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Dining in Europe > Zaragoza What makes us choose one restaurant rather than another? Nowadays theres so much choice that we have to make difficult decisions every time we go out. For example, should we play it safe and head for our traditional old favourite or be more adventurous and try the new Japanese place thats just opened up? In fact, come to think of it, why do we go out to eat in the first place? The answer is easy. The sensual experience of eating good food and drinking fine wine in convivial company is so relaxing and refreshing that it enables us to forget our worries and escape from the daily grind for a few hours. Its a liberating therapy that helps us keep sane in an increasingly stressful world. And its for that very reason that one of Zaragozas traditional old favourites, Mesón del Coso is usually full of the political élite, their counterparts in the media and performers from the Teatro Principal across the road, all indulging in the comfort food that they do best here: high-quality cured ham with fried eggs, washed down with an oak-flavoured red wine like Enate. Simply by choosing a particular restaurant we can embark on a voyage of cultural discovery. So, if you're feeling adventurous then a visit to the Sakura, close to Ciudad Universitaria, will open your eyes to the complexities and subtleties of the Japanese way of life. However, if you prefer to stay closer to home then you'll be better served at El Cachirulo, an Aragonese stately home on the road to Logrońo that houses a restaurant where they prepare the best in traditional regional cuisine and organize entertainment in the form of the Jota (traditional singing and dancing that has the power to make elderly people weep and younger people scream and shout with joy). If you're looking for a prestigious venue in which to luxuriate, a place where King Juan Carlos likes to come when hes here to partake of his favourite pastel de puerros y gambas (prawn and leek pie), then make your way to Los Borrachos in the middle of the Paseo de Sagasta. If you carry on down to the bottom you'll come to Plaza de Aragón and the typically plateresque Ibercaja building which houses the Patio de la Infanta. However, if you decide to head in the opposite direction up the Paseo de Sagasta, you'll eventually cross Parque Pignatelli and arrive at Iglesia de San Antonio, one of the most impressive and historically significant churches in the city. The famous master chef and culinary commentator Arzak used to say that cooking ought to be a compulsory subject at schools, and hes right. But not only should children be taught how to cook, they should also be educated in how to eat out properly. So, if you're taking your children out for the first time, you'd be well advised to drop in at Pizza Nostra. They have a variety of pizza or pasta for every palate and the portions are so generous that a main course and a dessert are normally sufficient. Not far from here you'll find the Puerta del Carmen, which still bears the scars inflicted by French artillery during the siege of Zaragoza. Some of the most imaginative and innovative dishes available in modern restaurants are vegetarian, so if you are a vegetarian or if you just fancy a break from meat, its worth trying La Retama. Remember to ask for a table on the balcony, from where you'll get a view of the Iglesia de San Miguel whose history dates back to the reconquest of the city from the Moors in 1260. You might on the other hand be a fan of Spanish cooking and just want to have a little of what you like best, in which case you should choose Pantxika Orio, a Basque restaurant through and through that prides itself on providing fresh ingredients and friendly service. If you have a sweet tooth and can't resist homemade cakes and tarts then its worth driving a few miles out to La Puebla de Alfidén and the Galatea. After sampling the sweet things you could visit the interesting Mudéjar church. Some of Spains oldest eating-places with true historical character can be found in Zaragoza. For example, the building, furniture and fittings of Casa Lac date back to 1825. For somewhere even older, head for the Posada de las Almas which was founded in 1705. And for a really historic occasion you can't do better than the Montal, with its 16th century cloisters, centuries-old works of art and excellent cooking. For an atmosphere thats much more up-to-date, step through the door of the ultramodern hotel Boston and you'll be transported to an approximation of the trendiest district in New York city. The food they serve in the various restaurants here is fit for the new century. The menu on offer in the top floor restaurant is as modern and exciting as the interior decor and on the floor below theres another restaurant that offers imaginative international fare thats sure to please its well-heeled clientele. So, after travelling up the gilded glass cages that they call elevators, you can choose from exquisitely dressed salads, a thousand and one varieties of risotto and a bewildering array of pastas. Zaragoza deserves to be visited just for a gastronomic tour alone, never mind the history and culture. It is also one of the liveliest cities in the country for nightlife, with a youthful population who like to go out and have some fun. This means that there is no shortage of bars and clubs with music and dancing that are open until the early hours of the morning. So, once you have visited all the historical sites and sampled a delicious meal in one of the recommended restaurants, you might want to make for one of the numerous areas where people congregate. The young, student crowd get together in the centrally located Moncasi district, the more individualistic and alternative crowd head for the cheap and cheerful Magdalena district and the more sophisticated folk gather in the up-market surroundings of Francisco Vitoria. The old town and the area around the university campus are also full of bars and clubs. It is customary to start somewhere like Vinilo, The Old Number One or El Sol (on Calle Blancas) just to get 'revved up' a little for the night ahead. And, as the night develops, the scene moves on to other places, such as El Fantasma de los Ojos Azules or La Caja de los Hilos. When it gets really late, the hedonists head for La Casa del Loco, the Aphoteke or Bisonte to dance until dawn. If you're looking for somewhere thats got lots of atmosphere but is quieter than the sort of music bars and clubs above, then you'll be happier in La Republicana, the Bodeguilla de Santa Cruz or Imperial. Somewhere like Bodegas Almau is an ideal spot to meet with friends in the early evening, and at Whisky Viejo you can sit and chat comfortably until the early hours with good music as a background. For an intimate evening out as a couple, try Café Voltaire or the Praga. Translated by T Muldoon Entertainment in ZaragozaZaragoza is a city full of cultural life where visitors can find new events to attend every day, new art exhibitions to visit, and plenty of films on show. There are many museums examining different issues regarding its two thousand years of history, from the first Roman settlement on the banks of the River Ebro to new contemporary Aragonese art and culture. Both the Forum of Caesaraugusta Museum (the Roman colony that gave to Zaragoza its name) and the Zaragoza Museum are very representative because they offer an accurate perspective of local culture, ways of living, and art through the history of the city, from the Roman period to the Islamic. As for fine arts, a number of collections of Spanish and foreign artists from the 16th to the 20th centuries are exhibited in Camón Aznar Museum, the Royal Aragonese Society Museum, and the fine art section of the Zaragoza Museum. Important emphasis is given to the works of some of the most important Aragonese artists, such as the world-famous painter Francisco de Goya, and sculptors Pablo Gargallo and Pablo Serrano, all of them very important in the renewal of fine arts of their periods. Many works of art of these three artists are displayed as monographs in emblematic buildings such as the el Princess' Courtyard (Espacio Goya iberCaja), The Argillo Mansion, and the Provincial Orphanage. If you like Goya, visit Fuendetodos, the village where he was born, less than an hour away from Zaragoza. Here you can visit Goyas birthplace (the original house where he was born), which has been rebuilt and furnished as it was in the 18th century, and also the museum of his sketches, where four series of drawings are displayed. It is important to note the effort that Aragonese institutions are making to increase the number of places dedicated to art collections. There are new projects to create a monograph area dedicated to Goya, and another one dedicated to the painter Antonio Saura, one of the brothers of the famous film director Carlos Saura. There are also very important collections relating to different artistic disciplines such as ceramic and tapestry. The development of beautiful Aragonese pottery, both those from Teruel and Muel, is perfectly traced in the ceramic section of the Zaragoza Museum and in the Muel Ceramics Museum. Muel is a village famous for its pottery and quite near Zaragoza. As for tapestries, the collection exhibited in the Tapestries Museum of La Seo (San Salvador Cathedral) is considered one of the best in the world in French and Flemish tapestries of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The most important temporary exhibitions to come to Zaragoza are displayed in Sastago Mansion, La Lonja, and Montemuzo Palace. The artistic offer is completed by more than thirty exhibition areas and art galleries that are scattered all over the city. The numerous cinemas in Zaragoza, a majority of them very modern and located in the centre, make it very easy to find a good film for everyone. The most modern cinemas are located in shopping districts, where visitors can spend the evening enjoying shops, bars and restaurants. Film lovers will also find specific screening rooms such as Renoir Cinemas, Filmoteca de Zaragoza, and Cine-club Pedro Cerbuna, where European and repetoir films are shown, most of them in their original language. The most important theatre in Zaragoza is the Teatro Principal, located right in the centre of the city. In this theatre, the most successful plays (both Spanish and foreign) are put on. The most modern and innovative theatre is usually performed in the Teatro del Mercado, with the youngest Spanish plays and multimedia spectacles on show. Both new companies and the university theatre usually perform their plays in the Teatro de la Estación, in Colegio Mayor Universitario Pedro Cerbuna (the Cine-club venue) and some other cultural centres. Finally, the temple of music in Zaragoza is the Auditorium, where there is a room (Sala Mozart) with perfect acoustics for classical music. Present-day rhythms such as pop, rock, and others, are mostly played in Sala Morrisey and Concierto Sentido. El Cantor de Jazz (The Jazz Singer) is a good jazz and blues house, and the best place to dance salsa is the Café Hispano. And if you want more entertainment, besides drink and music, try in Edison Estudio. Dining in Europe > Zaragoza
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