Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Casa Lucio, Madrid


Following with my obsession in eating in traditional Restaurants (I'm trying to stay away from Fancy creative cuisine for the moment), I chose a 'must visit' place in Madrid: Casa Lucio. One of the oldest restaurants in Madrid, it's location is in the old part of town, in a street that every other place is a Tapas bar or a restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, the decor was very traditional, with waiter all in white jackets, as the olden times in Spain. As you enter, the restaurant looks very small, but they bring you in, and it looks more like a maze than a restaurant. Apparently, this is where the rich MadrileƱos would park their horse carriages. Anyway, on to the food we had....

For starters, I ordered a bottle of 2008 Fillaboa, an AlbariƱo which I have never tried I was quite surprised because it was a very good one. It was served too cold so I had to let it cool down in the glass for about 15 minutes before I drank it. Very fresh and crisp, it reminded me of the smell of the sea shells.


For Appetizers, we had a plate of Chorizo Iberico de Guijuelo. Guijuelo is a small town in Salamanca very well known for hight quality Chorizo Iberico and Jamon Iberico. A very simple plate was served to us with huge/thick slices of this heavenly chorizo, meatier than the rehular ones I normally have. Needless to say they were delicious.

Nest was one of the specialties of the house: Huevos Estrellados or Los Huevos de Lucio (Broken Eggs-Lucios Eggs). This is partly what made this restaurant famous. Now, you might think that this is such a simple dish and it does not look appetizing at all, but believe me once you try this, you will change your mind. Basically it is potatoes with a broken egg on top, with a sort of oil/chorizo/egg dripping beneath which gives it the fantastic flavors..truly a great dish.


After the 2 great appetizers, we proceeded with the main course, one of them also a classic Castillan dish: Cochinillo (Baby Suckling Pig) and Cordero Asado (Lamb). Two classic dishes which we enjoyed very much. The Cochinillo was perfectly presented, with crispy skin on the outside and tender juicy meat on the inside. The Lamb was also very good, although I much preferred the Pig. With this, I ordered a Bottle of 2006 Aalto, a wine made from 100% Tinto Fino from Ribera del Duero. With deep color and a full body, I thought this would be perfect for the 2 main dishes we had. Definitely a good match for me, I do plan to stock up on this wine soon.




We all struggled to finish the food, but obviously none of us were complaining. We had no more room for anything else except for some 'chupitos'(shots) of Licor de Hierbas (Herb Liquor) and Pacharan, a typical liquor from Navarra made from Endrinas (Sloe Berries). We kept on asking for more so the waiter just left us the bottle in our table. Obviously, we left the bottle empty.


A great meal and a great place that I recommend to anyone who likes this type of food....

6 comments:

My Hotel Life said...

You eat and drink very well, my friend!

firenze said...

Yum!...casa lucio is an institution!..love the revueltos with the chistorra...they serve it in the bar they opened across the restaurant, less formal if you don't have a table in casa lucio....

Miguel said...

George - yes I try.. :)..

Beatrice - Yes it really is an institution in Madrid. I heard about the bar across (and saw it while I was there). I will try that one the next time I am in Madrid again.

Unknown said...

My goodness! And you were saying that you miss the restos in Manila? That meal has got me green with envy!;-P

Noel said...

We kept on asking for more so the waiter just left us the bottle in our table. Obviously, we left the bottle empty.

Ha hah hah! Abuso!

Those eggs and potatoes look great (as well as the cochinillo and cordero). Like you, I've found myself veering often to simple, but well-prepared, honest and hearty cuisine. Such a comfort.

N

Miguel said...

Chinks - I'm homesick na...hehehe..

Noel - its tradition in Spain that if they leave the bottle, you have to finish it or they get offended.. :)