I live in Malaga and I'm going up to Cordoba next weekend with 10 friends to have a night out, the highlight of which should be a meal at Restaurante El Churrasco. I tried a search here but it doesn't seem to have been mentioned before. The place looks great from their own web site, but can anyone give me a first hand account?

Can't give an answer to your question as to the restaurant- but please let us know how it is after your weekend! And any other great things you discover in Cordoba ...

Sure, will do! I've been a couple of times to the lovely city, though not for a couple of years now. Last time was New Years Eve two years back and the strangest, quietest night I've had! But we've always done it on the cheap (and I think the best way) by doing tapa crawls! This time its the real thing! Bank balance is going to suffer, but what the heck!

Hi Anchovy Front! Just sent you a brief email explaining my delay (I'm leaving, to the airport, for the weekend in about 20 minutes). So sorry. Say, what's the website link to Restaurante El Churrasco??

Saludos, MadridMan

It's a pleasure..here goes http://www.elchurrasco.com/index2.htm

Can't see an English link, but if you speak Basque or Catalan or German.......

Anchovey Front - a couple of years ago in Cordoba I had one of the best meals of my life. Will have to look for the name of the restaurant but "something Maria's" I believe - in the old part of town (not surprising); hard to find - a small street maybe a block or two long - in basically the owner's home. Courtyard plus indoor dining - lots of charm and ambiance plus FANTASTIC food. She (owner/hostess - her husband is the chef) took us into the wine cellar to sample the fino from different barrels - I'll look for the name of the place and post it. If you are in Cordoba for a few days, give it a try. Wish I were there ....

Just pulled up the website - I'm hungry!!! From the looks of it - very elegant - that dent in your wallet might be considerable!
[This message has been edited by Puna (edited 11-10-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Puna (edited 11-10-2000).]

What a wonderful coincidence!!!I was planning my Southern Spain holiday today and came across El Churrasco. Thanks for the website info-I'm definitely going to splurge on this one...
Leave it to Madridman's site to ease the travel planning anxiety!

I ate at El Churrasco last month. It was good, but not great. We sat on the covered patio, and it was really beautiful and relaxing, and since we got there early we got to eat a little of our meal before the place filled with people (and smoke!)

However, I was there for lunch and we had the menu, so maybe that's why I didn't love it. The gazpacho was delicious, and the service was excellent, however. They even start you off with a glass of fino. We heard they were known for their meats, and the menu was pork loin but it just turned out to be medallions of pork loin that were pan fried. No seasoning even, it seemed. We were disappointed that it wasn't grilled or roasted. It was served with 2 sauces on the side, and I thought both of them were just okay. One was supposed to be spicy, and it was hardly flavorful. I must say though, that the Pomme Frites that came with the pork were some of the best I've ever had.

Again, although it was nice it turned out to be one of our most expensive meal in Spain! (7500 pts for 2) It just didn't measure up to other meals that were much more delicious and much less expensive.

The people around us seemed to be enjoying their meals.And it is a lovely patio and it definitely feels like a fine-dining experience. But I were to be back in Cordoba, I wouldn't eat there again. I hope this helps a little.

[This message has been edited by Natalie (edited 11-10-2000).]

I had dinner at El Churrasco this past May, and it was one of the best meals I had in Spain. The service was excellent as well as the food. It's located in the old Jewish quarter and very popular, so be sure to make reservations. I did not feel it was over priced for what we got.

[This message has been edited by mary (edited 11-12-2000).]

Thanks for the replies! Puna, "something Maria's" certainly sounds like one for the future. I'll see if I can find it this trip going on what you've told me. As for El Churrasco, we'll enjoy it come what may. I'm sure there will be some in my party who find it much better than others will. "You can please some of the people some of the time.....!" That's a good tip Natalie, when you say about the pork loin. On the a la carte menu it sounds like it's their speciality and it appealed to me but it does sound a bit bland from what you say. One thing I found while having a peek at the menu on their web site, was a starter called Revuelto de Huevas de Erizos, which made me look twice, as at first glance I thought it translated as scrambled hedgehog eggs!! A quick word with my Spanish colleagues and they tell me the "erizo" here is probably not hedgehog, but sea urchin. Hmm, I think the gazpacho is a good bet!!

Even if it is sea urchin, do they have eggs? I mean, of the type you can make a revuelto from?! Maybe it should be parsed like this
"(Revuelto de huevos) de erizo" not "Revuelto de (huevos de erizo)". Scrambled eggs with sea urchin. Or whatever!

I too would have thought it would be scrambled eggs with either hedgehog or sea urchin! But the way its written on their menu suggests otherwise. If you have time have a look on http://www.elchurrasco.com/espanol/carta.htm and see what you think? By the way, a very boring draw against Espanyol at La Rosaleda (Malaga CF's stadium, MadridMan!) yesterday, Sr Boqueron.

hey there anchovy front:
i apologize for being a little late in joining this conversation. i've been away from my computer for a few days. i had lunch at el churrasco back in january of '99. i actually cannot testify to the quality of the entrees as i only had salmorejo and a bit of jamon. the salmorejo was spectacular. wonderfully thick and served with wafer-thin, fried aubergines.
when i was there i noticed quite a few people having the churrasco. (grilled pork) they mention this one on their web site i believe. if i remember, its listed as being served with salsas arabes. from what i recall, one looked very similar to chimichurri and the other was reddish toned. mind you i find it funny that grilled pork is served with arab sauces, in a 14th century jewish house. hahahaha...that's the cultural historian in me having an ironic laugh. i must say that its a beautiful restaurant, decorated with a very distinctive mudejar look.
i actually opted to eat at el caballo rojo.(the other famous cordoban restaurant) i figured that as long as i was in the city that was the heart of al-andalus, i might as well splurge and eat at the restaurant that has tried to revive moorish and sephardic recipes. i was quite pleased. worth every peseta i must say. i had the rape mozarabe and ajo blanco. (both of these i had heard about via penelope casas' books)its near the mezquita...seek it out if you have a chance.

How funny. I hadn't thought of that; it is really ironic. I hope the previous residents aren't turning over in their graves at the thought.

[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 11-13-2000).]

Beautiful poetic irony isn't nicole?

Hi, I am de webmaster and director of the restaurant El Churrasco. I see that you are speaking about my restaurant, if you have any question I can asnwer you.

The English version of the web will be in few days i hope so.

welcome rjajaja! great honor to have you here. i want to commend you on your restaurant. el churrasco is a wonderful establishment. i hope to make a return when in cordoba next year.

Hi Anchovy, re. Malaga fc. I follow their "fortunes" in El Sur Diario (on line), and they seem to be having a run of intensly tedious games. Lack of imagination, no penetration, that kind of thing. They report that this season the average gate has halved compared to last season, and cite the boredom of the fans faced with games like that against Espanyol on Sunday! Looks like they're going full out for that coveted mid-table position!

Hello rjajaja!

I'm the one who started this off and I'm looking forward to coming along on Saturday night to enjoy your restaurant. We've got a table booked in the name of John Wall for eleven people (I hope!!). Can you answer the question about the "erizo " (hedgehog / sea urchin), above, which is making a few of my friends raise their eyebrows!

Hopefully, these messages will cause hundreds of people to fill your restaurant for years to come, so I'm sure you'll find us the best table on Saturday and lock us in the Bodega for a few hours "tasting" all your finest wines!! Haha! Only joking.......sort of!!

Hi Boqueron!
From one anchovy to another, I can tell you you are absolutely right about Malaga's soccer matches this year. Boring with a capital "B". New coach required - want a job? But we go to every game thinking it will change and cheer and then moan and then go home disillusioned.Haha! Isn't that what being a fan is about? (Hopefully MadridMan will miss these posts or he'll tell us off about using this section to talk football..sorry soccer - I keep forgetting most on this board are Americans!!)

Nicholeye, thanks for the observations. You mention Penelope Casas books? Are they guide books in general?

Anchovy Front, If you are not sooooo full by by the time you leave El Churrasco and perhaps El Caballo Rojo - the restaurant I mentioned earlier in this post is Taberna Santa Clara (how wrong can one be - Maria??).
It's at c/Osio 2 - and the pollo a la miel is superb - as is the montilla especially when you get private tastings! Have a great trip and let us know all about it.

Hi Puna!
Taberna Santa Clara....something Maria.... not too far off target - they both end in "a"!!
I'll keep it in mind for our next visit, as this time we're just going up on the Talgo on Saturday morning from Malaga, a brisk run round a few tapas bars at lunch time, then dinner at El C, bars / clubs, sleep, tapas Sunday lunchtime, train back home on afternoon!
Then plan the next one.........

This thread about El Churrasco is driving me mad with hunger!!! BTW, seems we're about to hear from a "Special Guest" in this thread.. Okay, maybe not, but someone FROM El Churrasco JUST registered for MadridMan's Spain Message Board. Not sure if he/she speaks/writes English, but we'll see.... hopefully.

Their website is REALLY impressive too!!! I recommend the FLASH version. WOW! But all in Spanish.

Saludos, MadridMan

We're ahead of you on this one, MadridMan! See the post half way up from rjajaja. (Don't know how we'll pronounce that one after a few finos on Saturday!)

DOH! Wow, this thread is on fire!!! About 10 postings/replies since midnight last night!! My goodness. Ummm... hmmm.. Whoa. I should have noticed that above. Well, I'm VERY happy to see things/topics moving so quickly! Now I have to reserve time on the company teleport so I can join you for dinner on Saturday night! Yum. I can't wait. hehehe..

Saludo, MadridMan

The "Revuelto de Erizos" is Scrambled Eggs mixed with spawn of Sea Urchin. These spawn of Sea Urchin are so dificult to find and there are so expensives.

In a few days de English version of the web will be posted in.

I thank you for that information, Sr Churrasco! That must be a heck of a job collecting the spawn from those sea urchins!!

I'm relieved that the sad face of a dead hedgehog will not now stare at me from my plate!! I look forward to Saturday.

¡Hasta pronto!

Great website, Rjajaja - I'm starving for Spanish food right now. How do you find, trap, catch, gather (however it is done) sea urchin spawn? Or for that matter hedgehogs?

Perhaps the hedgehog entrapment should be tackled by Anchovy Front and friends' imagination somewhere between tapas and finos and mas finos!

[This message has been edited by Puna (edited 11-15-2000).]

You never know what you're going to find on the 'net. Actually the harvesting of urchin hatchlings is a centuries-old art practiced by Basque fishermen, but perfected by the Portuguese. As history dictates, king Jaime II of Portugal would do anything to have these at his dinner table, and actually commissioned a special group of mariners to harvest only urchins. They would use a special knife with a 2 centimeter blade in order to actually remove the offspring and leave the parent intact! Kind of a medieval sort of sea-section (couldn't resist that one). That way they could always count on a renewable supply of the urchins and their delicious "young". Yum!

Sea-section and ecologically sound! Thank you for looking this up CaliBasco - it's definately one of those pieces of trivia that would win the game. Knowing the tongue-in-cheek humor of board members ... I think I take your comments seriously....

Wanted to put the winking smile here - forgot and can't do it in edit mode... ah well

[This message has been edited by Puna (edited 11-15-2000).]

Well, I guess your dinner is this weekend. I'm anxious to hear about it! Of course, having made contact with the manager may make the evening even more special.

Let us know if you have the sea urchin spawns! I've had sea urchin before (it's a big sushi bar thing and a Japanese delicacy) and although I love seafood, sea urchin is a little bit like having a wave break in your mouth. (You know, that totally overwhelming salty, briny flavor?) I'm interested to know if their spawn are like that too.

Well, either way, enjoy your meal!



[This message has been edited by Natalie (edited 11-15-2000).]

Sea-section?? CaliBasco, that has to have earned the biggest groan of the day!! I agree with Puna, I'm sure it's all true....of course it is....I think!

Thanks Natalie, I will enjoy it, don't worry and I'll report back without fail. It's nice to see so many people take an interest. You've had sea urchin before? I bet it took hours of pain to pull out all those spines from your mouth! Ouch!

If you liked the information in my prior post you can find more details and related information on the following websites:
www.teestoytomandoelpelo.es

or the English-version website:
www.pullingyourleg.com

Sorry, I couldn't resist the urge to be mischievous yesterday...the sea-section was a huge groaner, guilty as charged! Is there a smilie that creates a large cheese icon? (preferably manchego...)

hey there anchovy front:
you were asking about penelope casas' books. technically you would classify them as cook books. however, she takes the approach of adding very in depth gastronomic and cultural history lessons for each of her recipes. she goes into great depth to get the root of how spanish regional cusine originated and evolved.
in one of her books she mentions both el caballo rojo and el churrasco. her descriptions of the former as a place where moorish and sephardic recipes were preserved intrigued me. as i said, if i were to be in the heart of al-andalus, i might as well taste it.
she's an american who's married to a madrileno. as far as i know she writes and teaches in new york. i have two of her books. one, the aforementioned cook book, and another entitled discover spain(an unsual guide). as the name implies, its a different approach to a guidebook.
check out madridman's book store. i believe he has a few of her titles.

FYI: In the Books>Food category of MadridMan's ALL Spain Market , I have the following Penélope Casas books available:

• Foods and Wines of Spain
• Delicioso! : The Regional Cooking of Spain
• Tapas : The Little Dishes of Spain
• Paella! : Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain

Happy Cooking/Eating!!

Saludos, MadridMan

Haha! You "took my hair" CaliBasco!Very good! Although at the back of my mind I did have a vision of one of those big black Osborne advertising silhouettes that you see on hills all over Spain....with a steaming pile under the rear end!!

Thanks nicholeye. As a newcomer here I hadn't actually got round to MM's All Spain Market and so I've had a peep in there this morning.

You must have more hours in a day than anybody else, MadridMan to keep such an impressive site maintained!

AnchovyFront- Yes, it was unavoidable, but now I feel that my big, steamy 'moñigo' has seriously damaged my credibility on other posts. I figure if we can't have a little fun, why be here. I solemnly swear to fess up to all fibs in a timely manner. Welcome to the board!

Hey Anchovy Front! We're all salivating with anticipation!!!!!!!!!!! Please put us out of our misery and tell us about your dinner!!

Saludos, MadridMan

Well folks, Monday morning and I'm back in the office after a great weekend! After a nice ride up from Malaga in the Talgo we dumped our bags in the 4 star Hotel Melia Cordoba in the centre of town and we were off on a four hour tapa crawl around the Jewish Quarter. We had some lovely tapas in a variety of places, including El Caballo Rojo and Meson Bandolero, followed by the much needed siesta.

Then it was time for the main attraction and after a quick stop en route for fino at Casa Pepe de la Juderia, we arrived at El Churrasco. The head waiter sat us down on a long table with complimentary glasses of fino and plates of jamon serrano and we immediately started to take off our clothes.....well, just the jackets and sweaters anyway, because under the long table, behind the floor length tablecloth, were placed several "braseros" or braziers (this could be where we have difficulty with the differences between English spoken on either side of the Atlantic!!)which were filled with red hot glowing coals. Watch your toes! This set the mood for a cosy evening in a wonderful atmosphere. We couldn't agree on starters so the waiter suggested a selection of dishes such as fried berenjenas (aubergines), small boquerones and the revuleto de la casa, which had prawns, beans, garlic etc mixed in but not sea urchin spawn, unfortunately, so I'll have to return one day for that!

Main courses included fillet steaks, T-bone steaks, lamb cutlets, beautiful fresh fish (lubina) - all cooked to perfection on the barbecue. Several of the party chose the Churrasco Cordobes, which was a whole solomillo de cerdo or pork fillet, or tenderloin, which came with the sauces as described by Natalie earlier in this thread. It was succulent and certainly tender and was enjoyed by those who opted for this dish, myself included.

We were struggling to manage a dessert, but one of the offerings was on the menu as Gin and Tonic Jelly with Lemon Sorbet, which after a quick word with the obliging waiter became a large glass of Vodka and Lemon Sorbet and everyone was soon sipping appreciatively through a straw! Coffees followed, with complimentary servings of apple pie and little round chococlate covered ice cream treats.

Not wanting to dehydrate during the course of the evening, we had worked our way through 8 bottles of Rioja which was extremely pleasant, plus beer, plenty of water and lemonade. So now it was time for the bill and I have to admit that 6.500 Pts per person including the tip was lower than we expected, so we were pleasantly surprised.

The night was finished off by taking in a few of the lively bars (avoid the rum cocktails in La Habana - they're lethal!!) and finally to bed in the comfortable Melia Hotel (only 8.000 Pts a room per night with Bancotel - see my posting "Good accomodation..cheap" in the relevant forum).

Great weekend and so begins the planning for the next destination.........

[This message has been edited by Anchovy Front (edited 11-20-2000).]

ah, brilliant description!!! i for one can say i wish i was there. happy to see that everything was as wonderful as you had hoped for. with all of this buildup it would have been a shame if things hadn't gone as well as planned.

curious, which of the many rooms did they have your party in? if i recall, they had several salons that were decorated in a variety of styles based on cordoba's history. glad to see you had the berenjenas.(aubergines) did they come with the requisite salmorejo? very happy you indulged in the cultural twist we had a laugh about in previous posts. 'tis such a perfect culinary melange of spain's cultural history. when at el caballo rojo, what did you have and did you enjoy it? that's another great restaurant. you should give it a try at some point. hahahahaha...oh, and by the way, we here on the other side of the atlantic DO use the word brazier. no worries of translation. =)

after reading your post, this brings up and idea i've been thinking on. it might be an excellent idea to set up a list of all of our suggestions for places to eat. we have so many people who ask where to eat here, there and everywhere. why not give a list from all of us. what do you say madridman. how about a "madridman's member's eating recommendations." course you can play around with the title, thats a rough work in progress. =)

Hi nicholeye! Our group was in the Patio, where every table was occupied and a nice ambience prevailed (specially after the vodka sorbet!). We didn't have the salmorejo with the aubergines, as we'd had that earlier in the day at El Caballo Rojo, along with media raciones of chorizo, calamares (they are so good everywhere in Andalucia just now), mushrooms, beautiful tender meat cooked in Montilla fino and something else which escapes me now! Incidentally, El Caballo Rojo have some recipes including Samorejo on their web site www.elcaballorojo.com

Nice idea about the suggested restaurant site. It's always good to know what Joe Public likes or dislikes about a particular place. Glad the brazier bit was ok! I feared people falling about laughing because they had visions of glowing coals spilling out of items of ladies underwear. You say tomato......