Restaurante Alabaster — Restaurant in Madrid

Pretty great tasting food. The presentation is trying to be Michelen but not quite getting there. We actually preferred the food at another Galician restaurant called Morgana we had a couple days prior.

Unfortunately they are just a bit racist here. My wife and I came in on a cold rainy night with reservations at a bar table (beware, you don’t get the full menu, even though you are sitting at a table). We were treated much different than everyone else around us. The only difference is that my wife’s ethnicity is Latin American (we are both from California).

Differences broke down like this: When we came in and told the hostess we had a reservation (she was the nicest person there, by the way) she sat us in our little table. Moments later a man approached my wife and told her that we couldn’t eat without reservations. That was weird, so she explained (her Spanish is perfect, as in scholarly perfect) that we had reservations and were just seated. The man appeared embarassed and apologized. Every other table was greeted warmly by the waiter and given a small appetizer of cheese and some mini breadsticks. Not us. When we ordered a bottle of water, the waiter dropped it off at our table without opening it. Every other table had their water opened and poured for them. At the end of our meal (which included three glasses of wine apiece) and two desserts, we were not offfered complimentary digestifs (every other table around us was offered them).

The only other table that seemed to be receiving the cold shoulder were a pair of gentlemen that appeared to be gay (or just very friendly with each other - who am I to say?) They came in towards the end of our meal, so we couldn’t be sure.

If you are in a party of all white folks and aren’t swinging a rainbow flag, then this is a great place to eat. We asked for wine pairing with our food and the sommalier was on point with every glass. He was also super professional and polite (just a bit snooty) and ended up taking over as our waiter as the...

I have been here quite a few times already. The level is consistently excellent, and they do try to innovate and bring new dishes as well.

The place screams classy. Good decoration, ample tables, nice decoration, the atmosphere is well presented. Both Fran and Oscar, the maitres, are both professional and warm. The personnel is very attentive, and they make sure that you feel right at home.

Pleasantries aside, you probably are interested in the food, right? Your biggest regret will be not having a stomach big enough to order multiple dishes. They are very accommodating in terms of preparing half portions, so that you can try as many dishes as possible, however.

The menu is consistently adapted, as I said, but they do keep plenty of classics around. The sardine is something you should not miss under any circumstances, as is the "merluza al pil pil", a fairly traditional spanish dish which reaches to-die-for levels. Seefood is a sure bet here in any case, scallops, "zamburiñas", "navajas", they are all reliably impressive. All the tartars I have tried here were a worth investment, as well

For main dishes, I think their fish is the most remarkable part. They usually have some fishes out of the menu, and I would recommend to follow their advice here and try them.

From the the meat, steak tartar is a favourite of mine, as is the "presa" (pork loin? I think. I'm not sure, many dishes do not have an easy translation to english).

Desserts are not the strongest part, although I had an apple pie last time that made me quite happy.

All in all, don't miss this one. The experience is pretty...

What an extraordinarily sophisticated and posh dining experience! I arrived there (solo) out of curiosity after searching for nearby Gourmet restaurants on Google Maps. It was a rainy day, and I had been out walking.... I wasn't expecting availability w/o having reservations, but they happily accommodated me. Admittedly, I wish I had arrived better dressed; I felt a little too casual, but I was not made to feel uncomfortable by any means. Being solo... Graciously, the maitre d even went to the extent of asking if I was comfortable at the table I had been sat at: (around small, quiet, intimate family diners).

Starting off, I had an excellent, perfectly balanced Manhattan.

Next came an amuse bouche & complementary marinated green olives and a nice rustic house bread. Having seen other positive reviews & wanting to try as many tastes as possible, I chose the tasting menu.

It turned out to be definitely well-defined perfection. Every course was executed with character and subtleness matching the ingredients and choice of assembly. Each course was satisfyingly built upon the next with no serving being so rich or powerful that it left me feeling overwhelmed or unprepared for the following dish.

I didn't choose the wine pairing, but I asked the sommelier instead to choose a nice dry white wine that would compliment the complete tasting menu. Excellent job!!!

I felt happy and...