Restaurant Tiznit (Marrakech, Morocco)

Place Jemaa El Fna
Kassabine No28
Marrakech, Morocco

Arriving into the bustling city of Marrakech and checking into our Riad, we decided to explore the Medina (inside the walls of Marrakech). We had done our homework prior to arriving into Marrakech and read about the various scams to be aware of. I won't bore you with the details but, we only got scammed TWICE during our first hour or two in the city..... We somehow managed to find our way to back to our Riad without getting scammed again and debated locking ourselves in our tiny Riad for the next three days.

TNT Adventures...TNT Adventures...we said to ourselves. This isn't TNT UNadventures... Somehow we managed to build up the courage to leave our Riad. I think it was after we realized that we would have to eat eventually and our stomachs were growwwwwwlinggggggg.

After chatting with one of the 30 or so orange juice stands in the Jemma El Fna, we asked him for a restaurant recommendation within the square. He pointed us to Restaurant Tiznit. Tiznit is actually a city in Morocco that is known for its silver, daggers, and sabres (Thanks Wikipedia). 

Walking up the stairs to Restaurant Tiznit, we noticed that this restaurant was Tiziny, as in tiny. With about 5 to 6 tables. 

Every meal we had in Marrakech started or incorporated a piece of bread or known as khobz. Moroccans will use the bread to scoop the sauces and meats. Typically the bread does not come out warm.

Complimentary bowl of lentils. Another staple of Morrocan cuisine is the lentils.

Tagine de Beouf (60 DH) 
When you think Moroccan food, most people think of tagine and couscous. The beef tagine was made with beef, potatoes, and olives. I am definitely no Moroccan food expert, but I thought the tagine was good. Nothing all that exciting but good.

Couscous Morocain (50 DH) 
Craving some vegetables, we decided to order a vegetable couscous. The particular version had chickpeas, carrots, some zucchini type veggie, stewed raisins and onions. The couscous itself was light and fluffy, and the sweetened onions and raisins added a nice sweetness to the dish.
 

Overall, our first official Moroccan meal at Restaurant Tiznit was a fairly positive one. Nothing was extraordinarily delicious, but everything we ate was pretty good. Once again, I am definitely no Moroccan food connoisseur. 

San Gines Chocolateria - Madrid, Spain

Pasadizo de San Ginés, 5
28013 Madrid, Spain
913 656 546

When I was in high school, I remember one of my Spanish textbooks was titled Churros y Chocolate. I always wanted to try real churros and not the Costco or Disneyland variety. Nothing against Costco and Disneyland, but I wanted the real thing. 

This chocolateria is located on Pasadizo de San Gines, in the corner of two alleyways meeting together. Knowing the place is an attraction for tourists, we were glad to see the local Madrileños enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in the evening.

Stepping inside, I felt like I was in a fancy schmancy bar. Everything was so bright and shiny, and the waiters were wearing crisp linen shirts and greeted us with a friendly "hola." We could have enjoyed our hot chocolate with churros at the counter for a discount, but decided to pay a bit extra and sat at the tables.

 

The chocolate was thick, rich, and wasn't overly sweet...almost a bittersweet taste. This was the real deal right here.

The churros came out in thin long strips and were hot and crispy. No soggy churros here. The churro itself was barely if not at all sweetened. The sweet component solely belonged to the pool of chocolate we would soon be bathing the churros in.

The moment I had been waiting for since high school had finally arrived. My heart beat with anticipation. What would it taste like? Would it live up to my lofty expectations???? I am making this a lot more dramatic, but isn't it more interesting this way??

The chocolate and the churro were a perfect marriage made in heaven. Who doesn't like deep fried dough? I sure don't. Who doesn't like chocolate? I sure don't. Here is a close up shot.

My dreams of trying real and authentic churros y chocolate have come to fruition. Yo pienso que churros y chocolate son muy delicioso. Más por favor!!

Giangrossi Helado Artesanal - Madrid, Spain

Calle Cava Baja, 40
www.giangrossi.es

After a nice dinner and walk down Calle Cava Baja, we strolled on into Giangrossi for dessert.  Considered as one of Madrid's best ice cream, this place serves Argentinean-style ice cream as well as other food items and interesting cocktails.  With its plush white seating and clean decor, this is the more hipper ice cream places that we have been to.

There were so many interesting flavors to pick from so we ordered the Degustacion — a tasting of 5 flavors of your choice (6.5E). We didn't want the 5 flavors all at once so we asked to get them one by one so that the ice cream wouldn't melt.  The mini scoops on the mini cones were placed on a line of melted chocolate and powdered cocoa.
 
Mascarpone with Mixed Berries
The ice cream had the flavor of mascarpone and mixed berries but also had this strange almost slightly gritty texture to it. The gritty texture of the ice cream was not a good thing.

Don't recall what flavor this one was. I know... bad blogger.

Our final three flavors were strawberry, lemon, and ??? The strawberry and lemon were both good and neither had the gritty texture that the mascarpone had.

Just because we didn't think the ice cream was all that fantastic doesn't mean we couldn't finish it.

Flipping through a couple of magazines in our hotel room, I saw that Giangrossi was mentioned as one of the better ice cream places in Madrid. I liked the space and decor of Giangrossi but thought the ice cream was not up to par with the image. If you are looking for a cool place to have a drink, food, and ice cream, Giangrossi might be worth a stop. Just don't expect to be wowed by the ice cream.