Leaving Never Never Land...

Crap, is it really February 2012 already? Where has the time gone? I've said it a million times, and yes, I'm saying it once again, the past 6 months have been a crazy whirlwind of ups and downs. Should I recap how I ended 2011?

Where did I even leave off? Wow. Right around my birthday, was it? That far back? I didn't realize it had been that long. This might take a while.

After my birthday, a lot of things started to happen like rapid fire. I previously hinted at a certain chef who threw me a birthday dinner party so delicious I had to wipe my drool off the table... yeah, that chef (*giggles to herself*). Well, as much as we fought it (which is difficult to do in a romantic and beautiful city such as San Sebastian), that relationship started growing into something a bit more... dare I say it... serious...

I mean, come on. HE CAN COOK.

... and he's got some pretty sweet dance moves. Geez.

To be honest, I'm not really that difficult to catch... if you make me laugh, communicate, and feed me (the biggest factor being FEED ME), I'm putty in your hands. But I've never met someone with the same passion, if not a bigger passion for food, than I do.

We ended our summer with some experiences most food-lovers would have wet-dreams about...

End of Summer Slow Down

I don't know where it went, but summer flew by in a blink of an eye. The summer season was intense. A week of fireworks. 60 person barbecues. Six-course pintxos tours that end in massive food comas. Weekly pub crawls that end in massive hangovers. Opening a new reception and chill out area for the hostel. Friends coming. Friends going. Whew. Now that it's calmed down a bit I can take a few minutes to sit down and write about it all.

It's been quite an intense lifestyle change, working at a backpacker's hostel in the small, tourist-packed city of San Sebastián.

I've traded my apartment with an actual bed, my own kitchen, and bathtub that I could actually feel safe bathing in, for a mattress on the floor in a room the size of a closet, a kitchen I share with 40 other people, and waiting in line for the bathroom. It feels a bit like going from the real world back to living in the college dorms.

 

But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Semana Grande in San Sebastian!

If I'm going to jump back into this, I might as well go BIG, right?

Just as well, since yesterday marked the beginning of Semana Grande(Spanish)/Aste Nagusia(Basque) (Literally: "Big Week") in San Sebastian. Semana Grande is a massive 7-day festival full of non-stop concerts, fairs, markets, parades, parties, activities, and spectacles. The city literally erupts with people, and there is something to do and see on every corner. Complete madness. Absolutely incredible.

Uniformed gunmen paraded through the streets while goofy bobble-headed Basque characters danced around and chased kids spanking them on the bum with blown up sheep stomachs. I don't exactly know the meaning behind it... but it was hilarious watching the kids run in terror.

San Sebastian - Paella

 

When in Spain, one usually thinks of paella, right? Earthy, creamy, saffron-infused rice that's speckled with all sorts of ocean creatures. Yeah, I think of it too. A few of us were hungry for a little more substantial meal (pintxos aren't always very filling), so we went in search of a good paella joint. Apparently, San Sebastian is not known for it's paella, but we were determined to find a decent one. I mean, it has to be more authentic than the paella in Paris.

Three of us set out on this paella adventure. Walking through the parte vieja (old city), we took a turn down a small alley-way and stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall that had a menu out front with paella for 10 Euros. Not too bad, we agreed. Plus, the place looked like one of those family run establishments... mother running the register and daughter waiting tables while dad hacks away at huge slabs of beef with a meat cleaver. 

We went inside and sat down in the corner of the restaurant, chatting to each other about just how hardcore the man with the meat cleaver was... and how excited we were about this paella. The daughter-waitress brings us the menus, and before we even open them, lets us ever-so-kindly know that they are out of paella. Of course. Glancing at each another with a look that only says, "Do you think we should leave?" our friend Tim suggests we stay. We were all starving. We can get paella another time. 

The rest of the menu was quite expensive compared to the reasonably priced paella. Both Quentin and Tim ordered appetizers... I think to try and save money, but I went all out and ordered the prawns at 20 Euros a plate. Eeeek. I figured for 20 Euros, I'd definitely get enough food to fill me. I was picturing grilled prawns on a bed of something with a side of something... and after waiting what seemed like forever, our plates started to come out. First came Tim's cured meat. Yes, that's how I'm going to describe it, because he actually thought he was ordering fish... but to his surprise was handed a plate of about 12 thin slices of meat. That's it. Ok, it was an appetizer... so then Quentin's blood sausage came out. A plate of about 8 slices of blood sausage. That's it. 

I was starting to worry about my own plate, not because of the quantity of the food, but because what I had ordered was about three times as expensive as what the guys ordered. I held my breath as the plate made it's way to the table. 

Let me just preface this by saying that I would like to go back to this restaurant again. As my plate hit the table I looked down to see about 10 medium-sized prawns in a neatly grilled row on a clean, white plate. Yep. That was it. No veg, no starch... just 2 Euro a piece prawns staring right back at me. Oh, there was a basket of bread on the table, but we later figured out that we had to pay for that as well. We all looked at each other in utter shock. Did we do something wrong? Is there more food coming that we don't know about? We took our sweet time nibbling on our measly plates and grabbed the bill and got out of there.

Later we were told by Sara, the girl running the hostel, that we went to one of the best restaurants in San Sebastian. That old man with the cleaver? Apparently he's the master of the grill. All we could do was laugh.

Paella count: Zero.

Still starving (what, 10 prawns fill you up?), we figured we would give paella another go. Earlier that night we walked past a place that was advertising about 10 different variations of paella. We hesitated going, as it seemed like more of a chain-restaurant. The back-lit plastic "picture menu" on the wall reminded me of those fast food Chinese joints... and I wasn't very optimistic. But after the ridiculous "meal" we just spent a fortune on, we just wanted a little bite of paella, no matter how bad it was going to be.

I can't even remember the name of this place, that's how much it left an impression on me. The three of us split one order of paella, and ordered some much needed beers. I can't tell you if it was good or not; in crazy starvation-mode I burned my entire mouth on the first bite. I couldn't even taste the rest of my meal. Fail #2.

Still craving paella.

The next day we did what we should have done in the first place. We asked Sara, the girl working at Urban House, for a paella recommendation. Of course, she knew a really good place that wasn't too expensive. We took another friend along to join in the paella-ness. As we got down near the marina, we found the restaurant, Txoko (pronounced "choco") and grabbed a table inside. Being very optimistic, we did it up big... and ordered two plates of fried calamari, paella for four, and a bottle of cider. 

The paella came out, and so did our cameras. 

This thing was beautiful. Steaming, golden-yellow rice with mussels, langoustines, and prawns peeking through... we were so happy.

This time, I made sure to let my food cool down before shoveling it into my gullet. It was delicious. Lusciously rich with bright, fresh crustaceans. Yum. It might not be the best paella in all of Spain, but it was by far the best paella I've had to date. 

So fellow travelers, take my advice. It never hurts to ask a local.

San Sebastian - Pintxos

A breath of fresh air... and a sigh of pure contentment. I don't know how else to describe San Sebastian in words other than to call it perfection.

I'd been planning this trip to San Sebastian for a while now. Yes, being the foodie that I am, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode on Spain sparked my interest in the city... but after reading up on it, it became more than just a food pilgrimage. I'd been having a hard time with the bitterness of the Parisian winter... and images of sandy beaches, sunshine, and waves were calling my name.

We spent the first two nights at Urban House hostel... a homey place with a warmth that overrides the need for a five star breakfast and turn down service. I knew I was in the right place when Sara, the girl working the desk, actually wrote me a list of where to go and what to eat... complete with sketches.

Originally, I was planning on going a little overboard, splurging on the 5+ course tasting menu at the world renowned Arzak. After battling back and forth in my head on whether or not I should spend that kind of money for one dinner, I came to the conclusion of not going. I would much rather spend a little more money on each meal than shelling out the big bucks on one meal and spending the rest of the week eating at McDonald's. Good thing I did.

Pintxos (tapas) are the attraction here. Little 3 Euro bites of pure, unadulterated bliss. In my personal opinion, you don't need to sell your first born to go to all the 3 star Michelin restaurants that are in an earshot from San Sebastian. If you can afford it, hell, go for it. For me, I experienced so much more crawling from bar to bar... eating a few plates here and a few plates there.

Usually at pintxos bars the food is set out on multiple plates along the bar... and you pick and choose as you wish. In some places you have to order as you go - which can be a bit more expensive, but you're most likely getting fresher and better quality food. The first pintxos bar we went to, Borda Berri, is head up by an ex-chef at El Bulli (known to be the greatest restaurant on Earth). To me, that's more exciting than 3 Michelin stars. There were no plates on the bar here... which is usually why it gets passed over by tourists. Thankfully, Sara told us about this place, and exactly what to order.

Risotto Negro con Txipipron... Squid Ink Risotto. Even though it was made with orzo, and not rice, it was still incredible.

Magret de Pato Asado Lentamente... Slow roasted duck breast. Drool.

Vieira Asada con Puré de Coliflor... Scallops cooked perfectly with the smoothest cauliflower puree I've ever had in my life.

... and then there was this:

Carrillera de Ternera al Vino Tinto. Beef Cheeks braised in Red Wine. This literally melts in your mouth. To. Die. For.

For pintxos that look as fabulous as they taste, we headed to A Fuego Negro. With the list from Sara in hand, we ordered everything she wrote down... and then some.

Mini Kobe beef burgers cooked to a beautiful medium rare. If only they were bigger... 

The famous Jamón Ibérico on a crostini with goat cheese and sun dried tomates...

... and enormous green olives with peppers and anchovies. Yum.

Dove breast so tender and juicy, with a wicked presentation. Complete with beet blood splatter and edible bullets.

Risotto like I've never experienced before... full of flavor from all the herbs and with hidden sprinkles of puffed rice, which gave it a surprisingly fun crunch.

... and then there was this chocolate & licorice thing... oh my goodness...

The name of this dessert was called "Regalize It!"... a play on words as the Spanish word "regaliz" means "licorice." A seemingly strange combination, especially in my case as I'm not a huge licorice fan, but once I put it in my mouth, everything clicked. Like an electrified Oreo. Trust me.

There were plenty of pintxos bars we popped into for a bite, but these two were by far my stand-out favorites (and this post would get really long if I talked about every single one). So ta ta for now... I'm breaking up this trip into multiple posts... stay tuned!!!