In Piedras Blancas, Arturo Mediero and María Antonia Nuevo champion a cider house model built on cider service, home cooking and direct contact with customers.
LA SIDRA.- Putting a green bottle on the table is not enough to turn a bar into a cider house.
At Casa Arturo in Piedras Blancas, Arturo Mediero is clear about that. Cider is served as he believes it has always been served in a chigre, a traditional Asturian cider house: staff approach the table and pour it by hand.
There are no machines or pouring stoppers.
For Mediero, this service is more than a technical or aesthetic matter. It requires the waiter to approach the customer and creates an opportunity for conversation.
A remark about the day, football or something that has happened nearby is part of a relationship that is becoming less common in hospitality.
The cider is kept between 12 and 14 degrees in a dedicated cooler and, at the time of LA SIDRA’s visit, Casa Arturo served Trabanco, Trabanco Selección and Frutos.
The kitchen follows the same philosophy.
María Antonia Nuevo leads a menu based on traditional dishes, including kid goat, cheeks and tripe, alongside special food events devoted to products such as bonito tuna or stuffed onions.
Casa Arturo thus champions a small, personal model that is difficult to automate.
Because a cider house is more than somewhere to eat and drink.
It is also a place to talk.
Related reading
- If cider is not poured, is it a chigre?
- Cider houses and the application of regulations
- The book of Asturian cider culture
- Casa Vila, a traditional cider house and shop
- LA SIDRA 269
