El Tigre

El Tigre is famous in Madrid, and not just among tourists. It was packed at just 6:30--long before most restaurants open for dinner--when we went for a farewell Madrid get-together, as we leave for Barcelona tomorrow. Boar and antelope heads adorn the walls, and young people are lined up around the bar to get drinks and Tapas. Six euro will get you a "mini" Sangria, and seven will buy a mixed drink. The name "mini" is pretty ironic, as they are bigger than the small drinks (which cost as much.) They are probably at least 20 oz. and served with two straws. But it's basically like buying two drinks for 3 euro each, and then you get a heaping plate of fresh authentic Tapas that come free with the drink. And if you get another drink? ...Another plate.

The Spanish pride themselves on their Jamón Ibérico, Iberian ham, so a lot of Tapas involve cooked ham, cured ham or chorizo sausage. Fatty parts are not cut away, but except for the sausage are easy to pull off--and the red oily meat is worth savoring on your palate. The jamón was served on soft slices of baguette; other breads had calamari, cheese, mushroom or Spanish tortilla on them. Spanish tortilla is basically a potato omelet. Buñuelos are another popular Tapa and El Tigre had especially good ones. Rich and filling, they are fried balls of a cheesy dough made with flour, egg and sometimes cod. After two drinks, I had eaten so many Tapas that they didn't even taste good anymore, and we proceeded to a nearby bar to digest and watch Japan beat Denmark in the World Cup.