Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Above: Pinxtos at Kapikua Casco Viejo
For a break between traditional American holiday fare, here is part two of restaurants we sampled for you in Bilbao last year. Might as well begin with more of the competitive sport of ordering pinxtos in our crowded neighborhood spot, Kapikua Casco Viejo. Doesn’t take very many of these hearty appetizers to make a meal.
Continue reading “Postcard from Bilbao, Spain: Buen provecho”
Above: Always crowded at pintxo-time in the iconic Cafe Iruna
Starting our ABC-listing of food experiences in Bilbao with Al Margen. Yes, a photograph should be worth well more than 1,000 words, but don’t let these photos mislead you. The kitchen at Al Margen turns out amazing dishes from amuse-bouche through dessert.
Even George H.W. Bush could not help but love the broccoli. Singed on the outside with spring onions and a sauce brightened with lime zest, this broccoli could star as a main course. Heirloom tomatoes were flamed before taking a cool bath in a pickled peach and tangerine sauce.
Pomegranate seeds added a colorful touch to eggplant, while leeks and crisped pork belly flavored pan-seared gnocchi. For dessert, Malta cake was topped with marscapone and pistachios, and Al Margen’s unexpected take on tres leches cake was crowned with grated Parmesan. Not inexpensive, yet all delicious. Although the menu changes seasonally, regulars insist the broccoli be ever-present.
Continue reading “Postcard from Bilbao, Spain: Pintxos to pasteles”
Above: Monreale offers a sweeping view of Palermo from the mountains to the sea.
The immensity of the 12th-century Benedictine cloisters adjacent to the Cathedral of Monreale is best grasped when viewed from the church roof. Walking around the monastery’s inner courtyard, graceful arches supported by pairs of delicate columns evoke a sense of intimacy.
The craftsmen erecting these did not apply a cookie-cutter approach to their construction process. I don’t believe the figurative designs of a single capital is repeated, and many columns boast colorful mosaic inlays. Perhaps these were meant to entertain restless monks not always keen on completing the requisite number of daily contemplations.
Continue reading “Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Architectural and actual gems of Monreale”
Postcards from Barton Springs 