Toledo Tapas Competition 2015 – Drool Alert…

Today is a sad day in Toledo. Today concludes the annual tapas competition, which had us devouring a wonderful array of delicacies conjured up by the town’s bars and restaurants. Here is a small testimony to our greediness devotion over the past three weeks:

Our first tapa consumed on 5 November, the day the contest kicked off: Mini curry burgers. Can’t go much wrong with these.

Wafer-thin slices of smoked beef on toast, with sobrasada (a kind of smoked meat spread) and brie. A brave combo of some really strong flavours, but it worked surprisingly well.

Salmon with guacamole and lemon mousse. Looks tasty, but, sadly, it was a fail. The salmon was tender but insipid, and the lemon flavour totally overpowered the whole ensemble.

Tuna marinated in soy sauce with peach alioli. Totally delicious.

I cannot translate this one. Nor can I adequately describe it. It contained the following: venison, shitake mushrooms, apricot, gnocchi, potato, cream. And it tasted weird. But good-weird. Could have eaten it again. And again. Top marks for creativity and presentation.

Octopus and potato “lasagne”. There was nothing lasagne about it, it was merely a fancy presentation of a Galician staple, pulpo gallego (which I love). Perfectly acceptable, but nothing to write home about.

A very traditional Manchego affair: Pork medallion with potato, crispy leek and a drizzle of creamy mushroom sauce. Simple, hearty and satisfying. A winner.

I managed to take this yesterday while swaying from one bar to the next: The sun catching the newly suspended Christmas lights, with Toledo cathedral in the background.

How predictable am I… it HAD TO end like this, didn’t it?! Oh my, that red berry cake was to die for. First visit to a new cafe, but definitely not the last 😉

So, although TapaMania may be over for this year, there’s one thought that consoles me greatly: Toledo was recently voted Spain’s Capital of Gastronomy 2016 – I just can’t wait for the New Year!!!

Tapas On A Winning Streak!

All good things must come to an end, as did Toledo’s annual tapas competition, which drew to a close last Sunday. For the entire month of November, local bars and restaurants had been showcasing a new breed of extravagant tapas, specially created for this year’s contest. (Yes, there were voting slips, prize draws and stuff!)

I have no idea how many different creations I tried throughout my innumerable outings,  as there were A LOT of participants this year. Anyway, here are some of the highlights:

Pork balls. Very satisfying 🙂

Sliver of fried pork with sauteed vegetables on bread, topped with raisin sauce. Looked better than it tasted, was our combined verdict.

Puff pastry filled with seafood. The white stringy things, in case you’re wondering, are baby eels (gulas). These are very popular on tapas, and can take a bit of getting used to.

One of my absolute faves: lamb topped with caramelised onion and manchego cheese, served  on a curry bun

Octopus with cauliflower mousse and coffee vinaigrette. This place has a knack for the outlandish, and it usually works, but this time, it didn’t. It really didn’t. Pretty to look at, though.

Now, what could go wrong with a tapa entirely consisting of cheese? I tell you what: Absolutely nothing. Gimme more!

Foie gras “Oreos” filled with manchego mousse

More foie, this time in the shape of a truffle. You were meant to mix it with the bread crumbs. Interesting concept, but it was a bit like eating lard mixed with sand.

A dollop of beef stew on sliced potato. Simple and delicious.

Rabbit, fancily “rolled up” and drizzled with chestnut compote. Divine! This may have been my overall favourite.

I’m the only one with her eyes trained on the food rather than on the camera… typical!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toledo Autumn Leaf

 

Toledo Does Cocktails!

It’s not all about tapas in Toledo. This weekend, and this weekend only, several bars are running a cocktail special. We went to check it out last night.

We kicked off with a piña colada, because the advertised special wasn’t available for some reason. Maybe it was better this way. The “Carol Kick” promised to be a florid concoction laced with some energy drink. It would probably have kept me awake till Tuesday.

Chunks of tinned pineapples on sticks are kind of “exotic”, I suppose…

The “Purple Turtle”. A bit like imbibing liquified gummy bears!

Precision at work 🙂

…and I give you the “Strawberry Limon Dry”. Not bad, though I didn’t quite manage to finish it.

OK… it’s midday Sunday and I’ve only just rolled out of bed. In an hour and a bit, I’m meant to be doing tapas… watch this space 😉

 

 

 

Staircase View Of Toledo And A Happy Virgin

Toledo is stuffed to the rafters with treasures that no ordinary pleb has been allowed to set eyes on in hundreds of years. Recently, the tumble-down Colegio de Infantes (a boy’s school) was renovated and reopened as a museum of ancient tapestries and textiles that had been rotting away in one of the Cathedral’s cellars.

I shall spare you the tapestries and ecclesiastical garments, but have a look at this:

Looks like a painting at first glance, doesn’t it? But it’s just a view of the city through the panoramic window of one of the building’s staircases:

Religious art isn’t really my thing, but…

…have you ever seen those two look quite so heartwarmingly content??

The building’s entrance

For the most stunning view of Toledo through a window, click here.

 

Feather Storm In Toledo

The best weekend afternoons start like this:

Maria: Do you want to have lunch tomorrow?

Me: What kinda lunch?

Maria: Whatever happens to come with the drinks.

It’s very hard to argue with that. So for lunch we went.  It lasted from 2pm till 10pm. Interspersed by a street theatre performance on Town Hall Square.

Lucía’s luminous drink

Pimientos de padrón. These are small green peppers, deep-fried, salted, totally addictive.

Toledo Cathedral lit up, and a sea of people waiting for the performance to start.

The performance included several eardrum-busting explosions, which sent clouds of dust and feathers up into the air. This is the back of a giant screen the performers used to project images onto.

Maria in the midst of the feather storm. Either that, or we’re having a bloody good pillow fight…

Grumpy Mornings

I’ve had no water (again!) since last night, so I was just a tad grouchy this morning. Over brekkie, I read this post about someone having a really shitty day, which helped to put things into perspective somewhat.

Shortly after, and still in a huff, I trudged out to buy some groceries, and it occurred to me that this situation can’t be much fun for the owner of the vintage clothes shop tucked away in that corner:

On the way back, loaded up with broccoli, carrots and oyster mushrooms, I treated myself to a coffee and a sliver of cake for €1.20.  And when I got home, the water was back on, HURRRAAAAH! Life’s OK again now 😉

Free Beer!

Well, not quite… but it got your attention, didn’t it? 😉

Toledo has a brewery that makes Domus, aka “La Cerveza De Toledo”, whose proud history goes all the way back to … erm… 2007. (Sorry, this is my Bavarian heritage scoffing here…). BUT, I have to admit, the stuff ain’t half bad.

On Friday, Carmen alerted me to the fact that they were running a two-week promotion: two bottles of the brew and one ‘special’ tapa, featuring Domus as an ingredient, for a fiver, with 27 local restaurants/bars participating.

So, today we went off to investigate.

These mussels in creamy sauce were divine…

Chicken wings with caramelised onions. Lovely 🙂

We scoffed more than just those, but the pics didn’t turn out so well. One of us – either my camera or I – was struggling to focus…

We may have to do this again next week.

Municipal Water Feature Crimes – Part Two

Some of you will remember my momentous rant about Toledo’s eyesore fountain, which obliterates the historic city centre, from a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, this isn’t the only… erm… visually and conceptually challenging water feature the city has foisted upon its residents and visitors.

There’s also this one, located to the west of the Jewish quarter:

What did you say? You can’t see a fountain? Just a dead tree sticking out of some shoddy decking?

Well, let me put it to you: This whole sorry plank assemblage IS the fountain.

But a fountain needs to spout water!

 

I hear you. Let me help you: Can you make out that tiny hole/ring in the fourth row of planks in the centre of the photograph above?

No? Let’s get a bit closer to it:

Here we have it. An upturned standpipe sunk into slats of wood, oozing water, like some up-the-creek plumbing. Sigh.

OK, this one’s not quite as aesthetically offensive as the other one, but as far as decorative water installations go, it’s another spectacular fail.

The only positive thing I can say about this piece of “public art” is that the sound of trickling water, as you’re walking over the area, is actually quite pleasing. Unless you happen to be desperate for a wee at the time.

Wedding Detritus

Taken today outside San Juan de los Reyes, for those of you who know Toledo.