Maria Canales

Updated Sunday, January 21, 2024-02:04

  • 15 restaurants to eat well on the slopes this season

  • Eight restaurants to escape to eat outside of Madrid

The small ski resort of

La Pinilla

,

located in the spectacular Sierra de Ayllón of the Central System, just over an hour by car from the capital, has been a meeting point for winter sports lovers since its inauguration in 1968. Fans who prefer the tranquility of its slopes (a total of 15.82 skiable km) come there every season (as long as the presence of snow allows it) compared to the usual crowds of other resorts closer to Madrid like Valdesquí or Puerto de Navacerrada.

Last week, the venue

inaugurated the 2024 season

with a new face and a much broader and more attractive

après ski

offer than it had to date, thanks to the comprehensive renovation carried out by La Pinilla Management Corporation throughout the year. past.

The group, 50% of which is in the hands of five partners who love sports and the area and the other 50% of an investment firm belonging to the Paris Saint Germain

footballer Achraf

, took over the management of the station at the end of 2022. with the purpose of turning it into

a comprehensive resort that could be sustained all year round

, not only when there is snow.

This is how La Pinilla Mountain Resort was born.

"The station was quite abandoned. It was only open in winter and the hospitality industry and hotels were not operated, so we decided to make a

viable project on an annual level

, not based only on snow, which, in reality, does not have very long seasons" , says Daniel Pedrosa, CEO, partner of the firm and professional chef.

So that the business could be sustained all year round with active tourism (through very varied activities),

they opted for gastronomy

as a cornerstone.

The restaurant

Interior of the El Lobo restaurant.

Thus, in April of last year, they opened

El Lobo,

a cozy restaurant with a fireplace and windows overlooking the Sierra de Ayllón with the intention of attracting an audience not only in winter.

The work of the Néstor Marcos Architecture studio, the establishment, inspired by the mountainous environment and the essence of the ski resort that fuses native woods and local stones with modern elements, has already become a temple of meat and a gastronomic destination for Enjoy

charcoal and wood cooking

outside of Madrid.

To the point that on weekends it is almost always full, at noon and night, according to Pedrosa (capacity for 152 diners).

"People come looking for meats and grills because we work with a wide variety of national and international breeds of different maturations," says the chef.

Precisely, Pedrosa is in charge of the kitchen.

Also owner of the Mesta

restaurant

in Collado Mediano and with extensive experience in catering alongside great chefs such as Ramón Freixa, he creates his tasting dishes with market and seasonal products from local suppliers.

The biggest attraction is the meat, which comes from the Jiménez Barbero farm (they have two maturing chambers in the restaurant).

The steak is the star dish

, ordered by 95% of customers.

"About 40 are dispatched per shift."

Grilled meat is the most popular item among El Lobo diners.

For the embers they have a grill of about three meters and a wood oven with two platforms of two and a half meters, where they also roast

suckling lamb from the Riaza area

.

According to the chef, to achieve unique nuances in their grilled dishes, they use different types of charcoal and wood, such as oak and quebracho charcoal, or oak, cherry, apple and walnut wood, which provides different aromas and flavors. to the meat.

In addition to the embers, El Lobo's menu, which changes three or four times a year, depending on the season, is completed with other dishes, such as wild boar tacos at low temperature, charcoal peppers with ajada emulsion, creamy suckling lamb croquettes roasted with vine shoots, black fideuá with eels and poached egg, among others.

For dessert (homemade), baked cheesecake or caramelized brioche bread torrija filled with creamy hazelnut.

There is also a five-course tasting menu

and a dessert available

, for 60 euros, which the chef takes around every month and a half to "not bore" his loyal customers.

Caramelized brioche bread toast.

"We opted for a place that had good food and that also attracted all types of audiences. In fact,

you can enter with ski boots,

with dogs... We didn't want anything exclusive or restrictive. In addition, it is a good alternative for for those who visit Riaza to eat, only 9 km away," says Pedrosa.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from Thursday to Sunday and on Saturday and Sunday they are also open from breakfast to dinner.

Reservations and more information: telephone 692 46 44 74 and www.restaurantelobo.es

For those looking for something quicker and easier to regain strength while playing sports, the

Pico

restaurant , at the top of the mountain, at 1,800 meters above sea level, is a more informal concept, with burgers, pastrami sandwiches, sandwiches and desserts. homemade.

Leisure spaces, hotels and bicycles

The commitment to gastronomy to attract audiences to La Pinilla all year round is complemented by the

renovation and opening of other leisure spaces and accommodation

, as well as the launch of a wide variety of activities.

On January 20, Momo Apreski

opens

, a place to relax with good live music or DJ sessions and cocktails after a day on the slopes every weekend.

Night skiing, the Snow Park, downhill on snow bikes, electric motorcycles or hiking with snowshoes are other options to enjoy La Pinilla.

When there is no snow, the La Pinilla Bike Park

starts up ,

with its spectacular descents of different levels.

The venue is a meeting place for

raiders

of all levels, thanks to the varied trails.

You can rent all the necessary equipment right there, from DH bikes to protections.

La Pinilla winter season.

There are many visitors who go just to spend the day in La Pinilla, but there is also the possibility of staying there, from the

Hostal La Pinilla

to the Nordic design

cabins

located along the mountain with panoramic views and the

Hostel.

Where

: La Pinilla ski resort, s/n, Cerezo de Arriba;

692 46 44 74. More information and reservations

here

.