Besides being the capital of Rioja wine and the host of the San Mateo
festival, Logrono's claim to fame is tapas. In the States, a "tapas bar" is a place where you pick up 4-5 fancy
appetizers to share with your friends over a bottle of wine or drinks.
I've also heard people mention "tapas" when throwing a Spanish themed
party. Here, tapas are a much different experience. Traditionally tapas were just whatever snacks the bartender provided
for free to his beer and wine drinking customers. They could be
anything from a few chips, to a couple of anchovies. Now in most
places, you pay for tapas, but they still are not fancy foods -
they're whatever the bar has around. They can be really tasty, but
they can also be somewhat frightening. Like a large chunk of fried
oily chorizo with bread. Or an octopus tentacle paired with a pickle.
Or fried frog legs. Or raw cod with a hot pepper. But that's what the
CHEAP (.70 cents - 1 euro) glasses of wine are for - to help this all
go down. In Logrono, there are three long streets that have nothing but tapas
bars. Each one sells 3-5 foods that sit on a counter, and each has
it's recommended "specialty." When you come in and point to what you
want, they throw it in a microwave or a fryer, put it on the plate,
and ask you what you're drinking with it. You eat your tapas and drink
your wine, make some friends, and then pay your bill and head to the
next bar to try the next local specialty and the next wine. In a town like Logrono, this whole process can be an all-afternoon or
all-night long event. From 1 to 5pm, and again from 8pm to 2 or 3 in
the morning, these bars are packed with people hopping from place to
place, having a snack and a drink at each. It's really fun, but it can definitely be hard on the stomach. If
you're used to "tapas" in the States, you might come to these small
Spanish towns expecting gourmet concoctions. If you do, you will be
very disappointed, because almost everything is fried, and almost
everything involves massive quantities of bizarre fish or bizarre
parts of the pig. Lots of fun for a few nights, but you'd be smart to
mix it up with a giant salad.
festival, Logrono's claim to fame is tapas. In the States, a "tapas bar" is a place where you pick up 4-5 fancy
appetizers to share with your friends over a bottle of wine or drinks.
I've also heard people mention "tapas" when throwing a Spanish themed
party. Here, tapas are a much different experience. Traditionally tapas were just whatever snacks the bartender provided
for free to his beer and wine drinking customers. They could be
anything from a few chips, to a couple of anchovies. Now in most
places, you pay for tapas, but they still are not fancy foods -
they're whatever the bar has around. They can be really tasty, but
they can also be somewhat frightening. Like a large chunk of fried
oily chorizo with bread. Or an octopus tentacle paired with a pickle.
Or fried frog legs. Or raw cod with a hot pepper. But that's what the
CHEAP (.70 cents - 1 euro) glasses of wine are for - to help this all
go down. In Logrono, there are three long streets that have nothing but tapas
bars. Each one sells 3-5 foods that sit on a counter, and each has
it's recommended "specialty." When you come in and point to what you
want, they throw it in a microwave or a fryer, put it on the plate,
and ask you what you're drinking with it. You eat your tapas and drink
your wine, make some friends, and then pay your bill and head to the
next bar to try the next local specialty and the next wine. In a town like Logrono, this whole process can be an all-afternoon or
all-night long event. From 1 to 5pm, and again from 8pm to 2 or 3 in
the morning, these bars are packed with people hopping from place to
place, having a snack and a drink at each. It's really fun, but it can definitely be hard on the stomach. If
you're used to "tapas" in the States, you might come to these small
Spanish towns expecting gourmet concoctions. If you do, you will be
very disappointed, because almost everything is fried, and almost
everything involves massive quantities of bizarre fish or bizarre
parts of the pig. Lots of fun for a few nights, but you'd be smart to
mix it up with a giant salad.
