Food Update #1 and #2

This weekend, I had the opportunity to eat at two great restaurants (on my scale, two great restaurants makes for quite a fine weekend)...

The first was Taqueria del Alamillo near the Royal Palace in Madrid. It's a little bit off the beaten path, so that was the first good sign of good food as Elise and I hunted for a place to quench our shared craving for Mexican food in Spain. It is a really unassuming restaurant, tucked in the back corner of a small plaza. We walked up, got a table outside, and asked our very friendly waiter for help with the menu. As we munched on chips and salsa (not what we expected in Spain, but sometimes you just need a change!), he recommended a big plate of their special nachos and a chicken dish with salsa verde and tortillas (that also came in a big stone bowl to keep the meal hot). In all honesty, it was one of the best meals I've ever had (top 20? top 15?) and I can't wait to go back. The service was great and the food was even better. I was so distracted with how much I liked it that I forgot to take a picture of the food!

The second was a place (the name is escaping me!) where we grabbed a good Spanish lunch. While some restaurants have the special menu del dia, others just let you order a few dishes. At this one (see the picture), we ordered fried chorizo (spicy sausage), tortilla espanola (like an omelette with potatoes and onions), mushrooms, and sangria. Great lunch!