They rule in their bar
Out of curiosity, as I usually do when I start to write, I type in Google some words related to the topic in question. And with "tavernera" I do it too, to see in how many entries, and of what type, the term appears, whose definition according to the RAE is “Person who owns a tavern” and also “Woman of the tavern keeper”.
This second meaning, as did that of "mayor" in its day (today indicated as colloquial use when referring to the mayor's wife) is flatly loaded by a few tavern girls, authentic entrepreneurs who they have jumped to the front of the bar instead of staying in the kitchens.
They already did it in their day, with great merit, some of their distinguished predecessors, see Mrs. Julia Bowler , soul of Asturian Tavern , either ivory shell, author of the delicious tortilla Ardosa Winery . In this case, they are taverns of the last meaning who, however, have managed to make their names sound thanks to their mastery in the kitchen.
But our taverns today are entrepreneurs, alone or in partnership, who have risked capital and invested many hours of effort in setting up some bars that are making people talk and in which those who try, repeat. who have founded a new generation of taverns where women rule, and a lot.
In Madrid , a true paradise of enjoyable and original taverns, are making their way with projects with their own name and feminine spirit; We take you to these corners where they are not the bartender's wives: they are the bosses of the bar.
THE PROTAGONISTS
“I plan to put up a sign that says: the man at the bar is neither my boss nor my husband ", He says Delia Baeza , founder of the fisna (Amparo, 91) , which was first a wine shop and, for three years, has been a successful tavern in Lavapiés that every day is filled to overflowing with wine lovers.
And the fact is that, although Delia has a partner, Iñaki, who is part of the spirit and family of La Fisna, the origin is her commitment and dedication to a job that has cost her more than one fright - and making two jobs compatible for a while to keep her dream - but in the end she feels tremendously proud.
She and Iñaki Gómez Legorburu, lovers of Burgundian wines, were initially inspired by the french wine bars, where people drink bottles and hang out. After more than a year looking for a place that would suit her idea, the space that hosted Casa Donato presented itself to them as the opportunity to materialize what they had been chewing on.
And little by little, the French seed was giving way, with the growing importance of the solid part, to a more Spanish mood; Today, the Fisna is a place where excellent wines are drunk, but where there is also delicious food thanks to a small but well-reasoned kitchen.
This jump from wine bar to tavern with snacks was a matter of La Fisna's own growth as a concept: "My father-in-law told me shortly before opening, when I was nervous about the new stage: 'Don't worry, it will be the business itself that tells you where you have to go' ”, says Baeza, a lifelong tavern keeper's daughter-in-law, but with no previous relationship with the hotel industry until wine crossed her path almost twenty years ago.
Now, celebrating three winters with La Fisna boiling, Delia looks back and, despite the fact that there are difficult days, she does not hesitate to tip the balance towards the positive side: "When the public understands us, they are in tune and you make them happy, it compensates" .
La Fisna, French and traditional spirit
It also compensates docile rooms her project Seasoning-Art (Menorca, 19), who is turning four in the Salamanca district. A tavern with a feminine personality where cooking and wine have in common the search for flavor and surprise. Dácil is from Tenerife and passed through the rooms of the Urban or Arzábal Hotel before launching herself to open her tavern, which she now runs alone with the help of a small team of waiters and her sister, the very young Sasha, at in front of the stove.
Dácil has a goal in Sazón-Arte, and that is that customers do not get bored with the dishes, or with the wines: truffled or Cabrales tortillas; potatoes with mojo; ceviche; aubergines with honey or in millefeuille… and wines that come out of the repetitive r's of many surrounding taverns. There are Riojas, yes, but there are also Alicante, Jumillas, Aragonese, Catalan, Galician wines... “I want wines that don't sound rancid, easy, chatting, which we change every two weeks”.
She admits that it is a struggle to open every day, but she is compensated because, as she affirms, "I have my place, and that is the best thing". At the other extreme, there is little free time and total dedication to the tavern: “When people ask me if I have children, I tell them yes: a very big one who eats a lot and is called Sazón-Arte”. But after four years of living in a neighborhood where the supply continues to grow, the balance is, as in the case of Delia, positive: "We have regular customers who when they come greet me with a hug and a kiss , and that is the best thing in the world, the love of her ”.
Not far from Sazón-Arte, another tanned tavern girl in Madrid, Ana Losada, just opened a few months ago Smoothie (Narváez, 67), her most personal project, together with her partner David Moreno. She does so after having carved out a well-deserved niche for herself in the tavern world with The Chula of Chamberí , of which she was a founding partner; there, as here, she took care of the bar and the wines.
A slate that makes you salivate anticipates a solvent selection of a winery with more than 400 references Among those that have a place (long live!) are the fortified wines from the south, some references from the world by the glass (France, South Africa, Italy) and unusual Spanish wines.
Here, as was the case in La Chula when Ana and David were in charge, the kitchen is also well cared for, and despite its short history, it already has classics such as its chicken croquettes that taste like chicken, its cecina or its Russian salad.
Losada, oenologist and sommelier, glides around the room from one side to the other counting the suggestions on the menu and supervising that this tavern breathes hospitality, a quality that extends even to dogs, because here they are welcome.
Ana Losada and her Zalamero team
Taverns already consolidated are Marian Reguera and Carmen Moragrega, founders of Verdejo Tavern (Espartinas, 6), one of the Madrid temples of pickled meats and salted meats, a specialization (not the only one) that has earned them the recognition of many guides and critics, in addition to that of their large parish.
Also awarded and recognized has been the Palo Cortado Tavern (Espronceda, 18), a sanctuary for sherry and other fortified wines that the sommelier Paqui Espinosa devised. Paqui started with a place near the Royal Palace, but a little over a year ago she moved to the Chamberí neighborhood, maintaining a purely tavern spirit and an enviable selection of generous ones that is accompanied by a classic and comfortable cuisine.
Paqui is also one of the promoters of the group Sherry Women , women who are crazy about sherry and fond of gastronomy (many of them, also professionally linked to wine) who have dedicated themselves to defending it from their respective spheres. It is just one more example that, in the world of wine, ** they still have a lot to say **.