{"id":1384,"date":"2016-02-04T12:40:56","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T11:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/?p=1384"},"modified":"2016-02-04T12:41:26","modified_gmt":"2016-02-04T11:41:26","slug":"raising-the-bar-casa-dani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/2016\/02\/04\/raising-the-bar-casa-dani\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising The Bar: Casa Dani"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Casa

Casa Dani<\/p><\/div>\n

Madrid\u2019s characterful old bars and tabernas<\/em> <\/strong>are monuments in their own right. These living, breathing, drinking time capsules are as much a part of history as they are an enduring feature of daily life. In Madrid, bars are not merely drinking holes; they are ground-dwelling extensions of residents\u2019 living-rooms. Places to meet, eat, chat, read, reflect, and yes, of course \u2013 drink. In recent years, Madrile\u00f1os have bemoaned the slow but steady disappearance of some of the city\u2019s most beloved bars; closing down in the face of tough economic times and the expiration of an antiquated rental law (that saw some rent prices skyrocket). Yet, some of the city\u2019s best bars continue to weather the storm \u2013 and the ravages of time. Their survival is not only a testament<\/strong> to their hard-fought expertise but also to their unyielding spirit. So stake out a spot at the bar, order a ca\u00f1a<\/em>, choose your raci\u00f3n<\/em><\/strong>, and raise your glass to celebrate this month\u2019s best \u2013 and timeless \u2013 bar de Madrid<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Casa Dani<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Calle Calatrava 11, Metro La Latina<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is Daniel Iglesias, but the bar isn\u2019t named after me, it took the name of my father who ran this bar for over thirty years. After his death over a decade ago, I sat down with my mother and we talked about what we were going to do with Casa Dani. I took the decision to keep running the bar even though I had studied to be an industrial engineer \u2013 and that I was only 25 years old! Yet here I am, ten years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

A small group of three men enter the bar and casually salute Daniel before sitting down for a late lunch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cThis place is a time machine of sorts; a preserved memory of yesteryear. The official story is that the bar opened in 1861. However, a newspaper article was uncovered that detailed a \u2018rayerta\u2019 (fist-fight) between the first owner and a customer all the way back in 1840. Either way, officially this is a bar that has been open for 125 years. The city council even came here to put a plaque outside in January, 2015. It didn\u2019t really increase my customer base but it was an honour. There\u2019s a certain amount of prestige that comes with being recognised by the city. Not many establishments can claim to have been open for 125 continuous years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel lays out three small glasses on the antiquated bar\u2019s steel basin and pours three wines for a group of elderly gentleman enjoying their late lunch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cThe history of establishments like these needs to be respected, but you also need to make it your own. My way of doing this has been through the wine. I renew the selection every now and again; visiting wineries and attending wine-tastings in my spare time. I\u2019m always on the look out for a nice varietal that will please my customers. People change over time and we all have to evolve. It\u2019s just like all the sequels filling up the cinemas \u2013 everyone wants to see the same thing, but in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The three raspy-voiced men sip their wine and chat about politics and football.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cThe essence of Casa Dani is to come and have a small wine and just soak up the atmosphere. A longstanding tradition is to pour wine from a decanter into small glasses known as \u2018chatos\u2019. I\u2019m the one who measures the wine and each \u2018chato\u2019 only costs one euro. The wine is from Valdepe\u00f1as and it is delivered in 16L containers.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the men sitting along the tiled wall yells out \u201c\u00bfPuedes<\/em><\/strong> ponerme tres pinchos de chicharrones<\/em><\/strong>?\u201d (Can I have three tapas of crackling?). Daniel is roused into swift serving mode.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cMy philosophy is to provide good service. People have to feel comfortable when they consume. I have many loyal customers, even groups of older customers that are known as \u2018cuadrillas\u2019. When it gets really busy we have to do things in a hurry \u2013 but being in a hurry shouldn\u2019t come at the expense of good service. A lot of people have come here over the years, from writers and actors, to politicians and even the former King. The trick to good service is to have very agile hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The three men munch on their tapas and order a few extra share plates from the menu.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cPeople come here for lunch and dinner but there isn\u2019t a kitchen as such. We serve a selection of chacuterie, cheese, and salads. This is a taberna, not a restaurant. I source my chacuterie from my home town of Guijuelo near Salamanca. Except for the \u2018cecina\u2019 (Spanish jerky) \u2013 that comes from Le\u00f3n. I buy it here but I\u2019m not prepared to reveal where. That\u2019s a secret and people tend to like mysteries\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel pours us both a ca\u00f1a and glances around the bar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cThe fa\u00e7ade doesn\u2019t say much about Casa Dani, it\u2019s quite austere. Once people come inside though, they are pleasantly surprised by the d\u00e9cor. Foreign visitors often stare at the \u2018jamones\u2019 hanging on the wall. The bullfighting illustrations are from an old \u2018tauromaquia\u2019 magazine called Lidia. My mum found them and framed them. She comes here to help in the evenings. Her name is Argentina \u2013 a name which is the result of my grandfather getting confused down at the birth registry; he was meant to tell them Cristina \u2013 in the end I think the name Argentina suits her better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The phone rings and Daniel can be heard telling the person on the other end that he\u2019ll be home a little later today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cThe bottles of liqueurs on the shelf behind the bar are just for decoration. Each bottle is infused with a different element \u2013 mulberry, prickly pear, raisins, fig, melon, plum, peach, cucumber, and Madrid\u2019s famous \u2018madro\u00f1o\u2019 or strawberry. They\u2019ve been sitting there for 25 years. The tiles lining the walls are from the 1930s. Before then, the bar had wooden panels but they were removed after a government decree banned wood because of the fire risk. If you look out the back, we have another separate salon that seats 26 people. We open this mainly on weekends when there are a lot more people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wooden clock on the wall chimes four times. The three customers begin gathering up their belongings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\u201cMy opening hours are very traditional \u2013 from 12.30 to 15.30 for lunch and then from 20.00 until 12.00. As you can see, sometimes I\u2019m here a little later than usual, but it doesn\u2019t take long to clean up and get home for lunch. Like most Spaniards, I\u2019d like to eat at around 14.30, but my job comes first. On Sunday\u2019s I\u2019m closed because I need some free time to spend with my girlfriend. I re-open for the week on Monday evenings \u2013 rest is important too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three men walk out the door, singing out a satisfied farewell of Hasta Luego as they leave Casa Dani.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madrid\u2019s characterful old bars and tabernas are monuments in their own right. These living, breathing, drinking time capsules are as much a part of history as they are an enduring feature of daily life. In Madrid, bars are not merely drinking holes; they are ground-dwelling extensions of residents\u2019 living-rooms. Places to meet, eat, chat, read, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":1394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[208,89,140,206,207],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1384"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1398,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384\/revisions\/1398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.esmadrid.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}