jstorybook
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- October-November 2013
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MmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMashed potatoes, fried liver slices layered with bacon strips, topped with a large piece of roasted black pudding.
I found heaven in Burgos.
I am near Serria, what is the name of thr pension hotel with the fantastic Galician beef stew?Unfortunately the number of forgettable menu peregrino meals I had vastly outnumbered the really good ones. But the best one I had was at the private albergue in Boadilla del Camino. It began with the best red bean soup I've ever eaten, followed by a beautifully seasoned roast chicken (with salad). And we're not talking s couple chicken pieces, but what seemed like half a bird! The dessert was a lovely homemade flan.
At a great pension hotel in Sarria, I had a fantastic Galician beef stew and a bottomless bowl of really good, rich, hearty soup.
Best pintxos/tapas: Pamplona.
Don't get me started on the issue of wine.
Some of the most memorable meals I have ever had have been in Northern Spain in general and on the Camino in particular. However, almost none of them have been the typical Pilgrim's Meal. There are many options..... go to local shops and ask "what cheese is local and good?" Order off the menu instead of the typical Pilgrims Meal. Take a few (hundred) steps off the path and look for a restaurant filled with local people. Research specialties of each area; I did a post highlighting some of these here: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/good-restaurants.5733/#post-102864.
I had a great 7-course meal in Leon for 38 Euros. Amazing octopus in Galicia. Stunning milk-fed lamb in Burgos. Wonderful farmstead cheese in La Rioja. A farm-fresh meal in which almost everything was grown by the family at a Casa Rural. Amazing Pimientos de Padrón in Galicia. Pinxos (tapas) in Pamplona and Logroño were to die for (see http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/best-tapa-in-spain.6603/). The area near San Sabastian (on the Camino del Norte) has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other are in world. Good food is available everywhere in Spain.
One thing to remember.... In the U.S., we spend the lowest percentage of our income of any country in the world. We have cheap food (and policies), rather than good food. The typical Pilgrim's meal is filling and a decent value, but not the best of Spain. If you want good food, you have to pay for it. This is something that it seems many Peregrinos are unwilling to do.
I was craving veggies and they delivered!!!
It is not a meal, but I stopped at a bar in Foncebadon that had the best croissants that I have ever had in my life. They were so soft and fluffy! I can't remember the name of it, but it was on the right hand side as you walk, and I was drawn to it because they had Beethoven's 9th symphony playing.
The point about the good company is very true. The night of the peas was actually one if the funniest nights we had on the Camino. I had tears in my eyes we were laughing so hard.I still miss the lentil soups flavoured with chorizo - head and shoulders above any other starter in the three 'course' menu peregrino! If you go for that or the ensalada mista, and then your choice your protein in the main course, you'll get lots of good walking food at a very reasonable price. I kinda agree that some of the meals were a bit sad, but the company usually more than makes up for it, and if not, there's always the normal menu or the menu da dia. Anything with tomatoes was nice, because the toms were great! I think I walked for two weeks fantasising about grilled chicken, and lo and behold - in the square in Astorga I finally got one ... that was goood. Also in Cacabelos I had a three course meal in a sort of caverny restaurant halfway to the albergue and it was really good - the soup, the fish, the cakes, absolutely memorable. I am now officially taking notes for my next Camino, which will be even better food wise!
What do you expect for a paltry 10 €, often including wine? Yes, I was very surprised to have a few pretty good peregrine dinners but frankly I never expected it. In some instances, I skipped the dinner and went to buy some fruit instead; at other times I prepared a delicious pasta for me and my compañeros (the Spanish seem to have a prob to cook pasta 'al dente' and generally don't know how to prepare a simple pomodoro sauce) but in 2/3rd of the times I browsed the pueblo for a restaurant and mostly got very acceptable food for a few coins more. These incidentally also often get you decent upgrades in albergues..............Frankly I found many of the menu peregrino meals a ripoff, especially when they charge €12, serve cold French fries and stale bread with your skimpy main, and have the nerve to give you a Nestle ice cream cone and call it dessert................
Last time I was craving veggies, was in Los Arcos and ordered the mixed vegetables. For some reason I had envisioned something similar to a Japanese stir fry with crispy snow peas. I got peas alright, only peas, in fact an entire bowl of just peas which I think had been quickly emptied out of the can into the microwave. The French pilgrims who sat down next to us shortly after we're equally unimpressed after ordering the same thing.
View attachment 6175
http://www.elpajardeages.es/ElAlbergue.htm
The Hospitaleros wife and daughter made arroz Castellano for the six of us, I had 3 helpings and we still didn't eat half of it.
I knew it was made with love when his daughter who was helping her mom came into the dining room and asked how dinner was.
Deportivo in Navarette has absolute the best blood sausage I have ever had in my life, the rest of the fare is beyond 4 star! It makes it worth skipping Logrono for the night b/c it's only about 4 km more. Make your next stop in Cireuna to fix dinner with Pedro!The best meal we had (so far) was at Deportivo in Navarette, cooked by an Italian chef who was known to one of our group. An absolute masterpiece.
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Never EVER go through Navarette without stopping here for the pilgrim menu!
I had a few "interesting meals" but in general they were pretty mundane. Not being a great meat eater proved a problem for me. I always endeavoured to eat a salad of get a salad sandwich, however they were quite often ghastly. Still, I moved on and had the most wonderful Italian meal in Santiago de Compostela. The meals didn't figure highly in my journey and I was generally happy to have sustenance of some form. The supermarkets proved to be the best source of food for me.I'm a coeliac and I bloody near died! The poeple in rural areas don't go in for gluten free food.
This from Pieces sums it up
I honestly had no wonderful meals along the camino in the culinary sense. Wonderfull meals due to the company or due to me being famished yes but mostly the food along the Camino is mediocre or downright sad.
Community dinners at
Albergue Hogar Monjardín in Villamayor de Monjardín,
Albergue Libéranos Dómine in Rabé de las Calzados,
Albergue Villares in Villages de Órbigo,
Albergue Casa Banderas in Vilachá
The last 2 have really nice breakfasts to offer as well. Number 2 had breakfast as well.
I think the price was € 8-10 for the dinner in all above.
Buen Camino
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! I'm going down this thead looking at the photos and pressing like , like , like ........yeowwwwwww , it all looks soooooooooooooooo good!If you want a really good menu del dia in Pamplona, go to the Cafe Iruna in Plaza de Castillo. Three courses, choice of 4 or 5 different dishes per course and a bottle of wine per person.
This was 13 euros last year.
A great thread that should be seen.I will be leaving in a few weeks for St. Jean to begin my Camino--I would like to ask those Pilgrims who have already walked the Camino about wonderful meals that they have had on the way and recommendations for places not to miss. Thanks!
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