On the other side of a narrow mountain road that winds through La Rioja with Castile and Leon lies a small town called Viniegra de Abajo, located in the Najerilla Valley. Despite being a bit lost in the middle of the world, among grazing cows and nature, and It does not have more than 73 residentshas not gone unnoticed by one of the most prestigious publications in the world.
The journalist of the ‘New York Times’ David Farley He spent this summer in this unknown town in La Rioja and was amazed by his experience in the rustic restaurant Irene’s Food House.
This is an establishment located at number 10 Calle Josefa Martínez, in a traditional house with wooden beam ceilings and with capacity for only 20 seats. In operation since 2013, the restaurant has the peculiarity about what offers a single daily menu with three dishesplus the house wine. All for 22 euros.
The atmosphere is also very familiar and friendly, as there is only one waitress who delivers the menu verbally to the table. A traditional menu that, on the other hand, does not change much either. It consists of five first courses and five second courses to choose from.. For starters, the options are: a potato timbale, a bowl layered with chorizo filling, mashed potatoes with a fried egg on top, or a soup bowl with a hearty stew of smoked chorizo and red beans.
For the main course, diners must choose between: pig’s trotters bathed in tomato sauce, three large pork meatballs in a slightly sweet orange sauce, an intensely flavoured dish of venison in mushroom sauce or lamb blood. Of course, the menu It also includes dessert: some French toast.
Much of the secret of its success is due to the fact that most of the ingredients come from nearby. In fact, They literally come from the village gardenswhere courgettes, chard, borage, beans and beets are grown, among other vegetables.
In addition to the good food, Viniegra de Abajo is a town with a lot of charm and it is worth taking a stroll around. Its history is fascinating. In fact, the discovery of tombs and a Visigothic stele indicate the existence of Visigothic settlements and bear witness to the antiquity of the foundation of the town.
Cover photo | casacomidasirene
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