in praise of sardines

San Sebastián - Gastronomic Brotherhood

There's always something exciting happening in San Sebastián/Donostia.  Last week alone, a surfing festival ended, a jazz festival began, beaches were full of sunbathers, streets were (briefly) full of rioters and police...a typical summertime week in this beautiful, slightly crazy city.

On my next to last day there, I had the good fortune to lunch at one of the famous Basque gastronomic societies.  My host was Germán Arrien, director of both the local convivium, or branch, of Slow Food, and of one of the largest gastronomic societies, Cofradía Vasca de Gastronomía (roughly translated as the Basque Brotherhood of Gastronomy).

Gastronomic societies are an institution unique to the Basque country, and particularly to San Sebastián.  In existence for the last century or so, they are a place where men--until very recently, they were exclusively the domain of men--go to gather to cook, eat, drink and discuss cooking, eating, drinking...oh, and occasionally politics.  Germán told me that, typically, even outside of the clubs, Basques spend about half of a conversation discussing epicurean topics, such as where to get the best pintxos or a good recipe for marmitako (a traditional fisherman's stew).  If this all sounds too good to you, don't pack up and sell your house just yet--the typical gastronomic society, like the one we visited, has a long waiting list, with spaces only becoming available when a member passes away.

San Sebastián - tiny, tasty pintxos

La Cuchara de San Telmo

Despite the presence of a veritable constellation of Michelin stars in San Sebastián, I mainly came here to eat pintxos, the local form of tapas. The Basques, and in particular the Donostiarrans, have elevated these small dishes to an art form. Pintxos at the finest bars are haute-cuisine in miniature, tiny culinary jewels akin to the amuse-bouche that begins a meal at the finest restaurants. In fact, their intent is to serve a similar purpose, to whet the appetite before you move onto a sit-down meal at another restaurant. To accompany your pintxos, you generally order a glass of the local txakoli wine or a zurrito, a 6-oz. pour of draft beer.

Some nights, however, pintxos became my entire meal, a progression of courses not unlike a tasting menu, but only costing $2.50-3.50 each. Depending on the place, 6 or 8 would make a satisfying light meal. Throughout my week in San Sebastián, I ate at more than a dozen pintxos bars in the Old Quarter and the Gros neighborhood.

Two bars stood out from the crowd: Aloña Berri in Gros and La Cuchara de San Telmo in the Old Quarter. Interestingly, in atmosphere they couldn't be more different.

San Sebstián - "Hay Sardinas" in Getaria

I had been agonizing over which of the two well-known seafood restaurants I would have my lunch at in the small port town of Getaria, a half-hour bus ride from San Sebastian. Both share nearly identical menus, specializing in fish grilled outside a la parilla (also known as a la brasa), over an open fire. Kaia Kaipe offers a great portside location and the opportunity to eat on their terrace -- but what if that meant it was touristy? Elkano, up the street away from the port, is reputed by some to be slightly better.

Then I spied the sign. "HAY SARDINAS."  That alone was enticement enough for a sardine-lover like myself.  Then when I learned I could have the table with a clear view of the grill, the last available table on the terrace, I knew Kaia Kaipe was the right choice.  I think the waitress was amused when I opted to dine facing the outdoor grill rather than the supposedly more desirable view of the port.

Water is water, though. How often do you get to see a gorgeous 10-foot long outdoor grill built into the side of a restaurant. It's the stuff of fantasies for any grill cook. And I had front row seats to the show.

San Sebastián - Introduction

I am currently in San Sebastián, known in the local Basque language as Donostia. San Sebastián is renowned as a gastronomic wonderland, with more Michelin stars per capita in the immediate vicinity than any other city. Arzak and Martín Berasategui lead the pack with the maximum three stars, Akelarre and Zuberoa with two each and Mugaritz, Fagollada and Miramón Arbelaitz with one a piece.

However, as I've mentioned before, my personal interests lie more in becoming acquainted with the traditional, regional cooking of Spain. San Sebastián has much to offer in this category of dining, too. First, it is the capital of pintxos (roughly pronounced peen-chos), the Basque version of tapas that are reputed to be the best in Spain (although some in Andalucía would no doubt dispute that claim). Second, being a port city on the Atlantic, San Sebastián and, more famously, the nearby town of Getaria are renowned for their restaurants that specialize in freshly caught fish grilled over an open fire. Third, the local men take their traditional cooking so seriously that they have organized gastronomic brotherhoods and compete annually to decide who is the best.

I've decided to divide my posts on the Basque country into several categories, roughly along the lines outlined above. I'll guide you through a tour of my favorite pintxos bars. Then we'll explore the excellent local market, La Bretxa (La Brecha in Spanish), to check out the beautiful fish and travel to Getaria to taste it (I just got back and, yes, they had sardines!). Next, and I'm very excited about this, I managed to snag an invitation to lunch (tomorrow) at the Cofradía Vasca de Gastronomía, one of the Basque gastronomic societies. Finally, I hope to take you along to a meal at one of the area´s culinary jewels (if I can get a last minute reservation).