Story highlights
Visiting Arzak restaurant is likely one of the highlights of a San Sebastian culinary tour
Arzak is run by 71-year-old Juan Mari Arzak, who has had a Michelin star for 40 years, and his daughter
Bar Nestor sells a tortilla so widespread it is often bought out inside quarter-hour
CNN
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San Sebastian has what you can name “meals kind.”
In 2014, three eating places within the metropolis of 200,000 on northeastern Atlantic Coast of Spain held the gastronomic holy grail of three Michelin stars. Solely Kyoto, Japan, had extra Michelin-starred eateries per sq. meter.
It’s already fairly apparent why international gourmets steadily place it atop their culinary journey checklist. And you then add the pintxos.
Pintxos (or “spikes” within the Basque language that’s proudly heard all through the area) are tapas taken to a complete new degree.
No sweaty chorizo or clammy calamari on cocktail sticks right here.
San Sebastian’s pintxos bars are culinary excursions de drive in their very own proper, delivering dishes that wouldn’t look misplaced of their Michelin-starred neighbors. The one problem going through guests to this gastronomic vacation spot shouldn’t be what, however the place, to eat.
I took the route of lengthy, gradual restaurant lunches, adopted by late evening hopping between the pintxos bars.
My meals quest kicked off with lunch on the venerable establishment, Arzak.
It’s right here that 71-year-old Juan-Mari Arzak has held a Michelin star for 40 years and three stars for 1 / 4 of a century. Twenty-five years on the absolute pinnacle of any occupation is exceptional, however within the tremendous aggressive world of positive eating, it’s unprecedented.
Arzak the restaurant is the story of the Arzak household.
Juan-Mari’s grandparents constructed the property as a wine cellar and tavern in 1897, whereas he began working there in 1966.
The unassuming exterior on a suburban road leads right into a modernist eating room the place the identical menu is served at lunch and within the night. Calling it a meal, nonetheless, doesn’t actually do it justice.
It’s a culinary joyride of magnificence, complexity and even wit.
Foie gras is served as an ice cream, that includes caramelized onions and inexperienced tea, in an inverted yucca cone dusted with shellfish powder.
A deceptively easy however elegant dish options cubes of potato, egg yolk and white truffle.
For an overload of smells, tastes, sights and sounds, grilled lobster with charcoal-roasted zucchini is served on a translucent plate above an iPad taking part in a video of waves crashing in to shore.
Severely.
Arzak’s post-dessert petits fours characteristic a sweet store and workshop mash-up known as Ferreteria Arzak, or Arzak Ironmongers, with silver sugar keys, cola bottle tops, chocolate nuts and screws.
As could be anticipated from one of many world’s prime eating places, the wine cellar options uncommon and costly vintages.
A back-of-house look reveals a laboratory the place new dishes are created and a room that includes 1,500 completely different spices.
The Arzak household have outlined and owned Michelin-starred delicacies in San Sebastian and cemented the city’s repute.
At present that repute is as a lot centered on pintxos bars as Michelin stars and, having steadily recovered from an epic lunch, it’s time to think about night choices.
Whereas it’s potential to be led by your eyes into one in all scores of pintxos bars, a small group tour is a wonderful introduction and lets you get to know a few of the absolute best dishes and venues.
Englishman Jon Warren ditched a profession in finance to observe his ardour, establishing San Sebastian Meals to supply excursions of the bars, native producers and vineyards that give the Basque area such an enviable repute.
He explains that the pintxos bars “are the cool, younger siblings to the Michelin stars and provide final flexibility; casual eating, bite-sized parts, low costs and the prospect to change on the flip of a heel from conventional to fashionable delicacies.”
A night tour led by a donostiarra (a San Sebastian native) takes guests from one to the following for small bites and pours of native ciders and wines, particularly txakoli, a barely glowing younger white wine.
Numerous bars, some conventional, others extra leading edge in delicacies and ambiance, attempt to outdo each other with heaving shows or specialties.
Bar Nestor serves a well-known tortilla, however solely in restricted numbers, at 1 p.m. and eight p.m. exactly. Flip up quarter-hour late and put together to depart disenchanted.
Culinary arts: 16 pictures that show San Sebastian is the last word meals vacation spot
The uncommon delicacy of percebes (goose barnacles) at Goiz Barci are much less punctual, however value spending time on. The boquerones (recent anchovies) at Txepetxa are legendary.
Warren nails pintxos tradition when he says it’s all concerning the social context.
“Lining the streets of the outdated city, everyone seems to be there to have enjoyable, between the barmen, the locals and guests, making a full of life camaraderie crammed with wine, meals and chattering.”
As if the culinary gods hadn’t blessed San Sebastian sufficient with Michelin stars and pintxos bars, there are additionally scores of artisanal producers dotted all through.
The central meals market is a treasure trove of native produce, specifically the rightly well-known jamon iberico de bellota (ham from acorn-fed pigs).
In these temporary pauses between consuming a few of the world’s best meals, it’s value taking a stroll on the gorgeous seashores or promenade, consuming within the sea air and gorgeous vistas and dreaming of being a donostiarra.
Arzak, Avda. Alcalde Elósegui, 273, Donostia, San Sebastian, Spain; +34 943 278 465
San Sebastian Meals, Lodge Maria Cristina, Republica Argentina Kalea, 4; +34 943 42 11 43
This text was initially revealed November 2014 and has been up to date.