Okay, We Have A New Favorite Restaurant In Madrid -- Angelita

Earlier this trip, I mentioned my favorite follow on Twitter, Nick O'Brien.  His handle is @NickLovesSpain.

His handle is fitting because, well Nick Loves Spain.  And he tweets the most interesting information about Spain.  Top foods by region, UNESCO World Heritage Sites (one day Nick will use "UNESCO Means You Must Go" and credit me -- a boy can dream, right, amazing Spanish villages, Spanish National Parks, Spanish wines, Spanish cities, and so much more.

He's moved to Spain after college to teach English in Madrid, fell in love with the country, the culture, the food, the wine, everything Spain (I'm sure there's one or two things he doesn't like, but I don't know what they are).  

Anyhow, a well-known and respected conservative writer read one of my Tweets responding to one of Nick's Tweets, and messaged me out of the blue.  He and his family had spent a year in Madrid and also love Spain.  We had lunch about a year ago at a Spanish restaurant in DC (not Jaleo, believe it or not) and spent the whole time talking about Spain, and not once about politics (that's how you know it was a great lunch!).  Then the two couples got together one night for dinner at a Spanish restaurant in DC (okay, that time it was Jaleo!) and we really hit it off.

I won't name names, because I don't want you doing what we did which is drop his name (with his permission) if you go to his favorite restaurant in Madrid and getting the royal treatment from one of the two co-owners of Angelita, named after the brother co-owners' mother.

He came out, greeted us, and spent a lot of time

Well, the food is fantastic.  We got the tasting menu, and everything was amazing.  We had the best pisto we've ever had.  The Jerusalem artichokes were fantastic.  The zucchini blossoms were tremendous -- the best I've ever had.  They were served with mozzarella ricotta and an avocado sauce.  

Every vegetable dish were from their own garden.  The artichoke with scallops was divine.  

The last two courses were grouper with a bechamel sauce and a fig sauce and then oxtail stew cannelloni with sherry hollandaise, and a fantastic dish of grilled iberico pork.  The brother, after running through the menu at the start of our seating, came out several times to check on us.  One of the waiters took a picture of the co-owner, Carol and I, and I texted it to our friend here in the States. 

I picked one of our favorite wines to go with dinner -- and learned that this wine we've enjoyed over the years is from Avila, one of the best small cities (population 58k) in all of Spain.

Oh, and after the six courses, they brought out a platter of Spanish cheeses and a chocolate something with ice cream.  Both were perfect toppers for the evening. 

Carol, co-owner, and Bolger the Blogger

Zucchini flowers with mozzarella

ricotta and an avocado sauce.

Alas, I was too busy eating to take a photo of the pisto.  

Scallops on artichokes.

Grouper

Oxtail cannelloni.

Cheese platter.

And the coup de grace -- 

a chocolate thing with

chocolate sauce inside,

and ice cream.

The first dish -- Jerusalem

artichoke with stracciatella

cheese.

Pegaso, from the mountains

near the historic walled

city of Avila.

Sorry, normally we don't post pictures of our food, but since I was sending them (with the exception of the pisto, which we ate before remembering to take a photo!) to my friend back here in America, I figured I'd add it to the blog.

Ironically, it turns out Nick O'Brien loves Angelita as well.  To have three glowing endorsements -- what more could you want!  When in Madrid, go!