Riojan potatoes with chorizo
1. LAUREL
It could be the kilometer zero of La Rioja. Tascas, taverns and bars every three steps in which to savor the good life, drink and eat from La Rioja. Here the skewers are the protagonists. Start with the classic mushroom (mushroom with grilled prawn) from Soriano , Test anchovies at El Rincón de Alberto or say hello to Uncle Agus and ask for his pincho at the Bar Lawrence ( with the secret of their special sauce under lock and key). Let yourself be carried away by your nose and design your own route, you have almost 50 bars and 20 restaurants to choose from. Draw a quadrangle stepping on Laurel, the intersection of Laurel and San Agustín, but don't miss Calle San Juan (about 200 meters away), less famous but just as tempting. Warning: this area is known as "the path of the elephants" (yes, you will probably be satisfied, trunk and on all fours) .
Calle Laurel, the indispensable street for wine and tapas in Logroño
two. THE SALE OF MONCALVILLO
In Daroca 24 people usually live in Rioja (about 50 are registered). We are in the smallest town in the world that treasures a Michelin star. It all started in 1997, with a restaurant that two brothers opened without any experience in hospitality. ** La Venta Moncalvillo, improves day by day thanks to these brave self-taught: ** Ignacio Echapresto (his field is the kitchen) and Carlos (whom we can see in the room). In his restaurant the menu changes every season; this autumn they play mushrooms, game and legumes. Its wine list, with more than 700 references, has been awarded as one of the best in the world in 2014 by Wine Spectator. Stroll through your garden, enjoy the surroundings and feel at home.
3. THE FARM OF THE BLUEBERRIES
Pause. Relax. We merge with the landscape from the 360º viewpoint of La Finca de los Arandinos in Estrada. We are ten minutes from Logroño. On one side, the Moncalvino mountain range, on the other the Ebro marks the tempo between vineyards. The towns, like Sajuela or Medrano , dot a green landscape (almost pointillist). Sheltered by an avant-garde building, hotel-restaurant-winery-spa, here you can experience Rioja with all five senses in vintages for the whole family (from the end of September), taste the lamb chops and do a wine therapy treatment at its spa.
Beautiful sunsets at Finca de los Arandinos
Four. THE ECHAURREN GASTRONOMIC HOTEL
Discover Ezcaray , a village of wood craftsmen at the foot of the Valdezcaray ski resort. We enter the gastronomic Hotel Echauren where one of the best ambassadors of Riojan cuisine, Francis Paniego, awaits us. He keeps the best recipes from his mother, Marisa Sánchez (National Gastronomy Award), such as the croquettes (what croquettes!), chickpea stew or vegetable stew in a traditional menu , but he also challenges us with his avant-garde creations at El Portal de Echaurren (awarded with two Michelin Stars). After a day of skiing or hiking, a movie meal (between the avant-garde and memory), we end the day in this recently renovated hotel. Details, attention and quality are the hallmark of El Echauren, a family paradise managed by the fifth generation.
5. THE VEGETABLE MUSEUM IN CALAHORRA
Perhaps you think that you have already seen everything, that they are not going to talk to you about the countryside, or vegetables, or preserves. Everything, everything? Maybe before answering you want to discover the Vegetable Museum in Calahorra . A Balenciaga made with peeled garlic and red cabbage? A Rabanne dress made from dried red peppers, yellow peppers, leeks and garlic? They exist thanks to the talent of the students of the superior school of design of La Rioja . Get closer to the landscape of the area, the life of its farmers and how they have influenced Riojan gastronomy. Beware, it is closed from September 20 to October 10.
A most curious museum
6. THE HARO STATION NEIGHBORHOOD
Haro, the heart of wine, beats next to the train tracks. A plague of phylloxera in European vineyards in the 19th century was to blame for the arrival of the French in this area (a winning option due to its exquisite production and its proximity by train). Today, breaking the 21st century, the Haro Station neighborhood is a spectacle that brings together the largest number of century-old wineries in the world . Balloon rides, workshops for children or tastings of the best wines are some of the options for visiting the great Bilbao wineries, CVNE, Gómez Cruzado, La Rioja Alta, Muga, López de Heredia, Rioja Santiago and Roda. Finish the route strolling through the center of Haro and tapas through La Herradura traced by Santo Tomás, the Plaza de la Iglesia, San Martín and Bilibio.
7. TONI HOUSE
Jesús and Mariola have taken over from their parents and have made ** Casa Toni , a corner of creativity and excellence that is mandatory on our route**. In San Vicente de la Sonsierra, thirty-six kilometers from Logrono, enjoy their Rioja-style potato cream with piquillo pepper foam and crispy slices with chorizo and its Caramelized mille-feuille of foie, pippin and goat cheese. A pleasure!
Cream of Rioja potatoes at Casa Toni
8. RURAL DELICATESSEN
This autumn enjoy the ocher landscapes of Rioja, its vineyards, its orchards and its rivers while you discover the culinary treasures of the town. It starts with Camerano cheese (made with goat's milk), caparrones (red beans) in Angiano (with less than 600 registered inhabitants) and molletes del Santo (delicious muscatel and cinnamon pastries covered in sugar) in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Create your own delicatessen routes by following: l as jams from Arnedillo (between the Hez and Peñalmonte mountain ranges), the mushrooms and champignons in Autol, delgadillas ( very similar to black pudding but stuffed with lamb casing) in Haro, a Russian in Alfaro.. . Warning: you can and must repeat.
9. THE CLASSIC RIOJANO MENU
If we talk about menus, you can not miss the gastronomic dream team of the area: Rioja-style potatoes, chops with vine shoots and pears with wine. A winning selection at family gatherings, whether playing at home or the best restaurant. It starts with a potato, chorizo and pickled chilli stew (just thinking about it and we're warming up) , there's no rush, enjoy this explosion of flavors. When you are already on your way to victory, the lamb chops roasted on the vine shoot (the dried stems of the vines) arrive with an unmistakable aroma and flavor. The brooch: pears cooked with La Rioja wine , sugar and a touch of cinnamon. A journey to the essence.
Chops with vine shoots
10. FOR DESSERT: FARDELEJOS AND OTHER GOLMAJOS
Follow the sweet Muslim trail of La Rioja with the golmajos, desserts and traditional sweets . Succumb to the Fardelejos (a rectangular puff pastry filled with almond cream) at Arnedo or the marzipan from Soto in Soto in Cameros. The temptation sprinkled with sugar, a pleasure.
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*You may also be interested...
- La Rioja 'on fire'
- Ten recommendations to discover the most authentic Rioja
- La Rioja, under a sea of stars
- Not only wine: charming hotels in La Rioja
- Top 10 towns in La Rioja
- All the articles of Maria Crespo
Rioja sweets, a real temptation