Logroño’s pincho scene hasn’t changed too frequently since I arrived last September. Comforted by familiar faces and dishes, the infamous Laurel street bursting with pincho bars that seem unchanged for decades. Change comes slowly in Spain, if it comes at all, something I both love and hate here.
Around San Juan and Laurel, there are a handful of newer spots to try pinchos, many of them modern, gastronomic bars, but even those have been around a while. So imagine my surprise as I walked over towards Bar Sebas for my favorite stuffed red peppers only to see construction going on next door. A new pincho bar! I was intrigued.
Last Thursday, Logroño’s famous 2 euro pint beer night, I was enjoying a cold one on a terrace with friends in the blistering late afternoon heat. Getting hungry we decided to go grab some pinchos nearby for dinner. Agreeing that we all wanted to try something different, I remembered the new bar opening up!
Lodged in the old storehouse of Las Cubanas, Bar el Canalla has made great use of the small space, and set up a simple, understated bar with a great wine selection and only 6 pinchos to chose from, all timbales, “drums” in Spanish. I’m assuming it’s because they are all round and look like little drums of food. Did I mention that canalla in Spanish means scoundrel or swine? What a great name for a bar!
The base of all the pinchos are a potatoes, round and cooked to perfection, almost like a tortilla de patata, and on top is one of 6 options, all smothered in delicious sauces.
Timbal de calamar (squid)
Timbal de picadillo (hash)
Timbal de carrilleras (cheek meat)
Timbal de huevos fritos con chorizo (fried eggs with chorizo sausage)
Timbal de revuelto con gulas (scrambled eggs with baby eels)
Timbal de morcilla (blood sausage)
Looking at this list now, I’ve realized how far my culinary tastes have developed since moving to Spain! Cheek, blood sausage, squid, and baby eels?! Yuck! I would have never touched this stuff 5 years ago. However, for you guys who are like me, these are some of the nicest and most popular dishes in Spain, and they are all worth trying at least once. Except for the baby eels, I still can’t stomach those. Look like blue worms. Ick!
My favorite of the three we tried was the carrilleras, the cheek meat. It’s a popular dish in La Rioja, and it’s really some of the most tender, rich meats I’ve tried. Don’t knock it til you try it!
Do you love trying new restaurants? How adventurous are you when it comes to trying new foods?
From left to right: carrilleras, calamares, and huevo frito con chorizo
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What a cool tapa! I’ve never heard of this one before but it sounds delicious. I would have scooped up some of that calamar or morcilla for sure!
Everything looks so delicious!!! I can’t wait to come down to Spain and to use your blog as a guideline of where to go and what to eat. The last time I was there, I was a bit lost and didn’t know what to order.
The most exotic thing I’ve eaten on my travels was a horse sashimi pizza in Kyoto. It was better than I thought it would be but definitely not good enough to try again! : )
Liz,
What a wonderful blog! So happy to have discovered you. I admire your spunk and joie de vivre. I grew up in the 50’s & 60’s and in the 70’s, my best friend from college & I took off for Ireland and worked there for a while. It was a fabulous experience, and I’m so glad I did it when I was young.
I have been following your blog for only about a week and am already hooked on your adventures. Our family spent several weeks in Italy last summer and I hope to return and see the rest of the country – only for much longer. Then we hope to visit Spain, so I’m digging your review today. Sounds delicious (except for the eel – I can’t even stand to think about eel, much less eat it. Ha!)
I can’t wait to see where you’re off to next.
I am presently working on a memoir blog, which I will be launching soon. I can’t wait for that. But right now, if you have a minute & are curious, you can visit my Art/Wild West blog at http://www.debtrotter.com
Cheers!
Deb