Christmas is coming

We went over to this bar we know with good food and a relaxed atmosphere for a quick meal. Had the tortilla and a carpaccio of shrimp as well as the arroz dish. We started with two anchovies and two sardines. Nothing fancy but always a good choice.

The next night we had sushi for dinner. Our favorite Hiyoki. Missing are sashimi of red tuna and toro. (Photographer fell down on the job) Shown sashimi pez mantequilla, and salmon, okonomiyaki, gyoza de pato, unagi nigiri, gunkun ikura and langoustino tempura. Started with miso soup because temperatures  have fallen below 60* and Sevillanos are cold. Love this place.

 

on the way hoe we took this photo for Lee LOL

Dinner tonight was a close-by choice as it was raining heavily and quite chilly for us. Less than 60*.

I started with salad, Phil with the steak tartare. My main was the Presa Ibericos and Phil's was the lamb shank. We shared the fruit salad and torrija for dessert. As we have found since returning from Paris, holiday gatherings are in full swing. A table of 16+ next to us was much better behaved than the six top in the bar seated right behind us. Thankfully they left before we started our dinner. 

Still raining when we left, but we remind ourselves that it IS winter. 

Then it was Saturday night and we headed out to dinner with Helena to La Cayetana.  Sadly her hubby couldn't join us but we managed to have a nice meal. Started with the great Aperol Sevillano x3 yum! A sprig of mint and it could have been a holiday drink. We shared calamari, arroz Ibericos, buñelos de bacalao, and gambas al ajillo. Went to MITO for dessert, of course.

Then Sunday rolled around and Phi wasn't feeling well so I went to MING and got carryout soup and fried rice and kung bao chicken. Sorry no photos - of the plastic containers LOL. Then Monday we made our holiday stop at Casapuerta to bid Feliz Navid to Blanca and Manuel.

on the night before Christmas Eve we were supposed to go to Tradevo, But whatever virus felled Phil on Sunday when I got carry out from MING2 took me on that day and so he went around the corner to GOIKO for a burger and then finished off the left over Chinese later at night. Then on Christmas Eve I made spaghetti sauce for a Spaghetti dinner with salad and garlic bread (he's been complaining about not having any for about two months...)  

Merry Christmas. The view from the bedroom window. Blue blue skies but a chilly high of 60* real feel.  Coldest December in Spain in more than a decade. We'll take the blue skies and sunshine.

 

and one Phil took on his walk along the river on December 20th  

It will be a quiet holiday for us. Things pick up around new years with a visit from Lee, Nick & Aarav. 

Chris-anukkah or Chrismukkah

 So Christmas-Hanukkah week started with traditional Chinese LOL- 

this menu item seemed designed to ensure the chef never had to prepare the dish !

From the internet:

What is in Mao Xue Wang?

Mao Xue Wang is a spicy stew with origins in southwestern China's megacity. Made of duck blood curd, tripe, chicken gizzard and other organ parts simmered in a broth that is made of peppercorn and chili.

well- there you have it- 

Then we made a stop at our most frequented restaurant since our arrival in February 2023.... Casapuerta.  Tuesday night is the big holiday celebration for families - Christmas Eve. Noche Buena.Though Christians believe Christ was born on Christmas Day, commonly celebrated with a mass, Hispanic cultures that celebrate Noche Buena focus on the night before Christ's birth, or Christmas Eve. It's an anticipatory celebration where families gather to eat and often exchange gifts. Then the children get their gifts on Reyes. 

As the holiday season rolls to a close for most of Europe, in Spain January 6th marks one of the most long-awaited days of the year. The Three Kings Day, (Reyes) is a vibrant and joyous fiesta celebrated by families across the entire Iberian Peninsula and Spanish islands. The three kings travel from the East bringing with them desired gifts delivered to households across Spain on the night of January 5th. The day after, the 6th, is a day for spending with loved ones and sharing gifts. 

So for our last dinner out until after Christmas day.  We chose Casapuerta, because the folks there feel like family to us.💕 

We had HOT soup (very unusual for Andalusian restaurants) as starters. Then we shared the red tuna carpaccio. Phil had steak and I had salad. We split a piece of their excellent tarta de queso.  

While there were plenty of folks out, it wasn't crazy like it was over the weekend. A few days of quiet will be nice. I made some chili for the chilly weather. Not being religious, we will celebrate at home by relaxing, sleeping late, and catching up on mundane tasks like gathering documents for taxes 😂. Feliz Navidad!

We split the cheesecake so we could stop for gelato on the way home LOL

Two days and nights of dining at home... then out for a special dinner at AMARA...  

An excellent meal... two more meals for christmas-hanukkah week... Tradevo and Acento... then into the new year's week. 

our walk home across town - via Plaza San Francisco

Acento on Saturday night - rounded out our Christmas - Hanukkah week...

So the bartender at Acento, one of our local haunts, made a new creation for us to try. I didn't get everything that's it in but we recommended to the owner that he add it to his cocktail list. It has vodka and some citrus flavors and something spicy and some sweet (a bit of peach liqueur perhaps) rimmed in salt I think this would please any taste preferences. It was all over the map but no one thing dominated. It just tasted really good. She's calling it The Liar. So if it does make it to the list I'll fill you in on the actual ingredients. Meanwhile the slow cooked beef ribs were excellent as our main. The rest of our food was also but I especially liked the burrata salad tonight with the light pesto dressing. Phil had the tuna tataki. We wished all the staff and owner a happy new year. We'll see them in late January when we get back from our "winter break".

so now - on to the New Year's week!  another quiet one - we always stay home on new year's eve... we have already laid in supplies of goodies and assorted beverages.