CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Spain

Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts

Monday, December 23, 2024

Ayamonte, Spain: Not Bad - Decent Food, Nice Environment, and Overpriced Food

La Pasta Gansa

Plaza de la Lota, 8

21400 Ayamonte, Spain

Phone: +34 959 471 608

Nice environment, decent service, and tasty chow, but portion sizes and price left a bad taste in my mouth. We stopped in for lunch on a whim, never having seen this place open before.

The menu was much more limited than their online version for some reason. The food was presented nicely enough, but the prices were quite high for lunch (€40 for two - water only)

A small breaded pork cutlet and a little pile of spaghetti bolognese for €17 seems extreme, €12 to €13 would have been a more appealing price point, and my wife's Ravioli alle Erbette in Salsa di Gorgonzola (€13.00) was good, but there were just five ravioli and the herbs were actually spinach, leaving her confused and hungry.

Decent, overpriced food probably will not bring us back anytime soon.

CombatCritic Gives La Pasta Gansa 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

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"

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Seville, Spain: Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano - Simple Tapas Bar, Friendly Service, and a Definite TravelValue

Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano

Plaza De La Alfalfa 3

41003 Seville Spain

+34 669 41 08 54

Casa-Manolo.com

Prices: €€€€

We came across this tapas bar after going into a couple of others where neither the staff nor the menu was understandable to English speakers and the people behind the counter ignored us.

A young man approached us while perusing the menu and tried to help with his limited English, then showed me a QR code that had the entire menu in English with photos of the food and prices ... HOOAH!

We ordered five tapas, the Spanish Omelette with Brandy Sauce (€4.50), Grilled Iberian Pork Tenderloin with Whisky Sauce (€4.50), Argentine Black Angus Empanada (€4.50), Traditional Ox Tail Stew (€4.90) , and Homemade Croquettes (€4.50).

All five were fantastic and filling, so we could have ordered four. My favorites were the Ox Tail Stew and Pork Tenderloin, both coming atop a small ration of french fries.

Two large beers and a glass of sangria were also in the mix, bringing the total damage to just €30.

Our server, Ana, was charming and efficient even with her limited but very helpful English. The entire staff was great, the environment relaxed, and we will return again when in the area.

CombatCritic Gives Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!