A bowl of Berberechos, the most lovely little cockles, were steamed in their own liquor and finished with green oil and microscopic threads of lemon zest. Sweeter and less briny than the clam (their distant cousin), cockles have a rounded, heart-shaped shell with a slightly ribbed texture. Once cooked, the cockles’ exhibit puffy white stomachs and little pink-orange necks that protrude like teeny-tiny erections waving up at you from the bowl. - Ham and cheese croquettes, a staple on any Spanish menu (fancy or fast) were served by the chef himself, curious about the two Americans who sat outside alone in the gray afternoon, oohing and ahhing over each dish set on the table, moaning with each bite. Light as a Noguchi lamp, the croquettes oozed a delectable cremosa (think just-filled, not-too-cold innerds of a cannoli for breakfast on a weekday morning in some little town in Sicily); and instead of hunks of ham, there is merely a succulent suggestion of smoky pork in the whipped-light cheese. Wrapped in a dusting of crumb and cooked until golden, it’s as good a reason as any for the heart to go down swinging. - #spain #lunch #lunchisthenewdinner (at El Retiro Pancar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjSlb12NozEeNfErvFUGQIDuSslLnWDvEuZ8CE0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=