One of our favorite places for a meal in our neighborhood is Meson Salvador. It was where we enjoyed our first lunch when we were apartment hunting in early February. We had no idea how lucky we were to stumble on the place that day. I must say that we have been treated consistently well just about everywhere we’ve been in Fuengirola. It’s definitely a friendly, easy-going, warm, and welcoming town. But, the people at Meson Salvador refer to everyone as “familia” (family) and they mean it. We even feel perfectly comfortable and content hanging out with “the guys” [mostly] watching European football on TV.
The food is consistently excellent. I’ve gotten stuck in a rut with their incredible albondigas (meatballs) and I’m trying to vary my repertoire now (especially since they give me a hard time about my predictability). Last night I had croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes). The time before I had a fish and vegetable fry. San Geraldo’s favorite dish is “rabo de toro” (bull’s tail). It’s apparently the best rabo de toro he’s had. He has ordered it almost every time and nobody raises an eyebrow. I guess some people are allowed to be predictable.
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| RABO DE TORO. (BULL’S TAIL) |
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| CROQUETAS DE POLLO. (CHICKEN CROQUETTES) |
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| SEAFOOD AND VEGETABLES LAST WEEK. A LOCAL TRADITION. |
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| MADRID VS. MÁLAGA. (THE LOCAL TEAM, MÁLAGA, LOST, 6–2.) |
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| ALMOST EVERY VISIT ENDS WITH PIONONO. AFTER MANY TASTE TESTS, I’M CONVINCED IT’S BETTER THAN BAILEY’S. |
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| LOOKING BACK LAST NIGHT… WITH LONGING. |
Oh Mitch, you're so lucky to have within easy reach so much delectable food. If I wanted to have any of those dishes, I would have to cook them myself…I know how but they are labor intensive and don't have the time.
"Que le aproveche tío"
saludos,
raulito
Raulito:
It really is amazing (and especially good since I couldn't cook these things if I wanted to). We're just starting to discover the good, cheap, tapas bars, too. They're not as easy to discover among all the international/tourist cuisine.
Ye gods man, your description and photos of those comestibles have just put a vegan into a social coma! I'm away now to nibble a carrot and fan myself with a lettuce leaf until the blood returns to my buttocks.
Oh, Ian, I am so sorry. I promise posts like these will come in future with a Vegan/Vegetarian warning. Bloodless buttocks are a nightmare.
So now, when I visit Spain, you can leave your poor microwave unmolested and simply take me to Meson Salvador.
Yup, sounds like a plan. I might even make you some goodies whilst I'm there. 😉
Jacquelineand….
It would be a pleasure (the goodies, too)!
No wonder San Geraldo likes bull tail…it looks wonderful!! We can get Oxtail here in the supermarket and I just may give it a try now.The seafood dish looks tres tempting too! and I just ate!!
Looks like a welcoming place Mitch….
Jim:
I'm not big on game meat and bull's tail tastes quite gamey to me. But San Geraldo says this one is especially good. Meson Salvador is SO welcoming. During the day if we happen to pass by they'll come running out to greet us just in passing.
Oh My! Your post made me SO hungry! I think your bull tail trumps my tripe any day! Now… about that Pionono… is that an "after dinner sipper"? Has it replaced your love of sherry?
Sharon:
I can't think of many things that would trump tripe!!! Pionono is similar to Bailey's Irish Cream, only with less bite. Delicious. It's actually the name of a traditional pastry from outside Granada. This is the only place I've ever seen Pionono, the after-dinner drink; I did find it in one online store. No one I know has ever heard of it — although everyone I know in Spain has heard of the postre.
I've always fantasized about having a regular restaurant where everyone knows my name (like Cheers) but I have yet to find such a place.
Stephen:
San Geraldo and I have been fortunate to find a place like that just about everywhere we've lived. In Sevilla we had several and that's starting here. But, oddly, everyone yells "Norm" when we walk in the door.
Oh, such great-looking food! And, what a lovely spot– I love an open-air place like that. Yumm! I'm happy for you two 🙂
Judeet:
We live in a town where almost every cafe has an open-air place. We've gotten spoiled.
Everything looks delicious, of course. And you don't have to do the dishes!
Walt the Fourth:
Sometimes "the dishes" are my primary reason for going out.
The bull's tail dish looks like a delicious, rich beef stew.
Lucky you for finding such a friendly place that serves such lovely food!
Jean:
That's a great description of it. The meat is too strong for my tastes and I have a bit of an emotional problem with "the tail," but it smells delicious.
Can´t believe any waiter would find you predictable in your eating habits! I am guessing that you save all your outlandish off menu meal requests for breakfast time.
Rabo de Toro is a favourite of mine. Sometimes my mother in law cooks it for me and delicious as it invariably is, A corner of my mind can´t help but think that cooking the chuff with a can of Heinz oxtail soup would be wondrous
Tynan:
I thought you were joking! There really is Heinz canned oxtail soup! Can you add that to our cortados next time?
pionono? News to me! I love learning about new drinks!
Spo:
It's my new favorite… this season. Who knows what will come next? Since our arrival in Spain, my new favorites are vino dulce, vino de naranja, caramel vodka, and Pionono.