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The Concurso de Tapas is pretty much every tapa-lover's dream come true.

By Amyna Dosani

There are just some things people automatically think of when they think of Granada: the Alhambra, history ... and tapas. As one of the few places in Spain that gives you a free tapa with a drink, Granada is already quite the gastronomical destination for tourists. To promote this aspect of Granada’s fame, from March 17-20, the Ayuntamiento and the Junta of Andalucía bring you the 3^rd Edition of the Concurso de Tapas, a tapas contest between the 196 participating bars and restaurants of Granada.

It goes like this: 154 bars and 42 restaurants will all compete to prepare you the best, most creative and delicious tapas in all of Granada in order to win one of four prizes. In other words, it’s every tapa-lover’s dream come true.

The contest will run from March 17-19, during which you can vote for all your favourite tapas you’ve sampled at http://www.tapasengranada.es/concurso (Only once per tapa allowed! No cheating!).  Then, on March 20, the winners will be decided for both bars and restaurants in the following 4 categories: 1. Best tapa in the restaurant category, 2. Best tapa in the bar category, 3. Best Granadino wine pairing with tapa, 4. Best tapa prepared with local Granadino products.

Aside from the actual prizes the winners receive, the most valuable prize of all is the fame and glory that comes with being the best tapa place in town. Essentially, it’s a win-win situation for both the participating establishments and you, the discriminating tapa-eater who wants only the best.

Of course, unless you’re an experienced competitive tapa-gobbler and have loads of money to spend, it’s difficult to decide which ones to try out of 196 places. Lucky for you, we’ve prepared a nice top ten tapas list of both bars and restaurant below.

Restaurants:

1. Restaurante Casa Salvador

Suprema de solomillo de jabalí al kumato y camembert

Boar steak supreme with Spanish gourmet kumato tomatoes and Camembert cheese.

2. Flexus restaurante Sonoro

Sandwich de Atún rojo y salsa de chocolate y lúpulo

Red tuna sándwich with chocolate and hops sauce.

3. Mambrú

Migas de Foie con tartar de Frutas y huevo de codorniz

Foie migas with fruit tartare and quail egg.

4. Restaurante Oryza

Bombón de Micuit de Pato caramelizado con crema de reinetas y reducción de vino tinto

Duck Micuit (half-cooked foie gras), caramelized with reineta cream and a wine reduction

5. Restaurante Tendido 1

Queso de Cabra templado con mermelada de cebolla, crujiente de maíz y aceite de acelgas

Mild goat cheese with onion chutney, crisped in corn oil and chard.

6. Restaurante Las Tinajas

Huevo de corral relleno de queso de cabra sobre alcachofa en su jugo y al aroma de trufa y tejita crujiente de pan de alfacar

Egg stuffed with goat cheese over artichokes in their natural juices, flavoured with truffle essence and Alfacar bread crumbs.

7. Botánico Café

Wrap de pollo tandoori con salsa raita

Tandoori-style chicken wrap with raita sauce

8. Bar La Pililla

Sesos mojeteos

Marinated brain

9. La Lonja

Carrilera con espuma de patata trufada

Ribs with truffled potato mash

10. Restaurante Bulevar Café

Lentejas estofadas con crujiente de morcilla y chorizo

Lentil stew with blood sausage and chorizo crumbles

Bars:

1. Café-Bar Aljaraz

Bolitas de morcilla, pasas, piñones a la miel de caña y lecho de patatas panadera

Blood sausage balls, raisins, and candied pine nuts on a bed of baked potatoes.

2. Mesón Alegría

Costillas Ibéricas Marinada con Vino y hiervas de la tierra. Empanadas al estilo tracicional sobre patatas y tomate confitado

Iberian ribs marinated with wine and herbs. Traditional-style empanadas on potatoes and candied tomato.

3. Lola Por Dios

Medialuna crujiente de mora y peras confitadas

Crispy blackberry croissant and candied pears

4. Rincón de Cristóbal

Caracoles

Escargot

5. Restaurant Bar Sevilla

Tortilla Sacromonte 2011

Spanish potato/egg omelette with brains

6. Bodega La Antigualla I

Hamburguesa con palitos de cangrejo

Hamburger with crab fingers

7. Taberna La Opípara

Chuletita de Cordero lechal empadada con crocanti de tomates secos sobre fondo de salsa romesco

Empanadas stuffed with lamb chop, with crunchy dried tomatoes over a bed of Romesco sauce

8. Taberna la Orza

Lomo al Roquefort

Tenderloins with Roquefort cheese

9. Bar Rosa del Alba

Bacalao a la Riojana

Riojan-style salted cod fish

10. Babel World Fusion

Fusión oriente-occidente: Kebab de secreto envuelto en pan de pita

East-West Fusion: Kebab with a secret filling wrapped in pita bread

For more information and a list of participating locations and their tapa entries, visit http://www.tapasengranada.es/concurso or http://www.granadatur.com/concurso.