Exploring Madrid's Neighborhoods: The "Trekka to Chueca"

Delicious, Trendy, and Cheap! Just the way I like it!

Last night, a group of friends and I went to a hip spot called, the Bazaar, in the Chueca area of Madrid to celebrate my friend Andrea' s birthday. It was a fun night of wine, desserts and Mediterranean cuisine. For any individuals who want to visit Madrid or who are coming to Madrid in the near future, YOU HAVE TO GO! There are a couple other restaurants under the same ownership that are scattered through the popular areas of Madrid. La Gloria de Montera is another one I had the opportunity to experience a few weeks ago and it was consistent with the Bazaar. I recommend the goat cheese salad and the strawberry tiramisu with the cocoa ice cream. The prices are extremely reasonable, I think I paid about 12 euro for dinner, including chipping in a few euro for our 7 euro bottle of vino tinto!

I have never felt compelled to write about a restaurant, but the atmosphere and food was too fantastic to pass up without some form of acknowledgment. I enjoyed the Chueca area so much, my friend David and I returned the following evening. We visited a pub called Moore's and had a pint while we waited for our friends to arrive. Once our four friends trekked in we headed over to another superb establishment called Estar's Cafe. What made the cafe so unique was they had tons of different games to play. The throng of games ranged from Trivial Pursuit, to Clue, to Monopoly, to Taboo, to EVERYTHING! We grabbed Scattergories and Jungle Speed.

I normally kick major tail in Scattergories, but this one had a twist! It was in SPANISH! Before each round, I would try to read all the phrases and then seek clarification on the phrases I couldn't understand. It was a hoot! We ended up alternating between English and Spanish after the second round, most likely because they felt bad after witnessing my sad performances. During one round, I was giving David a hard time because he didn't know what a pickle was, yet he knew AND had the audacity to put down "dildos" under "something people collect." I have no further comments.

After Scattergories, we played Jungle Speed for a bit. I was horrible at it, but it was a jungle of fun. It is typically played with a pitcher of beer for good measure, but this cafe didn't serve alcohol so we settled for coffee and chocolate milk. I can only imagine the fun when everyone is actually drinking! I definitely have to buy this game for my next party back in the States.

The "trekka to Chueca" was just another fun and awesome time in home sweet Madrid.