We
arrived one by one at the meeting point, Puerta del Sol. Four friends and
I. The night was young. The plan was simple. Head to dinner at one
of the hundreds of fabulous restaurants in the La Latina neighborhood on Calle
Cava Baja. In need of spirits, one of our own suggests that we stop for a
pre-dinner drink at this cool market along the way. Three hours later, we were still there.
Immediately
upon entering Mercado de San Miguel, we order a bottle of Rioja wine from a vendor.
After the customary toast, we began to browse the market. Somehow,
calling it a market seems grossly inadequate.
It was
packed. I mean, really packed! My first thought was "I can't believe
I've been in Madrid for six days and this is my first time here."
And no
wonder. Everywhere you turned there were fresh, unbelievably
mouthwatering tapas. Many of which were only one euro. I made a
beeline for the smoked salmon. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive.
Coming from the states, often times inexpensive equals low quality.
So was not the case at Mercado de San Miguel.
Stuffed
with the freshest of lox, we came upon a stand selling what I thought were
desserts. I quickly learned that it was actually burrata, a soft Italian
cheese consisting of mozzarella and cream, giving it the appearance of whipped
cream. The cheese lover in me danced after one spoonful of burrata.
Then,
there were the olives. Huge olives served in a million ways. I still
think about the olives to this day.
Just as
we finished the bottle of Rioja, we come across a vendor serving sangrias. Up until this point, I hadn't encountered many restaurants or bars promoting what's considered to be the typical Spanish drink. Having been in Spain for two weeks, this would be my first sangria in Madrid. Time
for toast number two.
Refusing
to end the night without dessert, we trolled the market for churros y
chocolate. What a warm, rich way to end the evening. On
three...ready, set, dip!
In case
you were wondering, we never made it Calle Cava Baja that night. And
guess what? We didn't regret it one bit! If you plan on visiting
Madrid, Mercado de San Miguel should be at the top of your to do list. Be forewarned, this is only a small sampling of what
you'll find. There were numerous vendors serving artisan breads,
cheeses, empanadas, paella, pizzas, and fresh seafood. Don't expect to be able
get a taste of all the offerings in one visit. The selection is so vast
that you'll have to go back time and time again. ¡Buen Provecho!
