Pintxos in Logrono

Regular readers of our blog know that we love the food here in Spain. So, when Shana read that there is a pintxos contest in the Rioja region during February, we decided we had to go. We chose Logrono, the capital of the region, because it had over 50 bars participating in the contest and it is easy to get to, just 2 hours and 15 minutes by bus.

Each bar that participates in the competition creates a special pintxo for the contest. Although we only were in Logrono for 22 hours, we managed to try eight of these unique pintxos (and, of course, we had a glass of wine with each). We arrived Saturday evening in time for a dinner of four pintxos. First, we tried a vegan skewer that was tasty, but definitely paled by comparison to later offerings. Also, the bar seriously lacked atmosphere.

The second pintxo we tried was a vegetarian take on a dish that usually features cow intestines. Instead of intestine, it was made with a rice noodle in a vegetable-based sauce. Not only was the dish fantastic, but the little bar we had it at was playing really great blues music. We could have stayed for hours, but there were more pintxos to try.

Next, we tried a really simple toast with cheese, mushrooms and peppers. While its ingredients were simple, it was presented beautifully and tasted great.

Finally (at least for Saturday), we tried a quesadilla de chorizo, which as you can see was fried. It was probably our favorite pintxo of the night even though the competition was stiff.

The next morning, we woke up just in time to grab breakfast (nothing exciting) and head off for our 11 am visit to Bodegas Franco Espanolas. The winery is right across the river from the old part of the city, and on our way there we walked across a beautiful, old stone bridge:

The wine tour itself, which was in Spanish, was very nicely done, and the winery had interesting relics of its more than 100 years in business, including old photos and a petrified vine that is more than 100 years old:

We left after tasting a couple of glasses of ok wine, and headed into the city for a lunch of more pintxos before heading to the bus station for our trip home. Lunch was also four very good pintxos including caramelized pork gyoza:

A yummy bread ball filled with pork (again), and a really good sauce:

 A rabbit salad on a rice cake that did taste a bit like chicken, but also a little bit different:

And, finally, a toast with more pork, and a really nice cream sauce (sorry, no picture).

If you are thinking that all we did in Logrono is eat, you are mostly right, but we did walk around a bit (mostly looking for the next pintxos bar), and saw this statue dedicated to the pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago, which goes through Logrono:

All-in-all, we had a really nice, if brief, time in Logrono. We were impressed with the quality of the pintxos and thought that many of the ones that we did not get to try looked delicious as well, as did the "normal" pintxos in the various bars we visited. This was the 18th year of this contest, so there's always next year. Also, this year's contest was part of a series of events focused on using all of your senses to experience the Rioja. We are definitely planning to return to Logrono to eat more, but perhaps we'll also take advantage of our other senses later on this year.  

Hasta Luego,

Jeff and Shana