myself stopping in for this if I'm ever back that way - that's a pretty big if.

 Manti Dumplings at Cira

The Duck Leg Confit is another dish I would definitely recommend. The trend of small plates isn't practiced with this one. It's $38 but can surely feed two people. Served with the Persian classic known as Tahdig aka crispy rice. It's topped with sour cherries and toasted almonds. Both the duck and the rice were extremely well done. Not just that but the amount of food on the plate was so much we got breakfast out of it the next morning when I crisped up the duck and served it with rice and eggs. One good thing about Cira's hotel location means they're open all day and so they also do breakfast/brunch and lunch. I imagine you can also get it via room service and that's cool for guests.

Duck Leg Confit at Cira

Cira
200 N Green St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 761-1777
Website

Pacific Standard Time

-Grubbing in Chicago

New to the 'Scene'

Bill Addison from Eater just released his 2018 'Best New Restaurants in America' list and Chicago has a participant. It's Pacific Standard Time in River North. An ode to California cuisine. It's the child of two different Chicago hospitality groups and one of the city's hottest restaurants. Of course location plays a part in that. But I had the chance to choose a place I'd like to try courtesy of my uncle who wanted to take my family out for my Bday. Might as well go here and see what all the hype is about. 

Newly Opened in River North

As you all know by now I'm not a critic by any means. That takes writing skill of which I have very little. However our fine city has a few really good ones and I suggest checking out either Mike Sula or Michael Nagrant's reviews of PST to get a better overall idea. I'm just here to share my meal in pics.

a peek inside

One thing I really liked right away was the space itself. it's large and light. I hate dark ass places especially when it's light outside and bc we had an early reservation it was nice and light when we arrived. We were dining with 6 total people so I pretty much got to try a little bit of everything with the exception of he pizza. I heard they serve it with ranch, must be a Cali thing, and admit I was looking forward to trying it. But instead of pizza I started us off with their super popular pitas.

Wood Roasted Pita, Avocado Salad, Beet Salad 

The pitas which are cooked in the same wood burning oven as the pizzas were what i most wanted to try. So much so I got us two different varieties of the three they offer. First up was one with eggplant, roasted pepper, basil, whipped robiolina and then came the tuna option everyone loves. That's made with marinated ahi tuna, green chickpea hummus, urfa, mint. Let me nominate myself for hype man for this dish. I really liked he pitas themselves which were scorching hot and super airy with lots of flavor going on. I might be back one night just for that dish. I envision it ending up on some lists.

Ahi Tuna for Pitas

Moving on I got an order of dumplings with a Chinese flavor profile. These were made with shrimp and pork and I liked them not loved them. I love dumplings pretty easily but these just weren't as good as a recent set we had at Proxi a few nights before. Texturally they could've been softer.

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings with Napa cabbage, scallop broth 

The chicken wings were better but shame on them for letting the little wing on the right side of the pic get onto the plate. It was as small as the wing tips most people dispose of. That said they were sticky and delicious I was tempted to order another round of the table as we each settled for one.

Chicken Wings with fish sauce, crispy salad 

PST makes all of their pastas in-house. We tried a bowl of the rigatoni that had merquez and squid in a light vodka cream sauce. As far as portions go the was the biggest sized dish of the night. I liked this one though I'm glad there were others to share in it. It was pretty rich and filling. But delicious. 

Rigatoni with merquez, squid, sungold tomato, fennel 

For our main entrees we got two of the dishes listed under Collectives which are the shared plates for a few to a handful of people. First out was the Whole Roasted Duck. The name was a bit misleading bc no way this was a whole duck. It came with a breast that was cooked wonderfully with Middle Eastern flavors and then next to that was a hot bowl of meatballs swimming in chickpeas. The pita served on top of the meatball was to be used to make little tacos as they called them. Pretty good.

Whole Roasted Duck with glazed breast with muhammara & yogurt; served with pita, fresh herbs & pickles

Next up was the Slagel Farms Ribeye with roasted onion, marinated pepper, grilled wedge salad, miso bagna cauda. I never did get to try the wedge salad but the ribeye was pretty bomb. Yeah I just used the word bomb in 2018. That miso whatever it was was full of umami. The steak itself was a tad fatty in that the back pieces were mostly mush but it was the good mush that melts in your mouth.

 Slagel Farm Ribeye with roasted onion, marinated pepper,grilled wedge salad, miso bagna cauda

Last up is dessert. Usually not the case with me this may have been the my favorite bite of the night. I saw lots of people raving about it on social media and must admit it really looked good. They call it Burnt Olive Oil cake served with lemon curd, cara cara orange, crème fraîche ice cream. This was a perfect summer dish. I thought it was extra refreshing and loved the texture. Like butter. Thus ends our meal. My thoughts? Pretty damn good. The highlights were real high. Nothing was too low.

Burnt Olive Oil Cake with lemon curd, cara cara orange,crème fraîche ice cream

Pacific Standard Time
141 W Erie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 736-1778
Website

Kabobi

-Grubbing in Chicago 
Homestyle Persian Food

Today's post takes us to one of my favorite lunch stops this past year. I was first put on to Kabobi by Mike Sula at The Reader. You can check out his review HERE. In that review Mike tackles the issues of a family feud that led to the opening of Kabobi. Long story short the owner here left his brother and the family business of Reza's to start his own Persian grilled meats palace.

Locals Favorite in Albany Park

Despite being across the street from one of the only other Persian restaurants they seem to be doing just fine. While Noon-o-Kebab across the street gets busy its usually with large parties. At Kabobi they cater to all sorts of crowds whether large or small. Its my favorite stop for lunch because of the sheer excess in food you get. Usually its enough to double for dinner. But sometimes the large aluminum plates filled with grilled meats and fluffy rice is too damn good to save any. The lunch special features both a ground beef kabob and also a chicken one. The beef koubideh is always juicy and never dry while the Chicken Shish Tawook isn't far behind. The grill game is strong here. You choose your side of rice between normal Basmati or the same infused with dill. The lunch plate below will set you back just $6.95 which makes it one of the best lunch deals in town.

Lunch Plate Special with Beef and Chicken Skewers

I've basically stuck to the kabobs here but they do have some homestyle cooked meals like leg of lamb too. Last trip in I tried the filet mignon and it came out well charred on the outside and medium rare as requested inside. As if the meats and rice wasn't enough each plate also comes with a nice sized scoop of hummus, salad, and pita bread. All of it fresh and filling. Big fan here.

Filet Mignon Kabob

Kabobi
4748 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 583-1400
Website

Eating BIG in Spain: Madrid

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Chowing down in Spain's Capitol City

Apologies for the delay in posts, I've been away in Spain and have quite the special for regular readers during this month of June. My entire trip will be documented from start to finish and it all begins in Madrid. We'd spend four days here and during them I got a chance to see much of the city. While we didnt do as much eating as we did on other stops on this trip, I'm confident we did a nice chunk while there. Seeing as how Madrid is a real deal international city the food scene is a large one. No way anyone can do it justice with just a few days time but I went ahead and tried. Opening thoughts on Madrid are how different of a city this is from Barcelona (our last stop on the trip). Madrid seemed a little cleaner and more serious than the Olympic hosting city on the sea. I was most impressed with it's infrastructure, specifically the parks which are just gorgeous. We saw lots of different viewpoints but still left knowing many parts of the city weren't seen. The train system was very impressive and it's combination of old and new was something I enjoyed exploring.

Madrid

Mercado San Miguel

Upon arriving in town we checked in at the hotel and left our bags as our room wasn't ready. I'd done a little research and as it turned out the Mercado de San Miguel was within walking distance. This would be a perfect place to make our inaugural stop on the trip since it's considered Madrid's best market. It might not be the favorite of all locals but it's a place where both them and tourists co-exist just fine. I'd say the stalls here we're more geared towards the tourists as most of them we're selling ready to eat items and or those ready be cooked upon ordering. We made our way straight to the world famous Jamon making sure that would be our first bite of the trip. It was as good as every foodie who's ever been to Spain has hyped it to be. Considering this was the first stop it was a little bit overwhelming. On top of that it takes my appetite a little bit of time to get going while I'm overseas. By San Sebastian I was in full blown eat mode.

Some sights from Mercado San Miguel

Bocadilla Jamon for Breakfast

We spent a good chunk of this part of the trip walking. As mentioned the city itself is stunning. One of if not the best city's I've ever walked thru. We stayed near the Opera House and it was a great location because whichever way you walked there would be something worth checking out. From the shopping to the museums to the aforementioned city parks, Madrid is a world class city. It felt more serious than Barcelona if that makes any sense. Many of the museums are free to the public during certain hours and we made sure to plan our visits around those times. The Prado was brilliant.

Some sights from around town

La Casa del Abuelo

I'm not going to pretend that I was confident going in as far as places I had picked to eat out at. There were so many options that intrigued me online that at some point I just said F-ck and decided to go with the flow. This proved both good and bad. I didn't go thru nearly as many spots as I did at the other three destinations but the ones we went to were so good we got back to a few. First up was La Casa del Abuelo which was a real deal gem. When we arrived we were the first customers of the day and knew exactly what we wanted.

Locals Favorite

Shrimp is what they do and their gambas (Shrimp in Spanish) al ajilo (in garlic) was what we came for. You can see it mentioned right there on the door upon your arrival at the popular standing room only tavern. The older Spanish male (a common trait amongst all the servers on the trip), stepped from behind the bar and over to the prep station where he took a handful of fresh shrimp and mixed it into as pot with some full fueled garlic infusion placing it on a burner for a few minutes before bringing it back over to us at the bar. Reminiscent of shrimp de jonghe this was a mighty fine dish and one we would return for more of. The bread was perfect for soaking up the garlic puddle. Good stuff.

Specialty of the House at La Casa del Abuelo (Shrimp in Garlic)

Some sights from walking around

Museo del Jamon

 A kick ass chain found around town that sells cheap sandwiches and beer

Chocolatería San Ginés

On day two we wandered over to one of the most popular places to get breakfast in the city. The Chocolatería San Ginés sits in a walkway to the beautiful San Ginés church. They've been making chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros) since 1894. Similar to Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans this place is big with tourists but the $3 Euros which a plate of them and some rich melted chocolate will cost you is worth it. They're always being made fresh and make for a good snack until the good spots start to open up around noon.

Churros and Chocolate at San Gines

Some sights from around town

Taberna Laredo

Taberna Laredo caught my eye online and we made plans to check it out 

This was my favorite food stop of the Madrid part of trip. I wish we made it back a couple times but it wasn't meant to be. If you check out their menu online you'll see all sorts of delectable looking options, a few of which we tried. Like many of Madrid's favorite food stops this place was packed and it was hard to get a seat. What we ate was great and my only regrets are not getting to try more. In a city with as many dining options as Madrid you might not want to head to one place twice but I'll so be back here whenever life next takes me this way.

Anchovies with Tomato and Burrata

Langoustine Salad

Grilled Calamari with an excellent Onion Reduction

Sanchis

Despite being landlocked Madrid has the 2nd largest fish market in the world (Tokyo has the first). So we knew we were going to be chowing on some wonderful creatures of the sea upon our visit. We picked out a place called Sanchis because they had a nice display of fresh somewhat exotic ocean specimens on display as well as outdoor seating where a bunch of Spanish speaking people were enjoying the sun. We tried these mini looking clams pictured below which came cooked to order in a thick garlic lemon gravy. Fantastic.

The complimentary olives served around town are usually very good as was the case here

Mini Clams for a snack before the walk back

a peak inside a fish market

Some More Sights from Town

La Revuelta

After watching the Athletico vs FC Barcelona game I decided to walk over to a locals favorite where some of the fans I watched the game with liked to eat at. Revuelta is famous for their fried salt-cod and its the perfect snack to enjoy with a couple cervezas while taking a break from the days activities. So I was told this is a true Madridian dish.

The Famous Fried Salt Cod from La Revuelta

Pontepez

One night we walked over to this rejuvenated neighborhood that used to house alot of seedy whorehouses. Funny thing is the old working girls never left. Most all of the businesses have some sort of fish name and Pontepez looked pretty good so we stopped in for a drink. It would be here where I can say I learned to love olives. I mean I've always enjoyed them but the garlicky green ones they give you upon ordering a drink at this place will forever be second to none, I couldn't believe how good they were. I also tried their house burger which was served open faced and came cooked in a heavy red wine reduction resulting in a very rich flavor. The beer helped cut some of that. Right down the block from here is a really nice cocktail bar that had some original drinks and top-notch service, it was called Santamaría La Coctelería.

The Pontepez Burger 

Toma Jamon

Starving around Midnight one evening we decided to stop into this place pictured below. They take their ham seriously and it was fairly packed so we thought what the hell why not. While the ham was great the paella was not. Despite no generic sign advertising it, I had a feeling this was served from freezer to table. Extra points however for the coolest beer tap we saw in all of Spain.

Toma Jamon Restaurant

 Some More Sights from Town

StreetXO Madrid

On the night of the Athletico win we wound up at a shopping mall food court with anticipation of trying one of the hottest spots to eat at in Madrid. Street XO is a stall at the wonderful Gourmet Court which sits atop the 9th floor of a popular Spanish department store. Dont be swayed away as many of the stalls here are stellar, StreetXO being the current most popular. On out first attempt some drunk ass Athletico fan budged us in line to complain about an order and after about 10 minutes of banter we were told by the guy behind the counter they were done with food for the night. Pissed as a drunken Barca fan that evening I held my cool in check and just said "we'll have to come back tomorrow."

A peak at the stall, all cooking is done in an open kitchen by a young vibrant staff (hipsters)

We got back the next day, this time as they were opening and after waiting a good 40 minutes for them to get ready we ordered food and waited a little longer for it to start coming out. First order up was my favorite dish of the day. It was prawns five ways and had them dried, wrapped in dumplings, sauteed as well as in paste and another I'm forgetting. It had a coconut cream base and was a real tongue tingler. Next up was a grilled chicken dish which they made on this small open and close charcoal grill. Nothing special as far as the boring chicken breast went but everything together was tasty. The Chili Crab "Pimenton de la Vera" was also really good though very sloppy.

Prawns x 5

Roasted Chicken Marinated in Sweet Chili w/ Andalusi Salad, Olives, Orange and Moroccan Spices

Chili Crab "Pimenton de la Vera" with Chipotles and Steamed Bun

The View from the Outdoor Dining area at the Food Court

Casa Lucas

One place I suggest for all to eat at is the La Latina neighborhood in general. During peak eating hours you'll find most everyplace on the busy Cava Baja street to be packed so just pick one and try some of their tapas. We did just that with a few and while everything ordered was really good the croquettes from Casa Lucas are what I want right now. These treats are served throughout Spain and we tried a few but none of them compared to these.

Spanish Croquettes with Ham (In Spain they use bechamel sauce and not potatoes)

 Jamon shop we randomly stopped in at walking down Cava Baja in the La Latina neighborhood

Some Sights from around town

  Championship Rally as Athletico Madrid defeated FC Barcelona for the Spanish League Crown

Istanbul Autentico Doner Kebap

One night while still hungry I decided to try my first kebap in Spain. Whether you call these gyros, shawarma, doner kebab or something else, the jist of them throughout the country is shaved meat. They just come from different backgrounds like Istanbul for this place in particular. No frills, shaved meat to order in a pita or wrap form with fries that come with some mayo spiced sauce on top. For less than $3 euros I enjoyed a doner kebap sandwich twice from this place. It was near our hotel and convenient when other spots were on siesta. If we had one in Chicago I'd be there often.

Doner Kebap Mixta (beef and chicken) made for good fast cheap eats

Restaurante La Barraca

We both wanted paella on the last night and after failure upon failure of searches we decided to decide for ourselves on whether or not the stuff they served at the old time Restaurant La Barraca was worth it. The reviews online we're mixed but the fact they're open until midnight and within walking distance made it a place we'd head over to and see what was up.

Mixed Shellfish Paella being served

While this wasn't awful it most certainly wasn't great. That said I enjoyed it just fine. I gathered enough info to lead me to believe the only place worth trying paella while in Spain was in Valencia which is where the famous dish comes from. Upon our arrival in Madrid I saw a random restaurant advertising a sign with a bunch of paella pics in it. Not long after that I saw the same sign at another place and kept seeing it the rest of my travels throughout the country. The spots with this sign serve frozen paella. The paella at La Barraca is made to order and served in portions for two people but one hungry man can easily eat the whole thing. Afterwards stop in at Del Diego cocktail bar across the street for a surprisingly good bourbon Old Fashioned.

Shellfish Paella

Well that's it for this portion of the trip. I hope you were able to keep up as I wrote this on the go while still in Spain hoping to get ahead and not miss a beat. Tune back in on Friday as we take a daytrip from Madrid to Segovia. Home of old castles, beautiful churches and the famous suckling pig. Spain in June, all month long at S'C'&C. We hope you enjoy the tour.

Street Performer in City Centre

__________________________________

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