Friday, May 7, 2010

Travel Recommendations

     As many of you know, I am from a little island off the coast of Spain.  It is a very nice place to enjoy a summery vacation.  It is sunny most of the time, and the beaches are stupendous, although the water is rather cold.   Anyway, a cold bath seems to open up your thoughts and I promise that it will leave you fresh and awake.
     The economy relies mainly on tourists from all over the world.  Agriculture is also common.  Particularly they plant bananas, tomatoes, and potatoes, which they export all over Europe.  And this brings me to my topic: food.   There are many excellent restaurants in the island of Tenerife.  A great meal is of uttermost importance to Spanish people.  They leave work for two hours, just to sit at the table and enjoy a succulent lunch.  So if you ever visit the Canary Islands, take into account that from 2 o'clock in the afternoon to 4 o'clock, there are no businesses open.  Remember, Spaniards make of their "siesta"(afternoon nap), a religion.
     Back to the restaurants topic, I should say that I choose "El Rincón del Arroz" as one of my favorites in the South of Tenerife.  It is located in a small fishermen town called Los Cristianos.
     The menu is varied, fish, meat and their specialty: Spanish rice, which they cook in many different ways, and with many different ingredients.  It is a very friendly place, where every day you can find Juan, chef and owner greeting his clients as they come in (first in the picture).  Paco, is the Maitre 'di (he is at the center). He is in charge of running the dining room, and making sure that you have a great experience at "El Rincón del Arroz". He is a very efficient waiter, always with a smile on, and you do not have to be a wine connoisseur to decide about a decent bottle of wine.  You can trust Paco to serve you the best wine for your meal.  And last, but not least in the picture, Nino, the Sous Chef, who makes sure your food comes out perfectly delicious.
     A visit to El Rincón del Arroz is a requirement if you travel to Tenerife, since it has been featured many times in the Michelin Guide as one of the best restaurants in Tenerife.  This is an exclusive European guide where only the best are mentioned.  El Rincón del Arroz deserves such honor.

      You can check their full menu at their website: http://elrincondelarroz.blogia.com .
      Today, I will show you one of their appetizers:  Chopped Tuna with Mustard vinaigrette.  Mmmm, Mmmm Good.  This dish is delicate, flavorful, and it has an spectacular presentation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Chopped Fresh Tuna With a Mustard Vinaigrette 



    For the mustard vinaigrette, add to a bowl 1 egg yolk, salt, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of honey and the 
juice of half a lemon.  Whisk it altogether.  Then, start by adding little by little extra virgin olive oil until
 it gets the consistency of a light mayonnaise.  
    Cut the fresh Tuna in little squares.  Put the tuna in a large bowl and mix it with finely chopped red 
onion and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mustard vinaigrette.
     Take a cooking ring and fill it up with the Tuna, set it in a nice looking plate and decorate it with  
fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes.
     So now... take an Albariño bottle of wine and ... Que aproveche!

  



1 comment:

Paco Penas said...

ja, me gusta mucho este restaurante, tanto que me paso media vida en el... pero trabajando :-)
Gracias Naty, por tu amistad.

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