Tapas On Madrid's Cava Baja

The woman at the hotel's front desk so enthusiastically circled Cava Baja on the makeshift map in my hand that despite my advancing jet lag I went off on a cold Madrid day to find lunch.

I wandered down the little street jammed with restaurant and tapas options wondering how I was to choose one or the other and then was drawn in by the green door and cluttered charm of La Perejila.
I quickly perused the menu -- tripe, partridge, blood sausage -- I was pretty enthusiastic.

Perejila, my friend Rocio tells me means "little parsley". My dictionary (it's not even the page that the dogs ate)and google translate both failed me and I had to reach out for help. I assumed it had something to do with a dancer's embellishment, not the food's as the decor and the distinctly vintage sound track bespoke a flamenco themed bar. Leave it to me to find Andalusia in Madrid.

I ordered what was described as beans and red partridge. The meat itself was slightly gamey but it perfumed the creamy, buttery beans (those beans are $25 a pound in the states Rocio lamented) and delicate sauce making a perfect humble stew for a cold afternoon, along with the olives, chorizo, and chewy bread offered up by the friendly staff.
A parting look and back on the street keeping an eye open for the next spot to draw me in.