Two Turkeys in Spain - Part I: Where They Stayed, Ate and Drank

On a whim, we decided to take a trip over Thanksgiving to take advantage of the short work week.  Our criteria:  a non-stop flight from DFW and somewhere we had never been before.  The result:  Madrid, Spain. 

Arrival

We arranged for a car service to pick us up at the airport which I highly recommend.  After flying overnight for 10+ hours, getting in a fight about how to get a train or cab or quite frankly how to even get out of the airport is no way to start a vacation!  Most hotel desks will arrange this for you in advance and charge it to your room. 

The international terminal at the Madrid airport is new and very well done.  Even in our zombie like state, we were able to find our way to the tram, through customs and out to baggage claim with no problem.  I'm not sure if this is due to an arrangement with American Airlines or if we unknowingly entered the country illegally but there was no customs or immigration paperwork to complete upon landing.  We simply showed the immigration officer our passports then we were on our way. 

Hotel

We stayed at the Westin Palace Hotel which is located across from the Prado Museum.  The Palace is a beautiful building with lots of history (including a Starbucks for the less historically inclined).  The prices were comparable to other luxury hotels and the location was about four blocks from the Atocha train station (the main one in Madrid) and within easy walking distance to Plaza Sta. Ana, Puerto del Sol and if you are ambitious, Plaza Mayor. 



Westin Palace Madrid



You also get a "free" cup of coffee each day which is far more civilized than the Keurig one-cup you find in most U.S. hotels.  Simply call down to the front desk and within minutes a full coffee service appears, complete with a silver service and fine china.

Even if you don't eat there (which we did not), you must see the stained glass dome of La Rotonda restaurant which is located immediately up the stairs from the lobby.  It is breathtaking.  

The Bar Palace at the hotel is also a great place for a drink before or after dinner (or as in our case...both!).  They have a great selection of spirits and know how to make most traditional American cocktails.  The dark wood interior and plush couches create the perfect upscale yet comfortable ambiance.

Most of the staff at the Palace speaks English and the concierge desk is one of the best we have encountered in our travels.  They did try and send us to a couple of "touristy"restaurants (i.e. Hard Rock) but once we told them we wanted to experience places they might go themselves, they suggested some great things to see and do.

Restaurants and Bars

If you are used to a set meal schedule, it may take you some time to adjust to Spanish eating.  Breakfast can be a quick muffin or pastry with lunch being a longer affair that usually involves wine (at least in our case it did).  Many shops and businesses close for siesta from 2pm to 5pm so workers can go eat but this is not as common in central Madrid as it is in some of the smaller outlying towns.  Dinners typically do not start until after 9pm.  No wonder everyone needs a nap the next day!

So much pork, so little time

Tapas restaurants are everywhere.  If you aren't familiar with tapas, it's basically a variety of hot and cold appetizer sized portions and often includes olives, manchego cheese, ham and potato cakes.  Iberico ham is very popular and in fact, there is even a restaurant chain called Museo de Jamon.   

Two of our favorite tapas restaurants were located in Plaza Sta. Ana.  Lateral is located closest to the Melia Hotel and has indoor and outdoor seating.  There are heat lamps and blankets in case you get chilly.  Slightly off of the square on Calle de Manual Fernandez y Gonzalez is a great little place called La Trucha.  The artichoke hearts were sauteed in the perfect blend of olive oil, salt and garlic.  So simple but so, so good!



Sangria in Plaza Sta. Ana



Plaza Santa Ana is overall a great place to go any night of the week.  There are lots of bars surrounding the plaza with Thursday through Saturday nights being busiest.  If you are looking for a great place to sample Spanish wines, try Vinoteca Barbechera.  They offer flights of different varietals and have a nice selection of tapas to pair with the wine.  The furnishings are made out of old wine casks which adds an extra flair to the experience.

We also went to Sabrino de Botin which claims to be the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world. I'm glad we went from a historical standpoint but if you are looking for a culinary experience, there are better options.  Suckling pig is what they are most well known for so we got that as well as sauteed artichokes.  Both were good...not great. 

Hands down, the best meal we had was at Pandelujo which is located in the upscale Salamanca neighborhood.  It is a very modern restaurant with a hip vibe that is felt before you even walk in the door.  During the warm months, the doors open to a patio with several "ponds" complete with giant rubber duck statues.  Even in the winter months, it is a very unusual and fun setting.  If you try nothing else in Madrid, try the grilled Iberian pork at Pandelujo.  It is definitely in the top five pork dishes I've ever had and believe me, there have been a bunch!



Come Priva

 By our last night, we had grown tired of tapas and Spanish style cuisine and we wanted Italian.  We found this awesome little place right off of the Plaza Sta. Ana called Come Prima.  It is very small with about ten tables overall.  The pasta was made fresh, the bread was amazing and it was the most reasonably priced meal we had in Madrid.  In fact, it was hard to believe we were in Spain and not Italy. 

The biggest surprise about Madrid was the cost of food and wine.  We found everything to be quite reasonable compared to other major cities.  While we don't eat at the most expensive place in town every night, if we have flown 5,000 miles to get somewhere we are certainly going to enjoy ourselves.   Our average lunch (including a bottle of wine) was around $40 US each day and dinner was a little higher at around $60 US.  The wines were reasonable and surprisingly good especially for the price. 

On a final note, several have asked if we found a place that served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  While a little surprised by the question since it isn't a particularly big day for Spaniards, our hotel did have a flyer about a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  So, I guess if you are in Madrid on Thanksgiving Day and can't live without dried out turkey and canned cranberry mold, you can find it!