People from Alicante boast about the quality and variety of their rice dishes. Even to excess at times, such as when a local restaurant classic dared to include 365 -one per day of the year- different in its menu. But beyond marketing occurrences, the truth is that in all the regions of Alicante it is possible to find excellent restaurants that offer various rice dishes on their menus at very affordable prices.
For lovers of gastronomic tourism, we have prepared a whimsical list with no more criteria than not repeating the recipe or location and visiting all the regions, from north to south and from east to west. And avoiding the lobster, whose contribution to Alicante gastronomy consists of offering the restaurant an excuse to charge a high price for rice.
We begin in Dénia, "Dacosta" territory, homeland of the red shrimp, our Balearic connection, long bourgeois summer vacations on pleasant sandbanks, in the shadow of the castle, excursions to the Montgó and winter showers. And in the capital of the Marina Alta we resort to a classic, Casa Federico, since 1980 on Las Marinas beach, near the port, and one of the most characteristic and popular recipes in Alicante, that lazy rice called del Senyoret. At 15 euros.
To the south, already in La Marina Baixa, we separate a bit from the coast just to contemplate it from the beautiful Altea, which in its narrow whitewashed streets has an unexpected -for the newcomer- gastronomic variety. Today we opted for L'Airet and its sweet passamaret rice. At 13.50 euros. In carrer Sant Pau 8. Then we walk to the square to contemplate the panoramic view of the Mediterranean and the incomparable skyline of Benidorm.
A little further south of the tourist capital of skyscrapers, we come to the fishing village of colored houses, La Vila Joisa, whose coastal path from cove to cove, each more appetizing, we recommend as much as a stay in the romantic Montíboli. But we have come to eat, and among the juicy seafood offer typical of such a fleet, today we stay in Ca Marta, on the avenue of the port. And we avoid more obvious proposals because we are looking for something different, so we chose dry rice with octopus and pig's trotters. At 15.90 euros. If it is enough not to fall into the lobster trap...
Following the coast we take the path towards the capital, which we will avoid because we have already devoted more than enough attention to it, to stop at the neighboring town of El Campello, another fishing port whose proximity to the capital has endowed it with a chaotic urbanism that sows the coast road of unpredictable-looking chalets and bungalows; at each curve you find a surprise. And we opted for the arroz de pata y garbanzos (15 euros) from La Sal Bistró, at Avenida de la Almadrava 9, a restaurant that made a name for itself in the nearby inland town of Sant Vicent del Raspeig and a few years ago moved to the vera of the sea
We continue along the coast, paying attention to the road because the N-332 requires it, towards the pine forest and the dunes of Guardamar del Segura. The area is favorable for bird watchers, because before or after eating it is possible to go to the Salinas de Santa Pola, the natural park of El Hondo or the Lagunas de La Mata. Or one can go to the beach of Babylon and check the state of those houses so close to the water that the pickaxe threatens. At the restaurant Le Bleu (Azorín street 22) we opted for the cuttlefish rice in its ink with artichokes. At 18 euro.
And before leaving the shelter of the Mediterranean and the Vega Baja we approach the cosmopolitan Torrevieja, where the abundant hotel offer has to adapt to the diverse tastes of so many nationalities that one does not know where to start: the Chinese, Mexican and Italian classics. Russians, Iranians, Venezuelans are added... and it is even possible to eat a good roast beef or a kidney pie. But that's another report. Today we are going to Los Locos beach (nothing to do with the Cantabrian and surfer beach of Suances). In the Luz de Mar restaurant we opted for a rice from the garden (which is why we are in Vega Baja) with anchovies (which is why we are in the Mediterranean. They are 16 euros.
The time has come to turn inland, towards the Vinalopó valley. On the avenue that separates -or joins, depending on how you look at it- Elda and Petrer we find a temple, La Sirena, with a letter that feeds just by reading it. One would open with, for example, the sea bream ceviche with red onion, roasted sweet potato and corn... but that was not the plan... we go straight to the rice, and although that sweet senyoret and rock fish calls us, we we opted for the most economical and "country" rice with cod, piquillo peppers, chickpeas, young garlic and cauliflower, at 16 euros.
From temple to temple, towards the mountainous interior we cannot avoid passing through Casa Elías, in Xinorlet, between Monovar and Pinoso. Some people drive hours to taste their famous rice with rabbit and snails -we proposed the opposite, but here the dish exceeds 20 even if it is only for one euro- but not a few leave more than that in a mediocre wine for which one does not I would cross the street. It convinced us, like the Azorín house-museum, which catches on the way and allows you to feed the spirit, which sometimes fasts so much, on the 150th anniversary of the maestro's birth.
Just a few days ago the Generalitat declared Villena a unique tourist municipality in the Valencian Community. The border character and the Mediterranean vocation are identified in the gastronomy of this city dominated by the imposing arrogance of its castle, whose menus coexist with seafood and mountain rice dishes with Manchego gazpachos. If some diner's reservations about snails - there is always some weirdo - has deprived us of the previous scale, in the La Despensa inn we find a honeyed rice with rabbit, mushrooms and artichokes for 14 euros.
And we end up in the city of bridges, Alcoi, although not this weekend, because our choice, the Arrels restaurant, closes during the Moors and Christians festivities. But as of Tuesday, he returns to the fray with a 28-euro menu that includes the rice of the day. But as we promised ten places and ten variations, we conclude our culinary tour betting on the secret and bolets, at 13 euros a la carte, with which there is no way to go wrong.
