Birthday Mariscada

Yesterday was my father's 61st birthday. Ever since we celebrated his sixtieth birthday last May by eating a mariscada at a local restaurant, he has been planning on/hoping for/not-so-subtly requesting a repeat celebration this year. A mariscada is a platter of marisco, which generally translates to "seafood" in English, but usually specifically refers only to shellfish. The region of Galicia is very famous for its marisco, but the mariscada we had in Vigo was a big let down after that of our local restaurant, El Guti, which is where we dined last night. The restaurant is owned by a friend of ours, José Luis. Now, on to the photos...

We started off with a salad that I think had some crab meat in it, and a little shrimp on top.

Then came the clams in garlic and parsley sauce. With a bottle of wine, some bread, and this sauce, that's just about all I need for happiness.

This is El Guti's main signature tapa, grilled mushrooms with cheese and a baby shrimp. Wonderful! I don't think this was part of the mariscada menu, but was complimentary because we know the bossman.

And then came the crabs! Some were small, like the nécoras, and some were huge. All were delicious.

The birthday boy was happy, that's for sure!

And then came the jumbo shrimp and lobster course!

This is my favorite of the courses. The crab course was cold, and this one was steaming, fresh off the grill. Just as I get bored picking every little bit of meat out of cancrine exoskeletons, the hot delicious course arrives.

And finally the shrimp course. Right about the time the last course arrived, I was summoned to baby calming duty, and, having overeaten a bit on the lobster course, I can't say that my bursting stomach really missed anything.

A full sexagenarian admires the plate of shrimp.

Then it was time for dessert!

Nora got a little of her mother's ice cream treat.

And with a chilled honey liqueur, we called it a successful birthday dinner and went home. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful meal with my four closest family members, my mother, father, wife, and daughter. Happy birthday, Dad!