Pintxos

Friday night I saw the light. Literally. We went out for tapas and drinks with some friends and the first stop was a Basque bar up near Santiago Bernabeu. It was the most well-lit bar I have ever seen in Spain and the food was wonderful. I didn’t have my camera with me so we’ll make due with a shot of the napkin. With so many words on the napkin I’m not 100% sure what the bar’s name is. But I THINK it’s Taberna Algorta and it’s up by Torre España - around Calle de la Reina Mercedes, 25 (metro Santiago Bernabeu).

The bar specializes in pintxos – slices of baquette with a variety of toppings – and they are laid out in glass cases around the bar. My favorite was huevo de cordoniz con txistorra – three fried mini chorizos wrapped in thinly sliced potato and topped with a sunny-side-up quail egg. I also had one with fried bacalao (cod) topped with roasted red peppers. In addition to the pintxos they have some of the best croquetas I’ve ever had. They are incredibly creamy - but not overwhelmingly so - and have a unique flavor. I recommend trying them for sure.

And with such a well-lit bar, you’ll be able to eat with your eyes as well as your mouth.

Also, the bar serves a house red wine that is truly delicious. And it's bottled especially for the restaurant. The label looks just like the napkin and there's no telling where it comes from for sure. But it's by far the best house wine and one of the better red wines I've had.