My husband and I are celebrating our 5-year anniversary - We will be in Madrid the first week of May, and are looking for great restaurants for dinner. We were recommended Capilla de la Bolsa, which looks beautiful but have read on other boards that the service and food are only mediocre. We also would like to experience Madrid as the Madrilenos, not tourists. Please reccomend any restaurants that the locals would go to for special occasions. And, a couple of just other nice restaurants. We would like pig one night, seafood another, and tapas another. I speak Spanish, so that helps, also. We also like a great martini - any good places to find one? When we were in Europe the last time, the only fairly good vodka we saw anywhere was Absolut - is it still the same?

We really enjoyed "La Finca de Susana" Recommended by Antonio at Hostal Celo.
Opens around 8.30pm,. No pre bookings accepted.

If you are really looking to splurge on something special, look into Viridiana or Arce. For vodka, check out the Madrid outpost of the Argentine/Swedish restaurant Olsen.

I like la Giralda, a chain of Andaluz-like restaurants that specialize in the foods and wines of Andalucia. There are about three of them: c/Maldonado, 4 is the one with which I am familiar: just off c/Serrano, not far from the US Embassy ...

Florida Park, just inside Retiro Park (O'Donnell Street entrance) serves dinner and has folkloric music & dance. I especially like it because it's not all Flamenco: I prefer the Jota Aragonesa, especialmente la de la Dolores, la flor de Calatalúd (which my wife danced when she was with Bailes Regionales). We never dined there: just went for drinks and the show.

For Seafood and Mariscos, Hogar Gallego is pretty good, or, I'm sure someone will be able to recommend a restaurant specializing in Basque cuisine.

Sorry, I don't do Vodka.

No brainer:
http://www.casalucio.es/

My "no brainer" would be Viridiana as mentioned upthread by mariposita.

Also, had an excellent martini at the Westin Palace bar before a short stroll to the restaurant not long ago. Don't recall the vodka however.

For wine lovers with a deep pocket I agree Viridiana is a "no brainer" too.