“For pure, unadulterated food porn, this is one of our more high-test offerings. Jamon, wild mushrooms, perfectly grilled turbot, the last squid of the season—everyday eating feels like one long bounce from one great little place to another.” – Bourdain on San Sebastian
It’s hard to argue the wonders of Spain and their foodways. Anthony Bourdain has been hitting San Sebastian since the first season of his first show, A Cook’s Tour, because goddamn does the food look amazing there. This week’s Parts Unknown sees Bourdain hitting some of his favorite old haunts with his favorite old Basque food allies.
San Sebastian has long been one of the great food centers of Europe. Their perfection of apple ciders, pintxos (small plates akin to tapas), all things seafood, and dino-sized steaks are just the tip of the culinary iceberg that is Basque cuisine. So let’s live vicariously for a moment with Bourdain, then plan for our own long, hot summer days eating our way through Basque country.
GANBARA
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Ganbara serves Basque Pintxos. These are small plates of delectable local dishes like forest mushrooms with an egg yolk or sardines soaked in local olive oil or bites of freshly caught fish, grilled to perfection. And that’s just the beginning of a veritable smorgasbord of food. Pintxos spots like Ganbara are found all over San Sebastian, but this is probably the best among them.
ELKANO
Elkano knows its way around seafood. Their signature dish is an expertly grilled turbot fresh from the sea. Another is a prawn and its head both cooked separately to ensure perfection. Although simplicity reigns supreme in the region, an exacting precision that coaxes amazing depth and flavors from every ingredient is what makes it a food paradise.
ARZAK
At Arzak Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter, Elena, have created the pinnacle of new Basque cuisine. Their playful and masterfully artful presentation of classic Basque ingredients is at the mountaintop of bucket list meals. Where places like Ganbara represent everything Basque food is, Arzak represents everything it can be with a constantly evolving menu.
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CASA UROLA
There a truth to a lot of cuisine in Spain where even at your average lunch spot you’ll find fantastic representations of lovingly-made dishes. Casa Urola is one of those spots. The food is decidedly Basque and on the surface straight-forward. But the technique, love, and thought that goes into every dish makes eating at a place like this a pure joy — even at what looks to the outsider to be an “average” spot.
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RESTAURANT LA FERME OSTALAPIA
Bourdain’s next stop is over in the French Basque country. While the ingredients are analogous to those on the other side of the border, the technique varies with accents that are unabashedly French. La Ferme Ostalapia is a franco-Basque wonderland of fresh seafood, fire-grilled hunks of meat, along with terrines of blended meats, and plenty of wine to wash it all down.
ETXEBARRI
By now a pattern should be starting to emerge. Etxebarri hits the Basque marks with decisive aplomb and exacting kitchen skills. Amazing dino steaks grilled over wood? Check. Exacting seafood cooked in a way that allows the animal to shine? Check. Spicy and fatty pork in sausage or ham form? Check and check.
Extebarri does Basque food right — thoughtful execution with the pretense lefft at the door and replaced with loving devotion to a local flavors. Deliciousness reigns.
