Rick G.
Yelp
My wife and I had a very nice dinner here last night. After spending two days in Toledo, we were ready to get back to the action in Madrid and somewhat burned out on the tapas scene, chose Posada de La Villa for a good, quality Spanish dinner.
We were immediately greeted by the maitre de and walked upstairs to what is the second of at least 3 levels. In Spain, be prepared to be asked if you have a reservation when walking into any respectable restaurant. While we've never made one and never had a problem, it seems the front of house enjoys toying with you a bit on this matter- if not to make you feel as though you are being done a favor then perhaps as a statement that for this caliber of restaurant, you've gotten lucky:)
We were seated in a very nice dining room surrounded by lots of warm brick and wood making for a very comfortable and quaint ambiance. My wife said it reminded her of the higher end Gast Haus's in Germany, but for me it felt more Spanish country, almost with an 18th century feel.
The service was excellent, with wine, chosen appetizers of fried onions (the Spaniards do live their fried food, but you can take solace in knowing they're using heart healthy EVOO) and picked cucumbers (of the giant variety) along with the mandatory complimentary aperitif in most Spanish restaurants (and bars for that matter); in this case cheese filled croquets.
For our main course, we had the roasted lamb for two which arrives in a steaming hot bowl giving it a very country, even medieval feel. The waiter expertly divvies up the quarter lamb onto each plate, spooning the au jus on to each portion and leaving about a quarter of the meat in the bowl. We complimented the lamb with potatoes, almost scalloped with onions and peppers which were the perfect compliment.
One thing to note is that while very, very good, save for chicken, the meat in Spain, be it pork, ox, venison, lamb, etc. has what I would describe as a "gamey" taste to it. Not a bad thing at all, but fot Americans used to mass farmed pork and beef with added chemicals, preservatives, etc. I'm sorry to say that the meat here takes some getting used to.
With that said, the lamb was exceptional, and you just know your enjoying something very authentic and special as you look around the dining room to find that you are significantly outnumbered by, a very good thing indeed.
We did meet a very nice couple from the US sitting at the table next to us who have just begun their retirement in Spain, and the gentleman too enjoyed the lamb!
For desert, we had a small sampler of fried milk cake, milhojas and a cream cheese filled funnel cake all of which went beautifully with a small glass of port from the local area which the waiter kindly refilled half way at no extra charge.
If you have the time and are looking for a very nice atmosphere to dine in the heart of Madrid and don't mind spending a little money (with the dollar on the decline, Spain is very, very expensive for everything), I can't recommend this place enough.