Date night in Tapa-dise // Nerja, Spain
Lingering for awhile to absorb our surroundings, the view from the Balcony is just… silly, especially at sunset.
After Dan had his fill of doodling around and posing, we moved on (I’d still be on that balcony if I could). Since dinner time in Spain starts at 9-10PM we headed to La Fuente for drinks.
Generous glasses of Tento De Verano were served as we got chatty with our waiter, a part time professional photographer. Tento de Verano is a popular summertime drink in Spain, a refreshing mix of red wine, spritzer and fruit, much like a sangria minus all the sugar.
As the sun set in the beautiful courtyard and bats zoomed by overhead, we rehashed (for the millionth) time how lucky we were to be able to experience such a place. In our former DC lives we never would have dreamed of such a date night.
Our new waiter-friend then brought out locally made limoncello. Dan insisted that it should be taken like a shot while I protested.
To kick things off, we ordered freshly cut Manchego cheese (which melted in your mouths) and Iberico Jamon with gorgeous, tasty, marbling.
While the waiters worked the round bar (hence the name ‘Redondo’ bar) we put in orders for more tapas. Overhead legs of iberico ham hung, the plastic cups used to catch the fat and grease of the aging meat. I later learned that it’s during this 36 month process that the hams lose about half their weight and the saturated fats change to oleic acid (also found in olive oil).
Then patatas bravas, so yummy that Dan flew in for a bite before I could get a picture. Tasting similar to fried bits of potatoes, they’re served with a tomato based vinegar and red pepper sauce. They are also dangerously addictive.
Of course, calamari with lemon was in order. Rule of thumb – when you can smell the sea from your seat, you need to order seafood.
And finally, the most glorious thing I consumed the entire trip – balsamic glazed fried eggplant breaded with sweet potato. Crispy on the outside, warm and buttery inside, I could not set down my fork. We returned to Redondo two more times within a span of 24 hours for these bad boys.
