Foodie Pro
Order the tasting menu, talk pairings, and critique the meal like a local — out loud.
The word that unlocks wine talk is el maridaje — the pairing — and in Mendoza they'll say it warmly: este malbec marida bárbaro con el asado. Describe a wine by el cuerpo del vino, el tanino and la añada; a Chilean will put it plainly, tiene harto cuerpo, oye. At the table, el menú degustación is el menú de pasos in Argentina, and Mexico City foodies call a white-tablecloth restaurant un lugar de manteles largos. The upgrade that matters most: retire rico and say what you actually taste — con un matiz ahumado y textura crujiente.
Below: the wine, technique and food-criticism vocabulary lesson by lesson, how foodies really talk from Mendoza to CDMX, and a way to learn it with no flashcards — every term said out loud in a real tasting or review.
The warm-up pack
The lines that come out at the table, not the ones from a tasting-menu glossary.
01 · The reaction, not the technical word
¡Qué sabrosón!
So delicious! (Mexico — the reaction when something's loaded with umami)
The genuine reaction, not the technical word — you'll say this a hundred times before you ever need "umami".
02 · The gentle way to critique a dish
Le falta un puntito de sal.
It needs a touch more salt.
How Spanish speakers actually critique a dish gently — specific, not harsh, and a real conversation starter with the chef.
03 · What the chef says while it's happening
Le doy un golpe de plancha.
I give it a quick sear on the plancha.
What a chef actually says while cooking, not the textbook "sellado rápido" — this is the line, said in real time.
04 · Pairing wine like an Argentine, not a sommelier
Este malbec marida bárbaro con el asado.
This malbec pairs great with the asado.
"Marida" is the verb form of "maridaje" — Argentines use it exactly like this at the table, no sommelier certificate required.
05 · How a sommelier actually checks in with you
Le agarras nota de vainilla, ¿verdad?
You pick up a note of vanilla, right?
How a Mexican sommelier actually checks in with you — a question, not a lecture on tasting notes.
06 · CDMX slang for 'upscale'
Fuimos a un lugar de manteles largos.
We went to a fancy place. (literally: "a place with long tablecloths")
CDMX slang for upscale dining — say this and you sound like you're telling a friend about it, not reading a review.
07 · When someone shows off, in a good way
El chef se mandó un platazo.
The chef pulled off an amazing dish.
"Se mandó" is what you say when someone goes above and beyond — a chef, a friend, anyone showing off in a good way.
08 · Praising a place for not being pretentious
Es alta cocina, pero sin tanto postureo.
It's haute cuisine, but without all the posturing.
The modern Spanish way to praise a place for being excellent without being pretentious — a real, current critique.
09 · The opener that signals real talk
La neta, no vale lo que cobran.
Honestly, it's not worth what they charge.
"La neta" as a sentence opener is pure Mexican honesty — it tells the listener a real opinion is coming.
10 · Scoring food the way Chileans score everything
Le pongo un siete con coma, no más.
I'll give it a 7-point-something, that's it. (Chile's 1-to-7 grading scale)
Chileans score everything, food included, on the school grading scale — use their scale and the review lands harder.
11 · The highest compliment in home cooking
Esto es de toda la vida, receta de la abuela.
This is a classic, grandma's recipe.
The highest compliment in Spanish home cooking — nothing about technique, everything about heritage.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/foodie-proRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
There are no flashcards in the Foodie Pro lessons and nothing to drill — you taste, describe and judge, and Olivia hands you the exact word as the glass or the plate demands it. One lesson is a wine tasting: characteristics, then pairings, in real sommelier vocabulary — el bouquet, la añada, el maridaje. Another is a restaurant review, weighing la presentación del plato, the technique, and whether la relación calidad-precio holds up — if it doesn't, you get to say so like a Mexican would: la neta, no vale lo que cobran. Then a cooking masterclass, explaining el salteado and la emulsión to aspiring chefs. Out loud, course by course.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Foodie Pro is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
El maridaje. The verb works too — in Mendoza, Argentina's wine country, you'll hear este malbec marida bárbaro con el asado: this malbec pairs beautifully with the asado.
Four load-bearing terms: el cuerpo del vino (body), el tanino (tannin), la añada (vintage), el bouquet (aroma). Colloquially: Chileans say tiene harto cuerpo for a robust red, and Spaniards es de una añada buenísima, vaya cosecha.
El menú degustación — in Argentina, el menú de pasos. It's the signature format of la alta cocina and of la cocina de autor, the chef's signature cuisine.
The standard term is la textura crujiente, but region matters: Chileans prefer crocante — la sentí bien crocante. Sensory precision like this is what separates a food conversation from just saying it was good.
Anchor the review in la relación calidad-precio (value for money — Argentines flip the order: la relación precio-calidad es un afano, a rip-off) and el servicio de sala. A Caribbean or Colombian diner would put a bad night simply: el servicio dejó mucho que desear.
