Pintxos
Filed under: Food in Spain
My ambition to visit San Sebastian has finally been realised and it proved to be one the most extraordinary and colourful culinary experiences I have ever encountered. The following posts will attempt to capture some of the highlights, notably - a knockout meal at Arzak, a challenging and eye-opening experience at Mugaritz, a simple yet sublime meal at an exceptional fish restaurant called Kaia, where I had my first taste of elvers, baby eels which resemble little worms (thanks for the recommendation Monkey Gland ) and finally a tapas style crawl round the bars of San Sebastian.
The culinary adventure begins with a painfully early start ensuring that we arrive in the city in time for a spot of lunch. Depositing our luggage at the remarkably beautiful Villa Soro we venture onto the streets of San Sebastian looking for our first culinary fix.
We embark on a distinctly Spanish ritual known as txikiteo which entails going from bar to bar, drinking wine and devouring pintxos, small tapas style Hors d’Oeuvres which the bar owners proudly display at the front of their bars. We are confronted with an array of exquisitely colourful bite-size creations which have rightly earned the name “miniature cuisine.” Slices of oily, sweet iberian ham rest atop a selection of delicate pastries and breads. Fish and seafood, which is a speciality of the region, features heavily too. I am introduced to a tortilla sandwich by my friend Lauren who developed an addiction to them after living in Madrid. One of my favourite and most knowledgeable foodie companions Andrew, who kept me entertained all weekend with lurid details of his sex drive and toilet habits, waxes lyrical about a sausage which resembles black pudding - declaring it one of the finest he had ever tasted.
It would have been easy to have carried on gorging all afternoon however we had to restrain ourselves as we had a 7 course meal awaiting us later that evening at Arzak. Instead we wander round San Sebastian, first strolling along the sea front where surfers brave the waves and then into the old quarter with its cobbled, narrow streets
Our trip coincides with the build up to carnival, locals nonchalantly saunter past dressed in all manner of get-ups ranging from bee costumes to Arab Sheikhs. Needless to say it is a surreal experience which is heightened by San Sebastian’s bizarre, eclectic architecture which embraces an interesting mixture of styles ranging from Gothic to ultra contemporary. In many respects this is a city of contradictions. It has a dark almost sinister feel due to some of its austere structures yet it is counter balanced with a lightness and energy by virtue of being so near to the sea.
It becomes increasingly apparent why such an interesting and experimental food movement developed in this particular region. It has a real magic and strange appeal to it, one that would reveal itself to me over the coming days.
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mmmm, pintxos / tapas. love that sutff. i wish i could do that here in NYC. going bar to bar and having all these great little foods. great site. i love the pic of the chix
Comment by Gustad Mody 02.27.06 @ 5:23 pmI wish I could go to NYC, Gustad! 
I’ve never been there…yet.
Let me suggest you one website about pintxos, it is www.todopintxos.com You may take a look at meny other photos about pintxos.
Enjoy!
Comment by Pintxolari 02.27.06 @ 6:57 pmThanks for letting us crash your party, GastroChick. San Sebastian was wondrous, weird, inspiring, and delicious. I can still taste the turbot.
Comment by Lauren McLaughlin 02.27.06 @ 9:56 pmyeah they can get a bit pricey, but having said that 80 euros is a bit steep! those wily Basques!
Comment by Monkey Gland 02.27.06 @ 9:56 pmOn our last visit, we had some great morcilla (blood sausage) at La Cepa, a bar better known for its ham (don’t worry we didn’t forgo the ham) in the old city. I’d like to think a taste for morcillas made me appear more like a local, but in fact, an American woman near us turned to her Spanish friend and asked what we were having. Her friend replied to the effect that it was not something she’d eat. “Who knows what they put in there,” were more like her exact words.
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glad that I kept you entertained rather than disturbed and offended. The blood sausage really was incredible, it was called a Murcia the guy said. The thing that most impressed me was after I tasted it I noticed the owner was watching for my reaction as he was so proud of the sausage that he’d made himself and he seemed very happy that I’d enjoyed it so much. This was the case everywhere we ate, the people who’d made the food were so proud of it and happy to be serving it to you. These are people who really respect and love food and in my book, that makes them the best kind.
Comment by andrew 02.27.06 @ 2:57 pm