Jaca Restaurants

We’d spent a week in Spain. Zaragoza was a beautiful city, the Pyrenees were breath-taking, the hotels were lovely. Everything was as promised – everything except the food. Every bar we’d been to for tapas – sent willingly by the guide books – had a half-full bar, topped with cold, deep-fried, salty stodge, which was then thrown into a microwave. Now you could add chewy to the adjectives. We had come to believe that great tapas, in a friendly, fun, exciting bar was a myth … and then we found La Tasca de Ana, in Jaca. Things looked promising when we walked in, not only was the food on show the best looking we’d seen, but the girl behind the bar looked like Katie Holmes. When we ordered, we found that everything we tried was not only fresh, but that it was all delicious. As the bar began to fill more and more, the atmosphere became a veritable theatre of a happy, buzzing place to eat. The staff were all great, a truly talented team, and the owner ran the place with an easy geniality. Suffice to say, that we went back the following two nights, and everything we tried was great – the prawns, the rabbit, the duck – everything. Each night we sat at the bar, in awe of how quickly the food flew out, how satisfied the customers were, how enjoyable the evening was. From doubting that I’d find any good food in this part of Spain, I found what I believe to have been the best restaurant experience I have ever had. (What’s more, having watched with admiration, the efficient, attentive, and genuinely funny way that beautiful waitress worked, for three nights solid, I can safely say that she knocks spots off Katie Holmes.)

Favorite Dish: Everything was great - I remember the rabbit cooked in vinegar, the asparagus wrapped in ham, and the langoustines, with especial fondness.