Filed under: Food, Spain, Uncategorized | Tags: Estado Puro, madrid restaurants, Modern Tapas, Paco Roncero, patatas bravas, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas, Where to go in Madrid
@ Estado Puro with my friend Alicia
Last Thursday in Madrid, I went to Chef Paco Roncero’s tapas bar, Estado Puro; the perfect example of the new and modern way to enjoy tapas. Many modern restaurants in Spain are honoring the tapa, but taking it to another level, creating and imagining new recipes, while experimenting with different textures, surprising presentations, etc. It’s wonderful to be able to taste top Spanish cuisine in small bites, as you can try many different items off the menu. And when the menu is good, believe me, you want to try as many things as you can.
Estado Puro makes surprising new versions of the most traditional tapas, not being afraid to change them upside down. Like the tortilla de patatas, I’ve tried many different versions: liquid, foam, ice cream flavoured… but Estado Puro’s creation was great, a soft and creamy potato purée with caramelized onions and an egg yolk, served in a small glass. The patatas bravas were very good, just a little bit hot as they should be. The toast was also quite good, though it’s a pity they don’t have more than 3 different types of bread. For dessert we had a new version of tiramisu, served in a glass, with mascarpone cheese and chocolate powder on top, and amaretto liquor gelatin at the bottom.
Patatas Bravas
Mini Burguers
Estado Puro; A New Tapas TrendTiramisu
The place is very nicely decorated, with many seats in front of a big window facing a busy street. The walls and the ceiling were completely covered by peinetas, an old Spanish flamenco accessory. It looked awesome!
What I didn’t like about the experience is that the waitress seemed quite rude. Maybe it’s because I just got back from the States, where the service is unbelievably nice and attentive. But my friends also complained about it, so I don’t think it was just that.
Other than that, the place is great. If you go to Madrid, don’t miss it, it’s cheap and chic!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Family, Food, Spain, Tempra Tantrum, Wine, Winemaking | Tags: Lambrusco, Osborne Family, Osborne Wine, Tempra Tantrum, Winemaking, Young Wine Drinker
Today I read an article in www.elmundovino.com about young people and their nonexistent relationship with wine. I’ve been aware of this for quite a long time as my friends mostly drink beer, coke, or just water during meals, and spirits and cocktails at night.
Coming from a family with more than 230 years of tradition in winemaking, it’s very sad for me to watch young people reject wine, something that has always been a part of Spain’s history, and is still a big part of our culture and economy.
Wine has suffered from anti-alcohol campaigns, being compared to spirits that have a lot more of alcohol volume. This is not the solution. Young people (over legal drinking age, of course) must be taught how to enjoy wine, in moderation, and as a part of our heritage. There has been a lot of health research done by doctors, stating that one glass of wine a day is good for the heart and also that red wine is full of antioxidants. Wine is also an element of gastronomy, with food and wine being good partners for hundreds of years, enhancing each other with their flavours.
Many of my friends say that most young people don’t drink wine because they don’t like the taste. I think one of the solutions to overcome this problem is to make more approachable wines, that are easier to drink, with more fresh fruit flavours , and at a reasonable price. This is the reason a lot of young people drink Lambrusco. And I’m not saying we should make Lambrusco to get young people to drink wine, but I believe a more modern and fruity wine will bring them closer to the culture of fine wine and food.
This is why I wanted Tempra Tantrum to be as it is, modern, fruity but dry, fresh and approachable, so people my age could start enjoying and learning about wine.
Enjoy a glass of vino this weekend. Cheers!
-Rocio
Filed under: Food, Tasting, Tempra Tantrum, Travels, Wine | Tags: Asia de Cuba, Columbia Restaurant, Jacksonville, Miami, Mondrian Hotel, Montecillo Gran Reserva 1982, Tampa, Tempra Tantrum Wines, Tempranillo Blend Wine, Urbanite Bistro, Wine
The last leg of my U.S. Tempra Tantrum tour took me to Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. It was amazing to feel like it was summer again, since Madrid was pretty cold when I left. When I was little, I used to visit Miami and Orlando quite often, but the last time was 15 years ago!
It’s funny how each city in Florida has it’s own style and rhythm. It seems like everyone in Miami South Beach is in party mood, and each place has loud music and lights all throughout the night. It was a little bit difficult to sleep, and if I hadn’t had an early meeting, I would’ve loved to enjoy Miami’s night life! So unfair!
While in Miami, we had a casual media dinner at a very nice restaurant, Urbanite Bistro. We had a great menu to go along with the Tempra Tantrum wines, which was a great success. As always, one of my favourite parts was meeting so many interesting people with whom I share a passion for wine.
In Tampa we went to Columbia, a restaurant that has been around for more than 100 years and is now operated by the 4th and 5th generation of the Gonzmart family. We had the chance of having dinner with the family: Richard and his wife Melanie, their daughter Andrea, her husband, and their 4 month-old baby. They were all great and treated us like family. The wine list was spectacular with more than one thousand wines, most of them Spanish. We got to enjoy an amazing dinner paired with Tempra Tantrum and Montecillo Gran Reserva 1982 that was my grandfather’s favourite Montecillo vintage until he passed away.
Dinner @ Columbia, Tampa
Columbia´s impressive wine list
Columbia´s cellar
After Tampa we went to Jacksonville for more tastings, and then returned to Miami. I couldn’t leave back to Spain without enjoying Miami’s night life and having a Cosmpolitan, so even though we were tired from traveling all day, we went out for a while. We had dinner at a very fancy restaurant, Asia de Cuba, at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach. I enjoyed having dinner out in the terrace with an incredible view of Miami’s sky line, and the sea, it was great! And the hotel was great too, they even have a vending machine that sells cars!! It´s crazy!!
Trying to fit in Miami´s fashion style
Vending Machine @ the Mondrian Hotel
My week in Florida was incredible. I signed hundreds of bottles, had the opportunity to work with amazing people, taste Tempra Tantrum with many consumers, and even enjoy a little bit of the Thanksgiving spirit that was all over the air. I realized that Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Grenache is perfect with turkey, so if you’re looking for a wine, that’s my Thanksgiving tip!
Enjoy the holidays!!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Food, Tasting, Tempra Tantrum, Travels | Tags: Boqueria, Madison Avenue, New York, Press Trip, Rockafeller Center, Soto Restaurant
View of Columbus Sqaure
I’ve always liked New York, I mean, in movies and magazines the city seemed fantastic. But two weeks ago, I finally visited the city in real life, and after staying there for 4 days, I have to say it’s one of my favourite cities.
I stayed in a very nice apartment, a penthouse in Madison Avenue very close to the Empire State Building. The apartment was very modern, with big windows and great views of the city. When I first walked up to the door, I felt like Carrie Bradshaw going into my very own New York City apartment.
The kitchen
Ready for a tasting @ the apartment
On Friday afternoon, we had many tastings and meetings with the media that went very well. Once those were over, I walked along 5th Avenue, and shopped around a little bit. Some stores were already dressed up with Christmas decorations, and in Rockefeller Center, they were “planting” the famous Christmas tree, while people ice-skated in the rink below.
Rockefeller Center´s Christmas tree
@ Times Suqare
For dinner we went first to a very nice and lively Spanish tapas bar, Boqueria , located on 53 west and 19th street. I really liked the place a lot. The wine menu was pretty comprehensive, and the tapas were modern-style bites with lots of flavour!
Boqueria menu
After the tapas bar, we went to have dinner at Soto, the best Japanese restaurant I’ve ever been to. The place wasn’t what I expected, it was quite small, with hardly any decorations, but the food was unbelievable, very creative dishes and very well executed. The combination of flavours in every dish was perfect and the textures very soft and creamy.
Salmon tartar with avocado and caviar
A lobster cake with mango and shiitake mushrooms
We finished the night with a mojito for dessert at the Hudson Hotel bar. What a day!
The rest of my days in NY, I went to the MOMA, the Metropolitan Museum, the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street. It was all way more incredible in real life, than in photos.
As my cab receipt says, “ I LOVE NY ! ”
-Rocio
Filed under: Tasting, Tempra Tantrum, Travels, Winemaking | Tags: Blend Wines, Media Tour, Miami, New York City wine, Tempra Tantrum Tour, Tempranillo grape, Tempranillo-Cabernet, Tempranillo-Grenache, Tempranillo-Merlot, Tempranillo-Shiraz, Wine consumers, wine racks
As I’m trying to re-adjust to the Spanish time difference, I’m gathering all the pictures and collecting the experiences I had while on my U.S. Tempra Tantrum tour.
During two weeks, I traveled throughout the United States visiting St. Louis, Montgomery County in Maryland, New York City, Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. I met a lot of people, all very nice and welcoming, and got the chance to present Tempra Tantrum wines to consumers, the media, store managers and everyone interested in listening to me. I was like a mother talking about how wonderful my children are, and the best thing is that everyone actually agreed!
We have created super fun, modern and vibrant racks to display the wines. They are truly amazing and very eye catching, I love them!!
Consumers were very curious about the Tempranillo grape, as it is the most unfamiliar varietal in the blend. Consumers that had tried other Spanish Tempranillo wines, found Tempra Tantrum very surprising as they are so different to other wines made of this grape. Everyone loved the expressive fruitiness, how fresh and approachable they are, and the modern and vibrant style that gives each blend it’s personality. I’m so happy to have interacted with consumers and have seen people’s reaction in the market, I felt so proud!!
More about my fantastic trip in the days to come…
-Rocio
Filed under: Drink Recipes, Food Recipes, Wine | Tags: Desserts, Ice Cream Desserts, Ice Cream Recipe, Osborne PX 1827, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, PX
-
pc: zepellipsis.com
pc: zepellipsis.com
All I have to say is yumm!!!. If you’ve never tried ice-cream drizzled with Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Sherry, you are missing out.
I am a very big fan of desserts, and this pairing is so simple, yet heavenly. Make it for your friends, and you’ll look like a top chef! I personally love this recipe with rum-and-raisin ice cream, but slow-churned vanilla is great too.
Try it and let me know what you think!!
Have a great weekend!
-Rocio
Filed under: Culture, Spain | Tags: Disappearing, El Corte Ingles, Lazy, Nap, Siesta, Spain
With all the traveling I have been doing, I was so exhausted yesterday, and decided to take a little nap. I hadn’t taken one in such a long time, which led me to think about the disappearing tradition of siestas. Many people still think that in Spain we take a nap after every lunch, but sadly, as globalization happens, and the pace of life becomes faster, people don’t really have time to close their eyes in the middle of the day. It used to be that most stores would close from 2-5 pm, and restaurants from 5-8 pm, allowing people to eat, walk around, and nap, before going back to work. Today, you can walk into El Corte Inglés, our national department store, at almost any hour and not find any signs of a siesta.
There are many reasons why the siesta became tradition. In Spain, people typically don’t go to bed until way past 10 pm after the news. (In fact, many older couples even take their “evening walks” at 2 am!) Therefore, an afternoon nap was a way to re-energize after getting little sleep. Another reason for siestas is that in central and southern Spain, the summer and fall months are very hot, and before air-conditioning was common, the siesta was seen as a preventative measure against heat exhaustion.
The tradition of the siesta has led some people to think of Spaniards as ‘lazy’ but what most don’t realize is that we actually sleep about one hour less than the average European!
I wouldn’t mind if the siesta trend made a comeback!
-Rocio
Filed under: Architecture, Art, Culture, Spain, Travels, Wine | Tags: Apostle St. James, Bike Route Spain, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Montecillo "Verdemar" Albarino, Northwestern Spain, Pilgrimage, Santiago de Compostela, Way of St. James
Santiago de Compostela
In Spain we have a very famous saying “ Con pan y vino se anda el camino,” - “With bread and wine, you can walk your path.” – which means that all you need to keep moving forward is bread and wine. This saying makes reference to the Camino de Santiago, “Way of St. James”, which is a very famous pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (northwestern Spain), where apostle Saint James is believed to be buried.
During medieval times, the Way of St. James was considered one of the three most important Christian pilgrimages. Still today, thousands of Christian pilgrims and travelers from all over the world, make their way down this route either on foot, bicycle, and even on horseback.
On the way to Santiago
According to tradition, it is said that completing the pilgrimage is the beginning of the next journey, which leads to eternal life. But many people view the Camino as a way to get in shape, enjoy the outdoors, and travel without spending more than 14 Euros a day – including lodging! No matter what your reason for completing this long and challenging route, you can find meaning in the experience and enjoy the community and solidarity that you can only find along the Camino.
If you have a few weeks to become a modern day pilgrim, I highly recommend it. And when you arrive in Galicia, don’t forget to celebrate with a nice, refreshing glass of Montecillo “Verdemar” Albariño from Rias Baixas!
Buen Camino, happy journey!
- Rocio.
Filed under: Drink Recipes | Tags: Chocolate Caliente, Chocolate Caliente Recipe, Churros, Hot Chocolate Recipe, Spanish Drinks, Warm Drinks
As part of my “Winter-Time Drink Series,” here is a recipe for one of my favourite warm drinks ever: Chocolate Caliente.
In Spain, we drink our hot chocolate very different than in the U.S. Instead of using more parts milk and less parts chocolate, we do it the other way around making a hot chocolate that is very thick and rich. You know it’s Spanish-style when the spoon sits above the liquid and doesn’t sink!
Chocolate Caliente
If you can get a hold of some churros, even better. Dip them into your hot delicious beverage for an incredible chocolatey experience.
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
4oz. Milk Chocolate
½ tsp of cornstarch
Preparation:
Break chocolate into pieces. In a medium-sized saucepan, add milk and cornstarch and whisk until the corstarch is dissolved. Then, bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
Place the saucepan back in medium heat, and whisk for 2 more minutes. Allow chocolate to cool and thicken for about 5 minutes. Serve warm! (Serves 4).
Related Posts:
Filed under: Art, Culture, Fashion, Spain | Tags: Alternative Shopping Madrid, Art Galleries Madrid, Calle Fuencarral, Fuencarral, Fuencarral Market, Hip Fashion, Shopping Madrid, Tattoo Madrid
Before this year, if you ever walked down the fashionable street of Fuencarral on a busy night, you might’ve felt as if you were going to be trampled by fellow pedestrians, pushed against a wall, or even run over by a car. This trendy street in downtown Madrid had the most narrow sidewalks I’d ever seen! But this summer, it all changed when the street became one wide pedestrian sidewalk.
Fuencarral "Mall"
Calle Fuencarral is very well known for being one of the most modern, and hip places to shop in Madrid. But 12 years ago, you would have found nothing but shops for older people, crime, and antiquated cafés. The street underwent a radical change with the opening of the innovative and alternative Mercado de Fuencarral, in 1998, which became known as “a shopping centre, for those who hate shopping centres,” with stores for every taste from hippies, to goths, ravers, bohemians, indies and even preppies.
Shop Window on Fuencarral Street
If you come to Madrid, don’t miss a stroll down this very vibrant street. It is definitely a hub for young people to share their fashion points of views, and have fun. And if you don’t want to shop, it’s ok, you can enjoy the most interesting bars, art galleries, deco shops, and even tattoo parlours!
-Rocio
