Restaurant Elias

I keep on being surprised by how in the middle of nowhere in Spain, you can find great restaurants with even greater wine lists. During a visit to a great Jumilla producer, the name Elias came up a few times. "You want to go to a seafood place at the beach? No way! Go to Elias for local food; rabbit and snails!" So we did and we didn’t regret it. At Elias, almost everything is prepared on the grill, like in many well-known places in Basque country, but here they use as firewood… old dead vines! The wine enthusiast must find this an extra perk.

We ate the loveliest hake salad, which resembles more brandade than a salad, but it was the nicest I’ve ever eaten. The baby squid was so tender, it almost felt like it was stuffed with foie gras, and the rice had the perfect "cuisson" and just the right dose of saffron.

The setting is relaxed and comfortable – with perfect service, good stemware, nice temperatures, and linen on the table – but not stuffy. The wine list includes mostly great Spanish names at a nice price point, and even though they sometimes leave out a vintage or misspell a cuvee name, it’s surely worth a visit. We found both fantastic local reds and whites as well as sherries and very rare vinos de pastos. If ever you find yourself in the area, do take a detour and visit Elias!