If you ever go to Madrid, eat at Casa Lucio–everyone else does, including the Spanish king.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez had eaten lunch there on May 10, so when Frank was dragooned to sign their “golden book” that night, his page is right after another Nobel laureate. All the staff made much of us–the owner and his daughter came over and got their photographs taken with Frank–it’s no wonder that celebrities like to go there!
After we finished our dinner (about half-past midnight) and were making our way to the door, with Frank being introduced to various patrons and shaking their hands, we met a second entourage of young jet-set types arriving for dinner.
Frank and young Mr. JetSet were urged to shake hands with each other, which they duly did, both smiling with baffled but friendly amiability. As the two entourages drew them apart in their different directions, one of our Spanish friends asked, “Do you know who that was? That was the goalkeeper for Madrid Real!”
Madrid Real is the local soccer team, and I have used Google to guess that the name right after Frank’s in the golden book is Iker Casillas. And I’m guessing his bafflement about being introduced to Frank was at least as great as Frank’s at being introduced to him.
Of course, food is the real reason to go to Casa Lucio –and the English menu dutifully and honestly translates its local specialties … “gills of hake” … “fat capon” …. “Gills of hake” is a kind of gray soup with fish gills floating in it–but since four out of the nine people at our table ordered it, it probably tastes better than it looks or sounds…