Lunch was still with us after visiting the Reina Sofia so we took a walk around all those now familiar places. We headed back up to Puerto del Sol…….
We had been told that the department store El Cortes Ingles had what they called the "Gourmet Experience". Having been to Japan, I wondered how this measures up to the "Depachika", so we headed to the Callao location to check it out.
There were some nice gourmet items, but we were looking for something to eat and the shops really didn't grab us.
They view though, it very nice.
So it was back down and around to Puerto del Sol, where I finally got a decent photo of Real Casa de Correos which used to be the Post Office Building and now houses the Regional Government of Madrid. The clock in the tower of the building officially chimes in the New Year.
As I noted in an earlier post, the Missus really wanted a photo of the Tio Pepe sign at night. Well, it was dusk (845pm) and still a bit too early, so we had some time to kill. So we made a loop back to Plaza Mayor.
Where the Chinese Massage/Reflexology folks were making a killing.
And then there was this weird "creature", the one to the left in the photo. It would site quietly, then jump up when some unsuspecting tourist walked by scaring the crap out of them. Strangely, folks liked taking their photo with the "thing".
Down through the corridor is Mercado de San Miguel.
The last time we walked by was during morning hours and the place wasn't open. On this evening it was quite busy.
We weren't tempted by the stuff here either as it seemed a bit too touristy for us…..
By now the sun had set (945pm) so we headed on back to Puerto del Sol. And finally! The Missus (well, at least I), got Her shot of the Tio Pepe sign!
So finally we decided to get something to eat. Nothing too heavy, but we knew we needed to get something. So back to "Emilio's list" and I found a recommendation. We headed back toward the La Latina area. Instead of heading to the busy Calle Cava Baja, we went one street over to Calle del Almendro and a place simply named Almendro 13.
The scene here was totally different from Calle Cava Baja. Much more chill, quiet, laid back, and local.
We were greeted with a smile and they found a small corner table for us in the corner which was perfect. The Missus got the house white Vina Almendro 13, which you drank from Caña sized glasses and I got a beer. The Huevos Rotos was the dish Emilio recommended we get here. It was good thing we saw an entire portion (racione) come out. It looked like it could feed a family of four! We ordered a media racione, which was still more than enough for us.
If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that the Missus loves Her eggs…..She can easily put away 6 a day if left to Her own devices. The eggs were fabulous, rich orange in color, yolks creamy, the yolks so flavorful. Why do potatoes in places like Spain or Peru taste so much better? I didn't dwell on that too much, I just enjoyed the potato-y goodness. The jamon was thick sliced as if from the ends, thus nice and salty, adding some toothsomeness to the dish. Just what we needed on this evening…..I don't recall the prices, but we got away really cheap on this evening.
We wanted something simple and got exactly that.
Taberna Almendro 13
Calle del Almendro 13
Madrid, Spain
And the Missus got Her Tio Pepe shot as well.
It was a wonderful day.