Through the streets of Ezcaray
If there is a destination to which you always want to travel, it is, without a doubt, ** La Rioja ** and, if there is a corner within it that is worth visiting, that is above all Ezcaray.
Located in the upper part of the Oja river valley, this famous village is a traditional mountain place (here is the popular ski resort of Valdezcaray) . However, Ezcaray is many more things.
It is a land of fireplaces, laughter with friends and croquettes, like the ones I used to cook Marisa Sanchez at the restaurant ** Echaurren Tradición ** _(Calle Padre José García, 19) _ and which occupy the top positions every year in the recurring rankings of ** the best croquettes in Spain .**
Marisa, who died on August 19, 2018, was awarded the National Gastronomy Award, yes, but she was also the cook who she taught many people from La Rioja to respect gastronomy, not an easy task. Merits are not lacking for this woman who was able to consecrate her restaurant Echaurren de Ella as the gastronomic cathedral of La Rioja, a place to procession in search of Authentic Riojan dishes, such as caparrones or lamb legs. That man does not live on croquettes alone, although by proxy, we could.
There is life beyond the croquettes, but, if they are Marisa's, it is difficult to find it
Faithful witness of Marisa's good gastronomic work is Francis Paniego , his son and one of the best chefs in our country, who maintains without disheveled his second Michelin star in his restaurant The Portal of the Echaurren also located in Ezcaray, where else?
Brave and creative, Paniego is, today, one of the standard-bearers, and main scourges, of Rioja tourism, in general, and of gastronomy, in particular. That's where he risks, and wins, with menus like Bowels (€125), with which he invites the diner to face his taboos to give substance and form to a proposal made up of offal.
“This menu came about almost unexpectedly when attending one of the editions of Madrid Fusión”, confirms Paniego.
Viscera, ins and outs, offal, offal... There are not many brave people who dare with such a daring proposal, “more or less 20% choose this menu and 80% by Land (€150), although whoever tries it is delighted”, confesses the chef, referring to a gastronomic bet where we find dishes such as Tartare of hearts, foie-gras ice cream powder, avocado and mustard or a spectacular trompe l'oeil created from pork ribs that visually look like knives.
In Ezcaray you eat that well
In Land , the main menu, is perceived the reflection of the culinary tradition of the region, “the sensations that the ten kilometers of nature that surround our valley transmit to us”, clarifies Paniego.
The rich orchards of the Ebro, the tapas culture, the omnipresent Rioja wine or the tasty Rioja pastries are reflected in dishes such as Fried borage leaves , the Egg yolk confit with pepper nectar and rooster combs or the Confit cod loin on a Rioja snail.
All this gastronomic display, and some other surprises, is located under the shelter of the Echaurren hotel which, since last year and after an intense reform, holds the title of being the first, and only, Relais & Châteaux in La Rioja. Paniego adds and continues.
The first and only Relais & Château in La Rioja
After the first, and not the only, gastronomic event in Ezcaray (don't forget addresses such as ** Casa Masip **, the ** Bar Roypa ** or three doors ), it is worth delving into the old part of this town founded in the 10th century by the Navarrese kings.
Walking through its cobbled streets you can discover the numerous vestiges (perfectly preserved) of the medieval past of Ezcaray.
Arcades, squares and stone houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries make us think that three centuries are nothing in this Rioja town where the Main Square It is the nerve center.
With thousands of colorful flowers hanging from its balconies, we are now in a place where life, the good life, is in the form of bars, terraces and children playing ball in front of the imposing facade of the Palace of the Count of Torremúzquiz, one of the most recognizable buildings in Ezcaray, almost as much as the Royal Fabric Factory of Santa Barbara, which is on the left when we enter the town by car. Built in 1752, today this building, which is preserved in perfect condition, is home to a theater and a hostel.
How a small Rioja town can overshadow a big city like Logroño
And since no one conceives of a fireplace and a glass of wine without the warmth of a good blanket , we are in luck, because in Ezcaray they have been weaving for almost 100 years the best mohair, one of the most luxurious yarns in the world, to make the best.
We are referring to Mantas Ezcaray, a true Rioja textile institution. Due to the success of their blankets, the Valgañón family has installed in an old loom in Ezcaray a store where you can buy their famous products, from the traditional blankets to other creations such as scarves, jackets or cushions.
Your fame is not something local, since you sign as Loewe, Hermès, Armani or Céline They make frequent orders to this artisan factory in Ezcaray, which they then sell in their stores at, we imagine, a price much higher than what the family does in La Rioja.
And, as no one should leave Ezcaray without a postcard photo, the best snapshot is the one with the charming hermitage of Santa Bárbara Although its origins date back to the 11th century, it was rebuilt in the 16th.
located a couple of kilometers from the town center , is a pilgrimage center for locals and visitors. And the truth is, with the views of the valley that are obtained from its location, it is not surprising that it is one of the most popular points.
Yet another of the innumerable attractions that it possesses, and of which he boasts, Ezcaray. She who can
A hermitage from which to contemplate them all