Spain 2017

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Saltea Restaurante

Altea, Spain

Celebrating the 4th of July as I have over the past few years in Altea Pueblo Mascarat- Spain🇪🇸 
Tonight's dinner was at one of my fav's Saltea. The restaurant serves fresh fish, beef tartar and my favorite paella verdura(vegetable paella🥘 )
The setting is Malibu chic with white washed tables and floors and beautiful drapes outside
Fantastic Sangria and my ultimate dessert, Tableside Crepe Suzette
And at the end as in many European restaurants your check is presented in a hollowed out book 
💋

Panaderia Piquer

July 5, 2017

Of course, Sophia and I find the only true French owned and run bakery in our immediate area in Spain. Clearly, it's delicious bc here it's now 1:40 pm. And it's just about sold out. I'll have to come back tomorrow morning 💋

Ristorante Bussola

July 8, 2017

What's for dinner? I know, I know I'm in Spain and should stick to eating only local and traditional food but I can't resist a true Italian restaurant that is 100% owned and operated complete with a true Italian chef and also a professional pizza maker from Naples. The sweet owners are a lovely young couple from the town of Riviello on the Almafi Coast(interesting fact the wife of this dynamic duo was born in NYC then moved back to Italy 🇮🇹 as a young girl)
What a find made by Adrian Bereanu of this little gem called Ristorante Bussola. 

Dining al fresco under the light of a full moon. The food. OMG. We totally stuffed ourselves. 
Are we sorry??? Absolutely not. The only regret I have is not enjoying this restaurant sooner.

So proudly pictured in this post you will see...
Rosemary focaccia 
Buffalo Burrata salad with apples, walnuts, fresh shaved parmigiana reggiano with a 20 yr old aged balsamic drizzle
Margherita pizza that is paper thin, crispy and has a thoughtful amount of sauce and mozzarella 
Quattro Stogni pizza named for the four seasons with artichokes, mushrooms, ham and tuna
Lasagna that is the kind your grandmother would make from her secret recipe
And last but not least my and Sophia's favorite 
Spaghetti al la parmigiana reggiano with truffle oil !!! Yes!!!
The preparation of this pasta Amazing!(see video attached)
1st the inside of one of those huge wheels of parmigiana reggiano is freshly grated table side within its rind, then the cook pasta that is still hot is tossed with the freshly grated cheese layer and then placed back in your bowl and topped with truffle oil.(Lisa Lukasiewicz Welch, I don't know but this pasta and cheese experience just might beat our favorite place in Miami, Il Gabbiano.. with every bite I thought Lis would love this )
The wine of choice for the evening is from the area surrounding Mt.Vesuvius, Italy
The limoncello was homemade
Oh I can't forget aperitif that was given as a kind gesture prior to ordering from the wine list
And the tiramisu out of this world. Exactly as it should be light, just enough coffee and cream
A place all of you would love 
💋
PS~ Thank you Barbara Gadsden and Chris Gadsen for treating us to a fantastic meal😘

La Rotonda Restaurant at The Westin Palace

Madrid, Spain

July 10, 2017

Wrapping up a wonderful week in Espana with a fantastic meal and stay before our flight tomorrow.
As you know, I'm a Ernest Hemingway fan, so one of the things I have decided I would do and try to do when I travel is to visit places he spent time. So this hotel is the place in Madrid that Hemingway would stay and would meet some guy, a friend they say named Salvador Dali (just kidding).
The hotel was used as a hospital during the Spanish Civil War; thereafter it has been a beautiful hotel with a magnificent stained glass rotunda ceiling with a light pretty fragrance drifting through the air. And lots of fresh flowers and plants. And what's a hotel without a super cool bar, the 1912 Museo bar transports you back to that time.
Dinner at La Rotonda Palace was fantastic, the silverware was immaculate and polished and the service superb. So here are a few pics. 
Mango Gazpacho shooters to start, fresh garden vegetable soup, caprese salad, a wonderfully plated quinoa with pico de gallo and avocado in the shape of a halo. Raviolis in a blush sauce with sundried tomatoes. 
And for desert a strawberry soup with vanilla gelato surrounding by edible flowers, passion fruit, dragon fruit, raspberries and topped with a strawberry. And a trio of sweets compliments of the chef.
Sweet dreams💋