CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Rota

CombatCritic™ ... World traveler - 42 countries and counting; Military Leader - Four combat operations; Amateur chef; Published author and producer - over 4 million visitors on seven platforms! Yelp "Black" Elite '14/'15/ '16/ '17/ '18/ '19 / '20/ '21/ '22 / '23 / '24; TripAdvisor ¨Local Guide¨, Zomato "VERIFIED CONNOISSEUR"; Booking.com "GENIUS"; and Foursquare "INSIDER". On the Front Lines in the Battle Against Mediocrity - Follow Me To TravelValue™ ... That's A Freakin' Order!

Showing posts with label Rota. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Rota, Andalucia, Spain: Good American-Style Breakfast And Mexican Options At Reasonable Prices ... HOOAH!

Sedona Bar & Grill

Avenida Diputacion 150

11520 Rota Spain

+34 628 09 11 00

Prices: €€€€

We travel to Rota every three months for medical appointments, so after 12 hours of fasting for blood tests, we are ready for a hearty, American-style breakfast.

Retirees are not welcome at the NSA Rota Chow Hall (the commissary and NEX are also off-limits), so we usually make the trek across town to the Sedona Bar and Grill.

Their breakfast is pretty good by European standards with crispy, US-style, hickory-smoked bacon, sausage, eggs made to order, crunchy home-fried potatoes, and toast, all for around €10. They also have pancakes and other less savory options.

For lunch and dinner, they offer Mexican dishes, including tacos, nachos, and quesadillas among others, but we have only been there for breakfast and I cannot comment on the quality.

If they had buttermilk biscuits and country gravy to go along with the breakfasts, they would get top marks in my book and we might just make the drive to Rota more often.

CombatCritic Gives Sedona Bar & Grill 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Rota (Cadiz), Spain: 'Utopia' Might Be A Bit Of An Exaggeration

Utopía Tapas y Copas

Avenida de San Fernando 8

11520 Rota Spain

+34 698 97 01 12

Facebook: UtopiaTapas

Prices: €€€€

We had been here before and enjoyed our eclectic array of tapas, but the prices have gone up significantly.

The service was friendly and good this time and the wine, a dark red Rioja - 'LAN D12', was excellent considering the price (€3.40/glass), smooth, robust, and oakey, just the way I like it. It was the best value on the menu.

Not all that hungry, I ordered the BarBQ Ribs Tacos (€6.90/two) and Chicken and Vegetable Gyozas (six for €6.50). The tacos were okay, a bit flavorless, they could have been much better. The gyozas were crispy and tasty, and the sweet chili sauce was a nice addition, but they were rather small and gone in just six bites.

Even though I was not famished, I left feeling unsatiated and a bit disappointed. Having paid almost €24, including tip, it did not seem like a €24 meal even though the wine was an added value. Not bad overall, but not quite a TravelValue in my book.

CombatCritic Gives Utopia 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Monday, September 27, 2021

Rota (Cadiz), Spain: Good Chow ... Toscania, Toscana, No Matter How You Spell It, The Food Is Pretty Darn Good

Ristorante Toscania

Plaza Barroso 6

11520 Rota, Cadiz, Spain

956 846 310

hostalsixto.com

€€€€

The hostel associated with this restaurant is in the middle of the old town in an old villa with a large central courtyard with lots of plants and open air.

The restaurant is 100 meters away on the plaza which is also where we checked-in. Ristorante Italiano Tuscana has an extensive menu of antipasti, pastas, meat dishes, desserts, and a full bar. They have an indoor, air-conditioned dining room and tables outdoors on the plaza. The food was very good, the portions appropriate, and the prices fair. We ate there twice and enjoyed our meals along with their resident dog, Rocco, who was very sweet, lingering near outdoor diners, but not begging or being a nuisance at all.

The first night we had l'insalata caprese €8 and tortelli 4 formaggi ai burro e salvia €15 for my wife and the lasagna bolognese €10 for me along with a bottle of water with gas and a liter of sangria €12. My lasagna was delicious and HUGE, but my wife's tortelli had not been properly drained, watering down the rich butter and sage sauce, but my wife still enjoyed it.

On the subsequent evening, we forewent the starter, my wife ordering the tagliatelli con funghi €10, me the spaghetti carbonara, and sharing the cotoletta alla milanese €12, a bottle of water and two glasses of house red wine. All were very tasty, especially the carbonara which was prepared in the traditional way by adding egg yokes just before serving with plenty o' pepper ... HOOAH!

Our dinners, a starter, main and wine/water ran around €50, not bad for good meal for two, so Ristorante Toscania was a definite Travelvalue and worth a return visit the next time we go to Naval Air Station Rota.

CombatCritic Gives Hostal Sixto and Ristorante Toscana 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: 'What-The-Fuck ... Over!'

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