 |
| Courtyard at El Claustro |
Granada is a fun little city in southern Spain very near the coast. The fame of Granada comes from
La Alhambra which is an ancient city that is very much intact and a combination of fantastic Moorish and Christian Architecture. We stayed at the
Palacio de Santa Paula which was a great boutique which is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. This hotel had one of the finer restaurants in Granada
el Claustro with an acclaimed Spanish
Chef Juan Andres Morilla.
 |
| La Alhambra |
This authentic and soothing restaurant is set in what was originally built in 1540 as a cloister for nuns. Its soaring and heavily beamed ceiling exudes Renaissance artistry, and windows overlook the graceful symmetry of an arcaded courtyard where nuns used to pray. This was our best meal in Spain because the setting was fantastic and beautiful, our server Manuel knew everything about the menu and the restaurant and the food was delicious.
We started out with a Amuse-bouche which was a little Gazpacho great way to cleanse the pallete.
 |
| Shrimp Soup |
I ordered the Butifarra de Langostinos con gazachuelo ye esencia de
Azafran which is Prawns Sausage in a Seafood broth with essence of Saffron. The sausage was very delicate and the casing had a great snap, the broth had that warmth of the Saffron. The whole dish was Fantastic. JoAnn had Ensalada de Bogavante con Ali-oli de Remolacha which is a very delicious Lobster Salad with Beet Aioli, the lobster was moist and tender and the salad was gentle.
 |
| After |
 |
| Before Lobster Salad |
 |
| Sturgeon |
 |
| Sous-vide Se Bass |
For the main dish we both stuck with fish I had the Sturgeon ad Joann had the Sea Bass. When I see Sturgeon on the menu I always order it because it is such a rarity and so delicious. The Sturgeon was served with
Pejiballe which to me was kind of like a Lychee. The fish was perfectly roasted that gave it deep savory flavors. JoAnn's Sea Bass was cooked in the Sous-vide style to 62 degrees and served with Quinoa and a Tapenade. Her portions was large so I got to indulge. Her fish again was cooked to perfection. All the while we are enjoying this great meal in the Courtyard of this 600 year old courtyard.
 |
| Strawberry |
 |
| Chocolate Souffle |
For Dessert I had a Strawberry Soup with Almond Ice Cream the Strawberries were the tiniest I ever had and were so sweet. JoAnn had a perfectly cooked Chocolate souffle both desserts were great.
All I can say is that this was a very memorable dinner, one we won't forget soon.