Tag Archives: Spanish food

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A couple of mundane chores and dinner at Besitos Tapas y Mas in Stuttgart…

Yesterday, Bill and I had to take care of a couple of personal chores.  First, I had to get my regular dependent I.D. replaced– the one I would use back in the States.  I had it made in 2014 at Fort Sam Houston, just before Bill retired from the Army.  Four years have passed, and it expired on my birthday.  I never use it over here, so I had forgotten to get it redone when it expired in June.  We finally got around to renewing it at Patch Barracks.

I’ve had a bunch of I.D.s made over the total of six years we’ve lived in the Stuttgart area, more than I’ve ever had done anywhere, but this was the first time I’ve had one done at Patch.  Since the I.D. office is in the same building Bill worked in during our first Germany stint, it was kind of nostalgic to go there.

On the way out of the I.D. office, Bill called my attention to the “amnesty box” on the wall by the police station.  I had never seen one before, so he was explaining what it was used for.  That’s where people drop off any bullets they’ve taken off the shooting range.  Apparently, taking bullets off post is verboten.  That led to us talking about whether or not it’s dangerous to drop bullets.  Bill assures me it’s not.

As we were leaving, a military police officer was ticketing someone who didn’t park in a proper spot.  I suppose it’s not surprising, given how scarce parking can be at Patch.  It was an even bigger problem when we were here the first time.  I won’t miss the scarce parking in these parts, although it could be just as bad where we’re going.

Next, we went to Stuttgart, where we had about 90 minutes to kill before I paid yet another visit to my fabulous dentist, Dr. Blair.  We stopped by the Biergarten at the Paulaner am alten Postplatz and had a beer before the appointment.  It’s getting pretty cold here now and there was a stiff breeze.  I was glad I wore a sweater.  Meanwhile, my friends in the South are complaining about the heat.

An afternoon weizen downtown…  The waitress laughed when I slurred the word “weizen” and said “weithen” instead.

 

We broke the news to Dr. Blair that we’re going to have to move.  I think we will keep seeing him, because he truly is the best dentist I have ever had.  He did an outstanding job on my implant.  I can’t even tell it’s not my real tooth.  Recently, he’s been monitoring a patch of red on my gums, well beneath the gumline.  It’s just a faint red line at this point, but he’s been watching it since June.  I don’t think I’ve ever had such a conscientious doctor of any kind.  Dr. Blair says he has a lot of patients in Wiesbaden, since it’s less than two hours away by train.  Besides, there’s always a chance we’ll come back to Stuttgart at some point.

After the appointment, we walked around downtown, where they’re setting up for the historical Cannstatter Fest.  This year, besides the regular Volksfest that goes on in Bad Cannstatt, there will also be an old fashioned/historic one at the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart.  Food booths were already going up yesterday, along with old fashioned rides.

I got a few pictures of the progress being made and enjoyed music being played by a couple of talented street buskers.  One guy was singing a pretty good rendition of “You Raise Me Up”, which is a song that many people love.  Personally, I’ve heard it a few too many times on shows like America’s Got Talent, but I was impressed by his efforts, even if he was singing to pre-recorded music.  Another guy was strumming a lute while using his foot to play a tambourine.  I got Bill to contribute a couple of euros, since I think it’s impressive to see people play two instruments at once.

Looks like this is going to be fun.  It opens this weekend.

Then, we decided to have dinner at Besitos Tapas y Mas, a Spanish chain restaurant not far from Calwer Strasse.  I had noticed it while we were sitting at the Biergarten across the street.  Besitos has locations in eight German cities, mostly scattered in the southern part of the country.  I had not heard of it before last night, but we decided we wanted to go somewhere different.

Besitos is a large restaurant, with plenty of outside and indoor seating.  It’s very casual, although they do take reservations.

We arrived at the restaurant just as it was opening at 5:00pm.  A large group of students entered right before us and took a big table near the bar.  We found a table near the wall and took a look at the menu, which mostly consists of hot and cold tapas, cocktails, and a few main courses.  Although I wouldn’t have minded a cocktail, I decided it might be better to stick with beer.  Some of the cocktails at Besitos are quite expensive and I wanted something quenching.  We ordered five different tapas to split: hummus (which came with bread), chicken with coconut curry sauce, ham croquettes, patatas bravas (roasted potatoes with salsa brava), and garlic toast.  Our waiter was a heavily inked and pierced guy, who seemed laid back but efficient.  He handled his job fine.

A look at the interior before it started filling up with people.

Garlic toast.  Not the most exciting tapa out there, but satisfying enough.

The whole spread.  The hummus was a little disappointing because it was a bit grainy and lacked flavor.  The sauce on the potatoes was much like the sauce that came with the chicken.  However, though nothing was particularly special, neither was anything offensive.

My favorite of the tapas was the ham croquettes.  They were crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle, just like me.  I also liked the chicken and wished we’d ordered two of those.  One small piece wasn’t quite enough.  The potatoes were plentiful and tasted good.  I liked the way they were roasted.

When it came time to leave, I went down to the ladies room.  That’s kind of where our otherwise pleasant experience went a bit south.  I don’t know why, but the restroom smelled a lot like diarrhea.  It’s possible that the restroom always smells bad.  Perhaps there is a sewer gas problem.  However, during our visit, the stench was overwhelming and I couldn’t stand to be in there longer than a couple of minutes.  It reeked of a full on blowout diaper or something.  Nasty!

Bill said he saw our waiter down there with a can of air freshener, so maybe someone had an accident and he was responding to a complaint.  It was pretty rank and, unfortunately, that didn’t leave me with a great impression.  I also noticed that the restaurant was a little grimy, like maybe it could have used a good cleaning in some places.  The menus were obviously well loved and had what appeared to be dried beverage stains on them.  However, it’s clearly a popular spot with the young crowd and lots of people were eating there as we were leaving.

We ultimately left on a good note, because our waiter had thought we were Germans and only asked us if we were American when he noticed U.S. dollars in Bill’s wallet.  When he realized we weren’t natives, he switched to perfect English that sounded American.  Then he complimented Bill on his German skills and thanked him for what was probably a more American style tip.  Overall, I thought the food at Besitos was okay, but the disgusting smell in the restroom was a huge turn off.  No one wants to smell diarrhea, especially after eating.  It makes one wonder what caused the fecal explosion.  But then, as we all know, shit happens…

On the way back to our car, I noticed a couple of wine bars on Calwer Strasse that I hadn’t noticed on previous visits.

This one was a tiny hole in the wall, but it looked inviting.

Maybe we’ll have a chance to try both places before it’s time to head north.

  
Anyway, we’ll definitely be back in Stuttgart one more time for a cleaning before we move to Wiesbaden.  I’ll miss being close to this town, which I’ve finally gotten to know.  The first time we lived in Germany, we never went to Stuttgart except for a couple of times.  Thanks to my dental dramas, we’ve come to enjoy visiting on occasion, despite the hellish traffic that surrounds it.  Guess it’s time to become familiar with the ICE train.

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Early dinner at Cortijo in Stuttgart!

A month ago, I got my teeth cleaned at Dr. Blair’s office in downtown Stuttgart.  I didn’t have any cavities, but he was concerned about an area of redness in the gums under my front bottom teeth.  It wasn’t like gingivitis or anything like that.  The redness was below the area where teeth and gumline meet.  He asked me if I have Crohn’s Disease.  I don’t.  Then he asked me about allergies.  I do have those, but he said if the redness was caused by allergies, my whole mouth would be red.  There’s only one area that was reddened.  He was concerned, so he asked me to come back in a month so he could see if the area got better on its own.

Today was the day I was to return so Dr. Blair could check out my gums.  We got an appointment for 2:00pm, which is not the best time for an after appointment restaurant visit, especially in Germany.  Bill came with me, which I always appreciate.  Trips to the big city are always more fun when Bill’s around.

I saw the dentist this afternoon.  He checked out my “rash”, for lack of a better term, and said it was better, but not completely gone.  I have to go back in September to see him.  Then he explained why, in Germany, it’s important to differentiate between a physician and a doctor.  We started talking about my education, his education, my sister’s education, and Armenia.  What I was expecting to be a five minute appointment turned into a half hour.  Oh well.  He’s bar none the best dentist I’ve ever had anywhere.  Besides, whenever I go see him, I get to have dinner in Stuttgart.

After we were finished with the dental business, we went to the Galeria, where I had read I might find some Georgian wine.  Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky today and found no Georgian wines.

So we decided to look for a late lunch/early dinner.  Originally, I was thinking maybe we’d have Italian food, but then realized the place I’d been eyeing was right next to a large construction site.  So we kept walking and soon found ourselves standing by Cortijo, a Spanish restaurant I’d been wanting to try for some time.  I’d heard good things about it in the Stuttgart American community and liked their Facebook page, which constantly advertises Flamenco dancing and guitar players.  They also don’t take a pause during the afternoon.

Bill prays before he makes his decision…  (kidding)

We took a seat and ordered beers and Paella Valenciana.  Paella can only be ordered for two or more people and takes at least 30 minutes to prepare, so we had a wait in the sunshine.  I heard the party behind us speaking Spanish, which is a good sign.  I noticed the menu also featured a number of other interesting dishes and tapas, some that seemed more German than Spanish.

This restaurant is right next to a strip joint.  It’s also next to a pizzeria with a wood oven.  It looked promising.  Maybe next time we’re in Stuttgart.

 

Bill was pretty hungry because he didn’t eat anything after breakfast this morning.  However, he was not displeased with our paella, pictured below.

Paella Valenciana– for two people or more at 15,90 per person.  It’s the cheapest of the three types offered at Cortijo.

 

I was delighted by the paella, which is a great change of pace here in Swabia.  It’s made with rice seasoned with saffron, shrimp, mussels, calamari, peas, chicken, and red peppers.  Squeeze a little lemon juice on it and you’re ready for a good meal!  The only disappointing thing about this paella was that the shrimp were a little hard to peel.  Oh… and I made a really gross joke about what mussels look like that turned Bill off.  In all seriousness, though, this was a really lovely meal, both in taste and presentation.  All they need there is a fly zapper to get rid of the flies who want to share the meal.  But I wouldn’t be surprised if zappers are illegal here.  I’ll have to research it.

A few offerings at Cortijo.

When we were finished eating, I went into the ladies room and found it immaculate and smelling slightly of bleach.  That’s also a good sign.

A tri-lingual sign to assist you in your flushing duties.

 

The stage where there are singers and dancers later in the evening.

Cortijo has a large dining area and two dining rooms.

I liked the bar, too.  You can sit around it and see the stage.  And check out the decorations made of sombreros from local tequila!  Pleasant Spanish guitar music filled the dining room.

 

Total damage for tonight’s dinner was just under 40 euros.  Cheap!

Front entrance.

And outdoor seating.  This is also near a construction zone, but they weren’t building when we were sitting there.  If you look at the obligatory shot of Bill at the beginning of this post, you can see the construction site.  A lot of building is going on downtown.

 

We walked back to the car a different way and realized Cortijo is very close to Primo, a wine bar and Italian restaurant where Bill and I ate last month.  This part of Stuttgart is rich with good places to eat.  Unfortunately, it’s also rich with traffic, which we got caught in on our way out of the big city.

Now that we’ve tried the paella at Cortijo, we want to come back for dinner and check out the live entertainment.  Definitely recommended, especially if you want a change of pace from German, Italian, or Greek food.

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Hebridean Island Cruises

Scotland and Northern Ireland 2017, Part four…

By the time we got back to Glasgow, it was late afternoon.  It was still kind of cold and wet outside, so we went back to the hotel and got cleaned up.  Later, we ventured into the “Executive Lounge”, a privilege granted to us because we booked a “Club Room“.  Every time we stay at the Carlton George, I upgrade our room.

The first time, we stayed in their “Superior Room“, which is their most basic model.  It’s a pretty comfortable place to stay, complete with a free mini bar which includes decanters of vodka, scotch, and whisky, but you don’t get to use the lounge with that room.  You are also pretty much bound to have a view of an elevator shaft or something like it.

Last year, we visited in March and I got us an “Executive Room“, which is a larger room with a free mini bar and access to the lounge.  But again, you’re likely to have a view of the elevator shaft.

There is only one category higher than the Club Room and that’s the Club Room with a balcony.  Given the weather in Glasgow during our stay, it was probably good that I didn’t go that far.  Maybe next time I’ll pull the trigger.  Here are a few pictures of our Club Room.

The all important free booze.  I think I tried the whisky, which naturally was decent quality.

 

Nice coffee set up.

The ever important bed.

And the bathroom.  Once again, I was tickled by the need for instructions on the wall for using the shower.  The Holiday Inn at the Glasgow Airport needs to take a memo.  More on that later.

 

We decided to have a drink in the lounge, then got really lazy and had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, Windows.  We had not eaten there on previous visits, so it was good to try it.  Now that I’ve tried it, I don’t know that I’ll try it again.  That’s not because the food was bad; it’s more because Glasgow has a lot of great restaurants and Windows, while not bad, is not among the best there are in Glasgow.  In any case, here are a few pictures of our Sunday night repast at the hotel.  One of the nicest aspects of a dinner in Windows Restaurant is that you do, indeed, get a nice view of the city… which is a great thing when the skies are clear.  We did experience that at breakfast.

A nice bottle of red to go with dinner.

Bill went with a sirloin steak, which was served with tomatoes on the vine, chips, and a mushroom.  He said the steak was cooked very well.  As many readers may know, mushrooms give me the creeps.  

I went with seabass, which was served in parchment paper.  It came with a slice of white bread and lots of vegetables on the side… 

It was also stuffed with lots of fresh vegetables and was very healthy.  Looking at my figure lately, I realize I probably should eat more fish.  If you like fish, Scotland is a great place to be.  

 

Unfortunately, my disdain for mushrooms got the better of me when the lady sitting at the table behind Bill ordered a vegetarian dish that smelled like it was loaded with mushrooms or truffles.  The aroma was overwhelming to me.  People who love the smell of truffles, like Bill, would have been enchanted by it.  As for me, you would have thought I was pregnant or something.  I had to beat it.

After a good second night’s rest, Bill and I awoke Monday morning with big plans.  We were going to get Bill fitted for a kilt!  I am very excited to get this done, since I have been nagging Bill to get a kilt for years now.  Granted, he’s more of an Irishman than a Scot, but there are only so many years a man can get away with wearing the Army Service Uniform post retirement… especially a man who enjoys food and booze as much as Bill and I do.  Aside from that, I think kilts are pretty damned sexy, especially when they are worn “properly”.

Bill was originally going to visit a kilt maker called MacGregor & MacDuff.  He chose it because it carried the Donegal tartan, which is the Irish county where Bill’s people come from as evidenced by our surname, Crossen.  MacGregor also happens to be the name of our very sweet dearly departed “bagel”, whom we lost to canine cancer a few weeks after our first Hebridean Princess cruise.  I ended up talking him out of MacGregor & MacDuff because it appeared to be a large operation.  Instead, we visited the much smaller James Robertson, Kiltmaker.  I am so glad we did.  We spent a couple of hours there with the delightful proprietor.

He has a tiny little “hole in the wall shop” next to a tattoo parlor!

Bill gathers his gumption for the fitting.

We settled on the Donegal pattern displayed above.  There was another Donegal pattern that was mostly oranges, greens, and reds, but the blue, green, and red seemed to suit Bill better.  I could wear tartans for a few Scottish clans myself due to my heavy ancestry, but if I ever get a stole, I’ll probably get one to match Bill’s new kilt.

The tartan Bill is wearing is not the one we’re getting, just to be clear.  However, I was impressed by how well it matched his shirt!

Bill ordered the whole “kit”, which set us back about $1200.  However, it includes everything but a tuxedo shirt and the kilt will be handmade.  Aside from that, the jacket comes from County Donegal. 😉

I get excited just thinking about it.

Bill tries on shoes.  The proprietor even asked me to film him showing how to tie the laces.  See below.

 

This is how you do it, guys.

Bill checks out the rest of his accessories.

First time I’ll ever get him to wear a purse…  😉

Settling the bill…  We noticed a bottle of whisky sitting by the desk.  I have a feeling if it had been later in the day, we might have shared a wee dram with the kiltmaker.

On the way out…

 

Edited to add:  This was the finished product.  It got to us in time for Christmas!

The kiltmaker advised us to visit The Pot Still, a very cool pub that serves food, beer, and, most of all, lots of whisky.  Apparently, it has one of the best selections of whiskies in Glasgow with over 700 varieties.  And though it wasn’t quite noon, we decided to stop in to try a few.

A rather unassuming looking place, isn’t it?

We started with a Longrow from Campbeltown’s Springbank Distillery, a place we’ve visited twice, thanks to our Hebridean cruises.

A look at the loot.

We tried a couple of others, included blends we had not heard of prior to our visit.  The proprietor looked to be about my age and was busy with inventory, but he was very friendly.  We shared a moment when he started whistling a tune and I quickly identified it as “Can You Feel It” by The Jacksons.  Every time I come to Scotland, I’m reminded of just how strong the musical vibe is there.

A look at the dining room.  I was tempted to stay for lunch, but it was still a little early.  We decided to walk around a bit more.

At around noon, my nose caught a whiff of something delicious.  We happened to be standing in front of Iberica, a Spanish restaurant chain in the United Kingdom.  Since we knew we’d be eating a lot of Scottish food on the boat, we decided to stop in for a Spanish repast.  It was a good decision.  We split a couple of tapas and paella for two, then had lovely desserts.

Bill checks out the menu…

While I check out the bar…  Our waitress was beautiful.  She looked like a young Rachel Hunter circa 1990 or so…  She recommended we order a couple of tapas to hold us over while the paella was being prepared.  It takes awhile.

Bill picked the sausage and cheese tapas which came with bread and fig jelly.

I had the crispy chicken, which was absolutely delicious.  I could have enjoyed a whole lunch of this.

Seafood paella.  It was very good, although I liked my chicken tapas even more.

This was just the beginning of our week eating seafood…

For dessert, I had churros, which were so good… but man, my ass didn’t need that present!

Bill was a bit more sensible and had something lighter.  Looks like it involved apricots.  I remember the waitress told us about a dessert that involved Parmesan cheese and strawberries.  I wrinkled my nose at first, but then realized it was a pairing of sweet and salty.  And given the time of the month, that was kind of appealing.  I’m glad I went with churros instead, though.

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dental

The making of my new tooth! And… tapas at Desiree…

This afternoon, I visited Dr. Blair, the dentist extraordinaire, to get my dental crown fitted.  This day has been a long time coming.  My ordeal started in the fall of 2014, when I noticed the gum above one of the two baby teeth I had left from childhood was badly inflamed.  We visited Dr. Blair for the first time in January 2015 and he told me that I had an infection.  He said it was possible he could try a root canal, but that it would probably be best to remove the tooth and either get a bridge or an implant.

Since I wasn’t interested in ruining the two teeth on either side of my abscessed baby tooth, I determined that I wanted an implant.  However, I am a big chicken when it comes to medical and dental procedures.  Also, before we got started on my expensive dental implant odyssey, I wanted to make sure Bill would still be employed after his first year in Germany as a contractor.  It took until September for me to go see Dr. Blair to have the tooth extracted.  I will admit, I was extremely nervous about it and didn’t have the benefit of drugs beforehand, but Dr. Blair is a pro.  He pulled the tooth out, noted that it had a vertical fracture in the root, and told me we were right to go the implant route.  A root canal would have definitely failed.

In January 2016, Dr. Blair did a sinus lift.  I went in and took a couple of Ativan, mellowed out, and Dr. Blair did a procedure that would allow more bone to grow so that my jaw would handle the implant.  He also put the implant in my upper jaw and I spent the next few months healing.  The sinus lift took about an hour and I’m glad I took Ativan beforehand, because it wasn’t a very pleasant procedure.  That part of the dental implant process cost about 2000 euros, which Bill has paid for.

In May, I went in and Dr. Blair uncovered my implant that had been ossifying in my bone.  Again, I opted for medications for that procedure, but I probably didn’t really need them too much.  He just exposed the implant, then put a “healing cap” over it.  Then in June, I went in and got impressions made for the lab to make my crown.  The impressions were not painful, but the process of making them wasn’t a whole lot of fun.  Fortunately, Dr. Blair’s got a great staff and is himself a very kind and competent doctor.

On my birthday, which was June 20th, we went to the lab and had many pictures taken of my teeth.  Then a few days later, I went back and tried on the new crown.  I was amazed by how real it looked.  We spent about a half an hour shaping it until it fit perfectly.

Today, I went in and had the new crown installed.

Before… you can see the healing cap on my top tooth.

Another shot.

Now the implant is complete.  Can you tell the difference between my natural teeth and my new fake tooth?  I can’t.  

 

I have to go back next week for one more appointment.  Dr. Blair is going to check to make sure the implant is okay.  Then, it’ll be back to normal until my next dental crisis.  We haven’t gotten any bills for the work that has been done since the implant was installed, but we’re expecting another 2000 euros or so.  We do have insurance, which we will have to file ourselves.  I think it covers a maximum of $2000 per year.  Since we have tickets to see Van Morrison on Wednesday, we will stay two nights in Stuttgart.  I will be travel blogging a lot next week!

After we visited Dr. Blair, we went to the Markthalle and picked up some wine, ham, tuna, cherries, cheese, and chocolate.  I love going there.  Someday, we are going to have to visit the Markthalle and load up on a whole lot of delectable edibles.  After we finished shopping, we visited a tapas bar called Desiree.  It’s located in the Markthalle and I had been curious about it for awhile.

These were the specials today.  I wanted to order one, but because it was only 4:30pm, we were there too early.

Bill being cute.

We each had a glass of wine.  Bill had a rioja and I had a tempranillo.

A shot of the sign.

And the charming downtown area…  It was a great day to sit outside.

We decided to share a plate of tapas.  Desiree has a deal where you can get five tapas for 12,50.  It comes with bread.  You can also get three tapas for 10,00.  On Fridays, they have paella.  Tapas are offered all day, while more substantial dishes are only offered at certain times, which I didn’t see listed in the menu.  The tapas were very good.  I especially liked the spicy chicken wings, olives, and meatballs.  When we were finished, we had another glass of wine to let the horrendous traffic on A81 die down.

All told, we spent about 32 euros for our little afternoon repast.  I think I’d like to go back to Desiree for paella or one of their big dishes.  At the very least, the tapas are fun, especially when the weather is nice and you can sit outside.

We stopped at the Shoppette on Patch on the way home.  Bill gassed up my car.  Has anyone ever tried “Perky Jerky”?  Is it worth the trip?

 

I’m already used to my new tooth and delighted with the end results.  I highly recommend Dr. Blair if you need a dental implant.  He does great work.  And it’s great to be rid of that big hole in my smile, too!  Edited to add:  The grand total for this procedure was approximately 4,750 euros or just over $5200 by today’s exchange rate.

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Tapas in Nagold!

For months, I’ve been curious about a certain Spanish restaurant in Nagold.  I noticed that Tapinos, a tapas place, got lots of good reviews.  However, they are only open in the evenings and not on Sundays or Mondays.  I’d think of Tapinos on a Sunday, realizing that they are closed then.  I’d vow to make a reservation for a night when they are open.  Then I’d forget to make one and end up doing something different.

Well, this morning, I was reminded of Tapinos and I told Bill he should give them a call and see if we could get a table for tonight.  Bill was worried that no one would be there, since they don’t open until 6:00.  I told him that just because a restaurant isn’t open for customers, that doesn’t mean no one is there.  So he called, used his elementary German, and got us a table for seven o’clock this evening.  We arrived a few minutes early.  The guy Bill talked to was waiting for us.  There were three other guys there, finishing up their drinks.  They left before we ordered, so we had the small place to ourselves for awhile.

The outside.  Sorry, it was dark outside.  It’s located next to the river in Nagold and there’s a lot of free parking nearby.  

The front door.  Inside, it’s very cozy, quaint, and romantic.

 

Bill spoke German to the waiter, who I also think was doing the kitchen work.  At first, I didn’t think he spoke English, but while Bill was in the bathroom, he asked me in English if we wanted water.  I said we did.

Bill ordered a lovely bottle of Spanish wine, which went well with the guitar music.

A few shots of the interior.

Loved their wine display.

Small dining room, but very charming.

 

We checked out the a la carte items on the menu, but the waiter explained that he could offer us a tapas menu for 22 euros per person.  Basically, it was five different tapas– typical Spanish fare.  I was a little worried because I’m not as adventurous as Bill is when it comes to some things.  But it turned out my worry was unjustified.  We had a delightful tapas meal and nothing was overly offensive to either of us.  Next time we visit– and there will be a next time– we will have to order from the menu.

We started with olives, olive oil soaked bread, and a nice spread…

Then we progressed to Spanish style tortillas…  remember Spain’s tortillas are not like Mexico’s tortillas…

Basically potatoes, eggs, vegetables, and a very pungent cheese that was almost beyond my limits.  I was proud of myself for enjoying this. 

Next came a platter of sausages, ham, cheeses, and in the center of the platter, red tuna on a baguette. The waiter explained in German that this is very typical Spanish food.  He even showed us the parts of the pig the meat came from.  He was careful to tell us that they were free range pigs.  The Iberian ham was especially good.  Bill loved the cheese– one was a sharp goat cheese and the other was a milder sheep cheese.  I skipped it.

The wine tonight.  It was lovely.

Slices of eggplant with sheep cheese melted on top.  I am not a big cheese fan.  Bill loved it, though, and remarked how the eggplant had a sweetness that counteracted the cheese’s sharpness.

 

I think we’d lost count of the tapas at that point and figured we were finished.  We weren’t, though.  After a short intermission, more food came out.  We were also joined by two more couples who came in for dinner.

Fried potatoes and housemade sausage with a very interesting sauce that tasted of herbs, mustard, and vinegar.  This was very satisfying, but we were getting close to being full…

And finally, calamari served on a bed of zucchini.  Bill doesn’t usually like calamari, but he enjoyed this.

 

The guy who took care of us was very friendly and spoke fine English, though he mostly spoke German as he brought us our food.  In a way, it was kind of refreshing.  I was excited because I understood a lot of what he was saying.  A couple of times, I even understood more than Bill did.  I also noticed a sign on the wall advertising tequila.  Tequila isn’t all that Spanish, but it does happen to be my favorite liquor.  We didn’t have any tonight, though.

Bill was really getting into the meal and he said more than once that he’d like to visit Spain again.  Funny, but two years ago, we were in Portugal and Spain on a “hop”.  We lived in Texas and had no idea a return to Germany was on the horizon.  We had so much fun in Spain and Portugal, not knowing if we’d ever have the chance to visit again.  Now that we’re back in Europe, I think we’ll plan another trip!  Our host said he had been in Rota recently and we told him about our trip out of there two years ago.

Bill got a kick out of the sign reminding guys to sit when they pee.  If I know Bill, he obliged.

We finished up with a digestive.  The guy who took care of us said we could have either a dry or sweet one.  We chose dry, so he brought out what was basically Spanish grappa.

 

The total bill came to 74 euros before tip, but we got a lot for our money.  Our host seemed delighted that we stopped in and was happy when I said we’d be back.  His focus seems to be on natural foods, though I think I heard a microwave beeping in the back.

Anyway, we had a very nice time there and it was a real treat to have something other than German, Italian, or Greek food.  I would recommend Tapinos. Want to make a reservation?  Call 01631600229.  They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00pm.

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