JoanYUL

Eks this trip report has been delightful! It reads like an entertaining travel novel, and I’ve enjoyed the dialogue between you a Maribel, as well as info for a future trip!

natylou

Hoping you will do a little review of La Ermita de Candelaria, Maribel. We have a night in Cordoba where I haven't decided where to reserve. First night, Monday, I have reserved Regadera.

Alfric

It sounds like you're making the most of your travel adventures despite the initial hiccup with your suitcase. Enjoying the train ride and exchanging food recommendations with the Lost Baggage agent adds a delightful touch to your journey. Happy travels!

ekscrunchy

Thanks so much to all of you!!

Just lost almost two hours due to failed wifi in hotel. It was pretty funny when I phoned to ask for help.

First one guy comes to room, very sweet, I thought he was a tech person but he turned out to know as much as I did which is to say next to nothing.
Next, familiar looking guy arrived at room door...hey, I know you...It's xxxxx, a favorite bellman. Unfortunately his strength was not in tech support.
But WAIT--we will send someone else:
Same thing happens: Another bellman aka tech expert: Same result.

Next: Front desk manager, very lovely person who I got to know well last year, comes up. No luck.

We decide to move to another room to see if wifi works there....
Manager disappears and get keys for some vacant rooms.

At this point I tell him I should be moved to Presidential Suite for all this drama (joking, but he did say they could move me to another room).
I do not want to pack up and move rooms by now, especially since there are many new acquisitions now inside the room so its even more crowded here than it was this morning..., all food related....cans and cans of conservas, bottles of "vino generoso," tins of pimenton. And of course, taking advantage of some 2 for 1 sales at El Corte Ingles basement supermarket, there are also tins of asparagus from Navarra, some cheeses, etc.

Not to mention the delivery from MANTEQUERIAS BRAVO..one of the best food shops I've ever visited. Such a wide display, such lovely salespeople. Free delivery to hotel....
Not only that, but I compared prices on a few tins of ventresca tuna with prices at the Club de Gourmets in Corte Ingles and was shocked that MANTEQUERIAS BRAVO prices were lower on the items I compared. And you cannot beat the knowledgeable and professional, and kind, service.

Maribel and Revulgo: You might be amazed at this, but I bought a tiny tin of RIO FRIO caviar to enjoy sola in my room!!!! Between the delivery, and the caviar. (no pearl spoon but I will make do), I feel like.....not sure..a very fancy person!!

FINALLY, after almost 2 hours fiddling around with various tech novices in various rooms of the hotel, we got it working again.....in the end the whole escapade turned out to be pretty humorous but now I don't think I can make much headway on this report before I have to leave for dinner! Might try to at least finish up with EL ALFEREZ in EL PALMAR...I want to finish up the Vejer section so I can report on Madrid while the activities are still fresh in my mind...

ekscrunchy

So here are some photos from my lunch at EL ALFEREZ in El Palmar, outside Vejer:



This is an assortment of raw and mostly raw tuna cuts: From left: Tuna tartar; tuna tatami (cooked on the outer edges); Sashimi de ventresca; parpetana, which was described to me as the palate, or the part of the tuna behind the throat....in any case it is delicious. This is always cut much thinner than the belly (ventresca)

Parpetana of raw tuna, cut razor thin, with flake salt at EL ALFEREZ

Sashimi of ventresca, belly of tuna. a personal favorite. Served with wonderful house-made mayo. But you can see that there are more obvious threads of white fat running through this piece....it was very very good but not comparable to the sashimi at EL CAMPERO. Nothing can touch the latter.

This artichoke was braised and stuffed with mojada, which I found very salty. I inquired about the grated cheese served on top, which added more salt. The server told me is was Parmesan but I am fairly sure that it was not..it was too white, and too salty. Overall this was probably the least satisfying of many artichokes I had while in the area...

ekscrunchy

Sorry, repeat of surtido of tuna

Carabinero (giant red shrimp); this seemed skimpy as compared to those I devoured at ANTONIO, but the meat was tasty and gorgeously sweet and I sopped up everything inside the shell--eating with my hands, as I usually do with shrimp.

Another view of Carabinero at EL ALFEREZ

Maribel

Eks,
I’m astonished that the Mantequerías Bravo prices are lower, as I assumed they would be far higher, as it caters to “the carriage trade” as we say, but I love shopping there none the less because the store is so beautiful and the service so impeccable.
Natylou,
Last night’s dinner was delightful and the setting gorgeous. We dined early at 8:30, were one of the first tables to be seated because I wanted to make sure to have enough time to dine leisurely before our 10:30 tickets to the Soul of Córdoba Mezquita tour. I highly recommend this lovely spot, with gracious and polished service. We seemed to be the only non locals there.
It’s tucked away on Candelaria street just steps from Bodegas Campos, where we went for a pre-dinner drink at 8:00 so that my husband could photograph what we missed last time.
Eks, I’ll try to share photos of the young El Cordobés and the 80-year old El Cordobés lining the tavern walls and other luminaries and the cellar filled with Montilla Moriles sherry casks signed by famous figures (Tony Blair and the like). Another very atmospheric spot to dine that we’ve visited several times.
My husband loved his visit to the Museo Taurino this morning , and I realized that I had seen El Cordobés in Valladolid one year before he retired.

At La Ermita de Candelaria we shared a starter of
Santoña, Cantabria anchovies on toast then mains of pastel de pato (duck) for my husband and corvina (grey snapper) on a bed of pisto (ratatouille) for me, the shared orange ice cream with EVOO along with sherry. There were several off menu items that we should have tried and will when we return. It’s quite a romantic spot, and it does live up to its one Repsol sun.

Then we made it in time to our evening tour, which eks described in detail. I do urge those who can to take in the evening tour, as the lighting allows one to see those gorgeous horseshoe arched, marble sea of colums in a whole new and exciting light. Although there were probably 80 people on our tour (maximum capacity), each person had his own head set in his preferred language, so it seemed like we had this entire magnificent monument to ourselves in silence with just dramatic background music and commentary creating a special mood. No jostling with other visitors with selfie sticks, no large group tours lead by guides holding flags, but no photography allowed, which frustrated my husband a bit. Our lovely guide and 2 other guards made sure of that. But I felt like I had had this magnificently beautiful structure to myself for 1 hour,
The tour begins with an explanatory video that traces the building and expansion of the mosque over the reign of the different caliphs. Highly recommended,

Another dining spot that I highly recommend outside of the Judería and the souk of shops and tourist crowds (there were big crowds today in 82 degree temps) is LA TABERNA de ALMODÓVAR in the modern quarter, a totally charming place with an all white décor, very Andalusian yet sophisticated, where one can sample all the classic Córdoba specialties in a relaxing, friendly environment with a great wait staff. Once again filled with locals.
Delicious bread and olives, many special menu items. We shared habitas con jamón con huevo frito roto (sautéed baby limas with Iberian ham with a fried egg on top, then coquinas (baby clams) in garlic sauce for my husband, whole lubina (sea bass) for me and because its almost Holy Week, their famous version of Torrijas (sort of pain perdu) with ice cream for dessert, the classic Holy Week and Lenten dessert you’ll find in all the pastry shops right now.
We accompanied the meal with a light bottle of Alba Balbaína white wine from Bodegas Barbadillo, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz. This pretty taberna has a Bib Gourmand designation and is an excellent value. By the time we left at 4 pm the place was packed. Locals came in to dine between 3-3:30.

Tonight, LA CUCHARA de SAN LORENZO, again located in the modern quarter after an aperitivo on our rooftop terrace overlooking the Plaza de las Tendillas.

Now back to eskscrunchy’s madcap adventures, now in Madrid, my neck-in-the-woods…

ekscrunchy

I want to move along here so I will be able to fit in my 5 days in Madrid.

So, going back to my almost-two-weeks around Vejer, I think by now it's pretty clear that ANTONIO is one of my favorite restaurants in Andalucia, if not in all of Spain. I had four lunches there in two weeks. I will post additional photos, but I repeated many of the dishes that I so loved: Their artichokes with jamon Iberico, the luscious Carabineros, the grilled sole (why is the sole here so fantastic while in the US, it can be kind of boring. Some of my fish-loving friends make fun of me when I order it back home, saying that it is "the fish for people who do not really like fish." Well, not in Spain and certainly not at ANTONIO.

Along with ANTONIO, I hold a special place for LA CASTILLERIA, in the tiny Santa Lucia, near my hotel. LA CASTILLERIA is famous for their meat, especially for their beef, which they source from several parts of the country, and the owner-chef is renowned for his skill at the grill. The local beef is Retinto, named for a breed that grazes on wild grasses, acorns and shrubs of the dehesas and forested lands near the sea in Cadiz province. They do not need to be fattened with grain, and are usually slaughtered at 1 or 2 years. There is a Retina route in the area,, and a Retina festival. When you drive around the area known as La Janda, which is the "comarca" in Cadiz province where I stayed, you see these magnificent cows everywhere--in the fields, crossing the (mostly deserted) lesser roads,, and even grazing in the dunes adjacent to the beach in EL PALMAR. I loved hearing their moos late at night from my bedroom outside Vejer!! One of the best memories of my nights there!!

(see the cow and beef pics, below)

So...while Retina beef (aged from 8 months to 6 years) is the star at LA CASTILLERIA, the restaurant also serves older meat from Galician vaca rubia cattle, which are listed on the menu as being from 9 to 11 years old. (We drove a very long way a few years ago to sample the steak from the "old" Galician cows which have brought renown to a restaurant near Astorga in Leon province; the name is EL CAPRICHO and if you are very interested in beef, you can find a lot of information about this restaurant online. (at the ekscrunchy house, the jury is out on the experience)

Getting back to LA CASTILLERIA, I have a real fondness for this place, not only for the superb food but for the warmth of the owners and the staff who have always made me feel very much at home under the immense trees that form a roof over the greenery and flower-laden open-air restaurant. You might think you were in Bali, or in Mexico when you walk in but the menu quickly reorients you as to this very specific place.

I could go on and on, but I am pretty sure I described my two lunches at LA CASTILLERIA in my trip report from last year, without the photos. This time I only made it once, since my dining card was so full, and they are open only at lunchtime until later in the season.

Before I move on to the restaurant photos, I should mention that non-carnivores can have a fantastic meal here. Their salads are astoundingly great, and there are many options on the menu.







Typical road in the area.

Retinta cows in a playground near my "home."

I visited EL ALCAZAR, a recommended butcher shop in the hamlet of La Muela, not far from EL PALMAR and from Vejer itself, to buy manteca; they had none, but I was interested in the wide variety of Retina beef on offer.

Retinta steaks at EL ALCAZAR in La Muela, supplier to many fine area restaurants.

ekscrunchy

Carta at LA CASTILLERIA. Note that since the restaurant is open air, they do not take reservations for all tables in case of rain. So if you want to dine here,, it is essential that you book ahead on their website...as Maribel wrote, above, most tables were booked months ahead for the spring summer season--that is how popular and well-loved is this restaurant.

This is the Carta:



One half of menu at LA CASTILLERIA

Second half of menu!

Bread service included the wonderful cracker-like delight on the far right, studded with seeds; I forgot to ask the name.

Complimentary entrante: Pate of Pork with delicious, sweet sauce made with Port. A huge hit in my book!!

ekscrunchy

These three photos were taken 3/2023:

Entrance to the restaurant

Highly prized anchovies from Santona (Cantabria), gifted to me by the delightful Co-Owner, Ani Melero

My serving of Retina steak..again, these three photos were from March 2023


This article is in Spanish but offers a good snapshot of the restaurant and the forces behind it:



​​​​​​​https://www.lavozdelsur.es/vida/sabo...98025_102.html

natylou

Thanks, Maribel, that's very helpful. Also, the Mezquita at night...sounds enticing, but is it an either/either situation? If we were to tour in the morning, probably the night time show would seem a bit too much? We just have 2 nights, so I am thinking it might be.

Ekscrunchy, wow, those photos! Too bad the artichokes did not taste as good as they look. Thanks for all the fun details yoou have included here.

I'm looking at the weather forecast for our arrival in 10 days, it is not looking great at this point, but I think you have not fared badly in that regard.


​​​​​​​

Maribel

No, natylou the morning and evening tour woudn’t be too much, as they are totally different. We were there again this morning for photos, and though there is now crowd control of sorts, with timed entrances (at 10:30 am the first slot available for entrance at box office or machines was for 1:30 pm) you do have to deal with the free tours groups inside and people jostling for position for that perfect Instagram photo , while the evening tour feels far more private, even with a maximum group of 80, as you have total silence other than the music and commentary you hear from your personal headset. It’s really quite awe inspiring. Just an important note: the entrance for the evening tour is not marked/signed.

About the weather. The high today in Sevilla was 84 but it has cooled down tonight. Sunday will be the same but it will probably rain on Monday. We’re hoping that the Madrugá, Thursday evening and Friday morning won’t be rained out, that is when the most beloved processions occur, like La Macarena and Esperanza de Triana.

On Thursday the entrance for the evening Soul of Córdoba show was on Calle Torrijos, across from the Mesón Bandolero and on the same street as the Hotel Maimónides. It ‘s not at the main entrance doors where we entered this morning,
We’re knee deep in Holy Week now in beautiful Sevilla!

eks,
Those tables at La Castillerìa that are exposed and not under cover are reserved for those souls who arrive sans reservations. Juan says that they set them aside because they try not to turn people away.

Those retinto cows also have free range of the roads and especially of Bolonia beach.
II’ll try to find the photo of the cows lying under someone’s beach umbrella at Bolonia, seriously! It’s so funny! The cows commandeered a couple’s umbrella while they were swimming!
When driving around, we always see them leisurely strolling by the side of the road.

ekscrunchy

Maribel, that's so funny! I did see them at Bolonia and at El Palmar..

I think we are both saying the same thing about those uncovered tables at LA CASTELLERIA. Ani had told me last year that they don't book them cause if it rains, they can't accommodate those reservations. So it makes sense that they leave them free and then walk ins can have a table, if it's not raining!! It's very good to keep that in mind since reservations are so hard to come by. I didn't take the time to count the tables (too busy swooning over my food) but its not a very large restaurant, as you well know!!

Maribel

The trick to snagging a little table at Taberna San Miguel Casa el Pisto in Córdoba without a prior reservation…be at the front door 15 minutes before they open at 1 pm, and hope to be the very first in line,
Then ask the gentleman at the bar who will check to see if you have reserved (which you haven’t) if you can occupy one of the only 3 small tables for 2 found in the small room between the bar and the main dining room and explain that you will dine quickly before the locals come in between 2:30 and 3:00. This is a little room that seems like a private enclave but actually has 3 small tables.

This worked yesterday for the couple standing at the front door behind us.

Another trick is to be at the entrance 15 minutes before 1:00 to grab one of the 8 (?) outside tables on the front line on the square next to the church, which can’t be reserved. Sitting out on the terrace, of course, means you miss all the action in the tavern and all the photos lining the tavern walls and the chatting up the staff and locals.

The 8 or so El Pisto outdoor tables on both sides of the San Miguel square next to the church are NOT the ones under the umbrellas, which belong to another Taberna on this small square. That taberna owner, while setting those tables probably has to answer a gazillion questions about this per day…”Are these El Pisto tables?” But he says no with a smile.

There was a society wedding yesterday in the San Miguel church, which made for great people watching and an interesting fashion show.

Ai El Pisto we headed straight and quickly to the Manolete corner, El Rincón de Manolete, to grab one of the only 3 barrels in that space covered with Manolete memorabilia, adjacent to the bar and stood (like the locals) to have a quick bite before our train departure on the IRYO to Sevilla.
We had a plate of jamón ibérico from Pedroches COVAP, the best mazamorra EVER, very creamy and topped with grapes and a bit of anchovy, which is much thicker than its cousin, ajo blanco, and their version of salmorejo, topped with slices of boiled egg and bits of jamón.

eks, I agree with you about the Pedroches jamón not being as silky as that jamón from Guijuelo or Jabugo, but when in Córdoba…I prefer the salmorejo version from Garum 2.0.

The almadraba caught blue fin is flash frozen, super frozen, at minus 60 degrees. Eks and I talked about the chapter explaining this process in the book, Grape, Olive, Pig, Travels Through Spain’ Food culture by Matt Goulding, a very interesting book for those interested in this country’s fascinating food culture.

Now on to ekscrunchy’ latest adventures…

Maribel

Eks, just wrote a long post about our dining at Casa el Pisto but alas it’s now in moderation purgatory,,,

Maribel

The quota for the almadraba season is 6784 toneladas
Casi 6784 toneladas, la cuota de atún rojo para España en 2024 - Diario de Gastronomía: Cocina, vino, gastronomía y recetas gourmet

ekscrunchy

Maribel for the life of me I cannot understand why a post about El Pisto would need to be "moderated," but then, what do I know about these rules..??

I adored those snails in Cordoba so when I saw this little fellow on a tree in "my" Vejer backyard, I had to take a photo. I looked for him every day after that but he had snuck off!

Continuing on with this year's lunch at LA CASTILLERIA: I thought the salad I ate there lat year might have been the best of my life. That one had Cecina and when I ordered it again, my lovely waiter suggested that I have something different this time, similar but with "Duck prosciutto" instead of the Cecina. This tied with last year's for one of the best salads..ever! Can you see how many ingredients composed this glory? And how stunningly it is plated?

The peeled and roasted tomato near upper left left me bedazzled. How can any tomato taste so sublime? The only info I got was that it was, yes, "peeled and roasted," and then added to the salad which contained ingredients from borage to blueberries. Unforgettable! A meat restaurants with some of the greatest salads I've ever sampled! Bravo!

This is a close up of that peeled and roasted tomato..I'mm guessing it was roasted at low temperature.....I will certainly order it again and try to find out more....I could go here just for their salads!!

ekscrunchy

To finish up an astounding Monday late (2:25pm) lunch at LA CASTILLERIA, here are a few more photos; I want to add the prices for each meal but at the moment, can't find my "Vejer" envelopes, but they will turn up soon.



After the salad, a media racion of one exquisite roasted artichoke, stuffed with lamb sweetened by a Port sauce. Incredible dish at a most incredible restaurant. Bag at rear holds picos, like miniature breadsticks; I look for the ones made with olive oil. They make all-too-good late night snacks and are an Andalucian staple.

Final dish at LA CASTILLERIA: Baby milk-fed lamb chops....divine! Yet another ringing testament to the skill at the grill of Owner/Chef Juan Valdes.

Entrance from the small street into the lush restaurant dining areas.

LA CASTILLERIA is tucked away into the pretty rural "barrio??" of Santa Lucia, just past the temple of eggs, a favorite of both our Maribel and Chef Jose Andres (I believe it was featured on his food tv series) that I've yet to try. Its name is VENTA AL TORO; you can spot it in the photo, past the large tree on the left....and its already on my agenda for next year, as are as many repeat visits to LA CASTILLERIA that I can fit in!! I

'm not sure if "barrio" is the correct term for the small settlements that may have spring up originally near a family's plots of crop- or grazing land. I'd like to learn more about this; The "main" town of the area, Vejer, high on the hill, overlooks lush rural landscapes dotted with what we might call tiny rural "hamlets."

Most that I visited in my aimless driving encompassed a group of (usually) small houses, farm buildings, and often one or two small ventas where one could have a (usually) simple meal and often pick up some food supplies and wines. Some of the ventas, which you would never come across unless you knew exactly where to look, proved to be very lively in the afternoons, especially on weekends, when tables spread out from the interior to the adjacent parking lot or even the edges of the street.

A few of the "hamlets" had very well-regarded restaurants, like LA CASTILLERIA and another, PATRIA, in the "barrio" of the same name, which is owned by a Danish couple, it was open only on weekends while I was in the area and one of my "sources" at the inn told me emphatically that it "was not for me," but it does often appear high on the restaurant rankings for Vejer on a very popular travel website and seems to be a thriving expat hangout. The butcher I visited was in the barrio/hamlet of La Muela which boasted two different ventas (I think I spotted two) and both seemed very well patronized by what I imagine were locals who looked as if they were enjoying the sunny afternoon chatting, snacking, laughing....and drinking little beers (canas). (Accent mark over "n" but I don't know how to do this...which is most obvious by now!!)

I'm rambling on here, trying to paint a picture of this area that I've come to love so much, but one thing is for certain, a casual visitor would never find any of these places, tucked away from (but often quite close to) the more traveled roads that crisscross the area. If you choose to stay in one of these small settlements, as I did (mine is named LOS PARRALEJOS), you most definitely need to rent a car. Even the bus service to the main center of Vejer is sporadic, and no buses as far as I know make its to any of these more isolated locations. But that's what makes them enchanting, to me, in any case!!

https://restaurantecastilleria.com

Doing my best to move on here so I can detail my exploits in Madrid, where I am right now!!

ekscrunchy

I mentioned the many "ventas," unpretentious eating spots, some with small shops attached, scattered throughout this area and much, if not all of Andalucia and other areas of Spain.
Some of these have evolved from basic spots for a drink and a simple meal, to addresses of some renown that have developed a following for one or more special dishes. One example would be the eggs at VENTA AL TORO in Santa Lucia which I mentioned, above.

An easy drive of about ten minutes from Los Parellejos, the location of my Vejer "home," took me to VENTA PINTO in the crossroads of La Barca de Vejer. I'd often stopped at their attached food shop to pick up their delicious, moist yellow loaf cake, that they call simply, "bizcocho." I bought one to carry home last year and was amazed at the long shelf life---about three weeks from date of purchase and long life is not due to any preservatives. The listed ingredients are few and each is natural. So I was used to stopping in for the cake, and maybe a bottle of vino de Jerez (do not call this "sherry," in these parts, please. Call it vino de Jerez, or call it, more exactly, fino, Pedro Jimenez, palo cortado, "cream," or any of the other types of the wines known locally (and found on shelves under the name in large shops) as "vinos generosos."

All this stopping in had alerted me to the fact that VENTA PINTO, although the restaurant offers a wide and interesting menu, is synonymous to locals for one dish and one dish only: LOMO EN MANTECA, or slices of pork loin encased in lard. I'd know this for a while but ignored it.....Pork in Lard???? Too much of a good--or bad--thing, depending on your tastes. But I became more and more curious until one day....I just HAD to stop by for a pork-and-lard (colored (red) lard, please--not the more common white stuff that we seen know in the US).

I guess its hyperbole to say that my life changed after the first bite, but its pretty close....

I entered the lively interior, adjacent to the store, and took my seat at the bar (there are also more formal dining areas, both inside and alfresco). This is a no-nonsense place...the staff are all super welcoming but no one ice going to spend ten minutes describing all the ingredients in 5 of the dishes you are considering. For one thing, many, many of the diners appear to bee there for that one standout specialty, although from the menu, and from what I spotted on my neighbors plates, this place needs a much deeper dive into all the possibilities listed on the Carta, and there are many!

But I was here that afternoon for one dish and one dish only. You know how you take one bite and your eyes close and you wonder: "Where has this dish been all my life???" Needless to say, that's the feeling I got that day at VENTA PINTO. Oh, my--so much goodness in that 4.5 euro bocadillo of sliced pale-colored pork smeared with vivid orange, gooey, melted lardon sandwiches together with a hot, crispy an downright excellent white roll....I think Maribel mentioned that the bakery is La Noria but must check this.

Foolishly, I ate half and thought I'd save the rest for a late night snack..even share some with little Sombra, my temporary roommate back at t he homestead.

Silly me..this is a sandwich that needs to be eaten hot and when you do.....well, I'll just say that when you do, you will never, ever forget it and you will be plagued by a longing for the same for days and days and days after your first bite!!

I'll post this and get some photos posted, too.....


VENTA PINTO LARGE CARTA:


http://www.ventapinto.com/sala.pdf

TAPAS AND SNACKS including that famous bocadillo de lomo en manteca.


http://www.ventapinto.com/tapas.pdf

I should mention that the colmado, the attached store, sells all varieties of this dish, from vacuum packed slices of lomo with either white lard bro lard colora; tins of ventresca tuna and even tins of TUNA EN MANTECA!!!!! There are terra cotta crocks of the two types of lard, along with local cheeses, various fish and seafood conserves, and those celebrated pastries from Medina Sidonia, made with----lard, of course! And that lovely biscotto cake, one loaf of which not sits in my closet I Madrid ready to pack and cart home (a few slices have already gone missing, however!)

ekscrunchy

Entrance to VENTA PINTO restaurant and bar

Who knew....INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PORK LOIN IN LARD!!!???

Pastries at the colmado (shop) in Venta Pinto; my favorite,, the loaf of "bizcocho," sits in the center of the top shelf, also stacked are the celebrated sweets of nearby Medina Sidonia, and the La Norma brand bread used in their bocadillo of lomo en manteca, on bottom shelf.

Inside the colmado....olive oils, marmalades, bee pollens, and honeys.

Pork slices in red lard to take home and heat up!!!!! If only!!!!
This place is ESSENTIAL!!!! A perfect counterpoint to ANTONIO, and to EL CAMPERO, with my meals at the latter coming up to finish up the dining along the COSTA DE LA LUZ in March, 2024