The 'Mercado de San Miguel'

Whenever I travel, one of the things I really like to do is visit the places the locals go to eat and drink, more in line with the local stuff and away from the myriad "tourist traps" you find at any destination.

While visiting Madrid, Spain we basically stumbled upon the "Mercado de San Miguel" (Saint Michael's Market) or as we started to affectionately call it after our first visit, "El Mercadito" (The Little Market). This is kind of a middle-ground between the pure local custom and the tourist show. Lots of tourists certainly drop by, but they are frequently outnumbered by the locals who come here for supplies or some food and drink. This is a few hundred yards away from the Plaza Mayor, which sports astronomic prices and clearly focuses on the tourist crowd.

This is a small building, narrow aisles full of people walking every which way, most of them carrying a good glass of wine and some delicious-looking snack. I must confess I was immediately hooked with the style and feel of the place; while I don't really like the swirling crowds, I will make an exception for this place any day.

Wine and food: a mind-numbing number of choices!

During our various visits to "El Mercadito," we sipped wine in a couple places: one was "Pinkleton & Wine," a marvelous space with a huge variety of wine and prices well within reach. The other, far smaller and for which, alas, I cannot recall the name (I seem to remember it is right by the "Sherry Corner") provided us with a superb wine: the Cuné Reserva Imperial 2007 (please see a short note on this wine at the end!) When we uncorked the first bottle I thought it was good... The group ended up opening six more to make sure each of the previous ones was not a fluke! It was a large group of friends and a long night, so it was all in good taste and moderation (as it should always be!)

In this place you are not going to run short of options to pair with this wine. I tried but a couple of the dozens of possible places. The first was to pay a visit to the good guys at "La Hora del Vermuth," which usually have available a selection of majestically stuffed Gordal olives. Difficult to choose among the North Sea Tuna, Red Bell Pepper, Serrano Jam, pickles, and other options.

Once I had secured a platter of these little treasures, there was nothing else to do but to find a little corner of this crowded place and get down to enjoying the food and wine. It was surprisingly easy actually, as "El Mercadito" has conditioned several areas to be used as cocktail-style tables and chairs.

Once we were done with this, I just had to go and find a traditional Paella! Paella is a very Spanish dish and you do not want to miss out on it. Based on rice, several ingredients are added through the cooking process for an amazing end product that puts together all of these flavors and amplifies them well beyond what any single one of them could do by itself.

The small local "Paella y Olé" clearly knows what the crowd wants and for a surprisingly small price you can enjoy a reasonable portion of the Paella of your choice. I went for the "Paella Mixta" and it did not disappoint.

Then again, some people come here to find fresh meat, seafood and vegetables. They are all in luck: there is a small section at the front of the market that caters to these needs, as well as to cheese, rice, many kinds of beans, and other foodstuffs. Everything looks fresh and the prices are very reasonable.

You can even have the best of both worlds: if you want, you may select a good cut of meat or some seafood and most places will cook it for you for a small fee. One of these places is the seafood store "El Señor Martín," where I saw the biggest prawns I have ever seen; at around eight to ten inches, the "carabinero" prawns are a marvel both to behold and to eat. I was so awed that I totally forgot to take a picture of them.

The "Mercado de San Miguel" is definitely a special space, not only on the gastronomical side of things, but also as a cultural spot. If you are planning to visit Madrid, keep an eye on the latest developments at their official webpage and plan your visit.

If you want to see more of my little adventures, please follow me on Twitter as @charlie350zand Instagram as carloschcr.

A quick note on the Cuné Imperial Reserva 2007

This intensely ruby-colored wine has a complex palate with red ripe fruit, anise, and coffee as the main notes. Quite fruity and with round and velvety tannins, it keeps its relatively high alcohol content quite concealed and under total control. The finish is persistent and bring notes of vanilla, anise and well rounded oak, all coming no doubt from its time in oak barrels.

Grapes: Tempranillo (85%), Mazuelo (5%), Graciano (10%)

Country: España

Region: Rioja Alta

Alcohol per Volume: 14%

Cellared: For at least in both French and American oak barrels.

Pairing: Grilled red meat, cured meats, and hard cheeses.