Fred's Blog: Day 6: December 30 ... a culinary treat in Granada

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Day 6: December 30 ... a culinary treat in Granada

I arrived in Granada early in the afternoon, after a 5-hour trek from Madrid, Our hotel is a converted monastery that is still associated with a private school. The location is minutes from the historical center part of the city.

view from our room's terrace of the snow-covered sierra that serves as a backdrop to Granada
click on photo to enlarge

view of the interior courtyard of our hotel, a former monastery
click on photo to enlarge

Fred arrived late in the day from Marseille, and we quickly scooted off to a restaurant where we had a 7 pm reservation. I had done legwork earlier in the afternoon to locate the restaurant ... navigating the labyrinth of ascending and descending streets in the historical center of Granada. We didn't want to be late for what promised to be a culinary treat. And it was! Francisco, the proprietor and chef, turns his small store, featuring local products, into a restaurant for small groups of people (no more than 14 at a time). The restaurant is charming and cozy, and warm! on a chilly evening ... temperatures were at the freezing mark. Francisco and his team of 3 young assistants work in the open to prepare the food, as we look on ... almost impatiently. I felt as if we had been invited into his kitchen, like family. Before serving each course, Francisco provided us a brief description of the local products featured. Our palates were given an extraordinary opportunity to explore new terrain in the pairing of wine and food. As I wrote in an earlier blog, I think I lost consciousness for a few minutes sometime during the course of the meal .. as my glass was never empty.