Three restaurants to enjoy a gastronomic getaway one hour from Madrid

The place is exceptional, its history too and its cuisine is in the same vein. Calenathe restaurant located in the President’s House Hotel (old house in Avila by Adolfo Suárez) and stuck on the wall incredible of the city, orchestrates a creative proposal anchored in its environment and which pays homage to Castilian cuisine, but which at the same time has a firm footing in the present with its modern, accessible and produced vision.

The glass premises, with a view of the garden and independent entrance, are managed by the young chef Diego Sanz (Llantén, Zuberoa, Refectorio, Noma) and Cristina Massouh (both met in the neighboring Barro), but the whole team builds the same experience. In the room, the team of Adrian Abella, former Enjoywho acts as a guide in this tour of the community, its products, traditions and recipes – structured by illustrations, among other details of the service – and in the liquid menu the offer – by the glass or with pairing – of wines from the region and unique editions, such as those of Alta Pavina, is in charge of the sommelier Luis Secades.

There is Castilian soup to whet your appetite and declare your intentions, but also pigeon, cod, pickles, stews, legumes, Medina shrimp, a version of Ávila revolconas potatoes… You can eat a la carte or menu tasting of 12 passes (90 euros per person).

The young chef Carlos Carande He prepares a cuisine dedicated to seasonal products, with a Basque base – he trained at the legendary Zuberoa, with Hilario Arbelaitz, in addition to passing through Dstage -, Japanese touches in the technique and the mountain air where the restaurant that bears his name is located, in the heart of Navacerrada.

Her seasonal menu‘Aires de la Maliciosa’, wants to recover traditional flavors with sensitivity and contemporary technique. Thus, his letter combines Ingredients from the mountains of Madrid and the Cantabrian Seain dishes like stingray wing stuffed with vegetables and sweet and sour ginger sauce; Pyrenees trout with mushroom ragout, edamame and sisho; the braised duck breast with turnip and liver ravioli, or the classic Sierra del Guadarrama sirloin.

Carande, which also offers a tasting menu (“Made in Japan”, 12 passes and 95 euros per person), offers a list of more than 400 wines, notably from small wine estates and unique producers, in addition to around forty sakes.

The proposal of Los Valdespinos Estate Instead, it focuses on Manchego stew. This family house has been offering this dish for 25 years, which it makes with local products and according to traditional recipes. In addition, every year, he asks his customers to vote on which legume will be used in the recipe.

In the current edition, the chosen one was Pedrosillano chickpea from Toledofor “its size, texture and ability to absorb broth”. In this three-course stew – at 26 euros per person on weekdays and 36 on weekends, dessert and bread included – they are served with cabbage and cominera sauce, in addition to noodle soup and ‘pringá’ of chorizo, bacon, blood sausage, chicken, blood sausage and tip of ham.

Finca Los Valdespinos, located between holm oaks, olive trees and fields of cereals, about 65 kilometers from Madrid and 35 from Toledo, it offers two other seasonal menus (24 or 32): the Shepherd’s Lunchwith Manchego crumbs, blood sausage, padrón peppers and free-range eggs, and the Gardener’s lunchconsisting of Manchego ratatouille with fried eggs and baked potatoes.