Dinner at Arzak

After having one of the finest meals at Etxebarri a few hours earlier, we were all excited to have dinner at Michelin 3-star rated Arzak. Naturally our expectations were very high since CNN named the restaurant a top 5 place worth flying for and Anthony Bourdain rated it one of his favorite restaurants. Maybe it was the high expectations or because it followed Etxebarri, but this was certainly one of the most disappointing meals I have ever had. We were served an 8-course chef's tasting menu that included a selection of fried seafood, white asparagus, 2 foie gras courses, prawn, poached egg w/ peas, a sole or red mullet, pigeon, and 2 desserts. The food was entirely too heavy, with a lot of rich sauces and heavy seasonings. The meats were also overcooked. It also seemed like not a lot of thought went into the chef's tasting menu. Two foie gras courses are too much to handle in one sitting. The overall experience, including the service, ambiance, food, and decor was mediocre at best. Below are some photos. The meal was so forgettable I can't even remember the contents of the dishes to caption properly.

The restaurant from the outside.

White asparagus.

The first of the two foie gras dishes.

Poached egg w/ peas in broth. This was my favorite course and one of the better dishes I have eaten this trip.

Prawn.

Sole.

Pigeon.

One of the desserts.

San Sebastian Day 1 - Etxebarri

We caught a Tuesday morning flight from Barcelona to Bilbao and rented a car for our drive through the Spanish countryside on our way to San Sebastian. Half way through the one-hour drive, we stopped off at Etxebarri for lunch. Etxebarri is known for grilling everything they serve, using custom made tools to help grill each item over a special coal. The chef focuses on cooking food that is fresh, prepared simply, and cooked perfectly. For our four hour marathon lunch, we were served an 11-course meal which included homemade chorizo, smoked butter, grilled prawn, goose barnacle, oyster, caviar, baby octopus, purple potato, eel w/ squash, tuna w/ tomato, bone-in rib eye, plus dessert. Because of all the highly positive reviews I've read and watched on TV, going into this meal I had very high expectations. Overall, Etxebarri was one of a very few restaurants that has met my expectation. Here are some photos from lunch:

The first car we rented was a manual transmission VW. Ter burned the clutch so we ended up renting an automatic instead. Hilarious.

Driving through the Spanish countryside.

The menu at Etxebarri.

Homemade Chorizo.

Perfectly grilled prawn.

Smoked Caviar.

Goose barnacles. Definitely the weirdest thing I've ever eaten.

Grilled baby octopus.

Cheese ice-cream w/ wine and mixed berry soup. So good.

Just arrived in Madrid

We just arrived in Madrid after spending four days of non-stop eating in San Sebastian. The seaside town was one of the most beautiful I have ever visited and the food was amazing. We had reservations at 4 of the top 50 restaurants in the world, 3 of them having been awarded 3 Michelin Stars each. In all, we spent 16+ hours eating over the course of 2 days. That was more time then we spent sleeping. The last day was spent walking the narrow streets and sampling the best tapas in the world. I'll write separate posts for each restaurant (Extebarri, Arzak, Mugaritz, Akelarre) later. Here are some pics from our last day in Barcelona.

Standing in front of Sagrada Familia, the most stunningly beautiful of Gaudi's designs.

Climbing the steps of one of Sagrada Familia's towers.

More tapas for lunch. Blood sausage and fries with scrambled eggs.

Larry Lobster Look.

Ter in search of more jamón.

At a comic book store. For some reason there seemed to be many comic book stores near our apartment.

Barcelona Day 3 Highlights

Barcelona is very quiet on Sundays, as most places are closed for the day. However, we were able to walk around much of the city, dedicating most of the day to seeing Barcelona's modernisme architecture. We visited the Palau de la Musica Catalana and several of Gaudi's works, including La Pedrera and Parc Guell. We were also able to have both lunch and dinner at tapas restaurants, and then checking out the Barcelona club scene.

The day started out with each of us believing we should be walking in a different direction.

Rich taking a bite out of a CBO. Chicken, Bacon, Onions from McD's.

Resting after a walk along Passeig de Gracia.

Ter stuck under one of Gaudi's structures on the roof of Casa Mila.

Ter sound asleep in Gaudi's Parc Guell.

Couple pic in front of Parc Guell.

Some really good Jamón for dinner.

Assorted plate of finger foods for dinner.

Tearing up the dance floor.

Group shot of the night.

Dinner at Espai Sucre

Saturday night we had dinner at Espai Sucre. I have been to many restaurants that try to do the things Espai Sucre does, but all have fallen short to the way E.S. challenges your palate. The combination of flavors in a dish is complex, playing on the savory and sweet theme. The chef brings together sweet, salty, sour, and spice so well, each bite is like a symphony in your mouth. One of the more enjoyable dishes was a desert with bread pudding, pineapple, and bacon ice cream. Here are some photos:

Cold soup with Green Apple Agar and Spicy Yogurt Ice Cream.

Extra virgin olive oil cake, white peach, green olive.

Bread pudding, bacon ice cream and pineapple.

Truffle mushroom, butter, hazelnut, cocoa.

Day 2 - Random Photos

Sunday, 24 May, 2009. 2:47am.

Just got back from dinner at one of the most interesting restaurants I have ever been to, followed by a bar, and then late night tapas. A seperate post about the dinner is forthcoming, as soon as I have time to digest mentally and physically. In the meantime, here are some photos from our second day in Barcelona.

Strolling through the Gothic Quarter this afternoon. The weather has been fantastic.

About to have lunch in La Boqueria.

Standing in front of Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf.

What else is new? Ter drunk at dinner.

Group shot at our dinner spot, Espai Sucre.

Spanish graffiti.

Lunch at La Boqueria

Saturday, 22 May, 2009. 7:44pm.

This afternoon we had lunch at Barcelona’s famous Mercat de la Boqueria. The market was insanely crowded and we had to wait a while to get a seat at one of the lunch counters. Luckily the wait was worth it. We enjoyed all types of grilled seafood and washed it down with a nice glass of Fanta and beer.

Grilled Octopus.

The Fanta and beer mixture. I know when I try to make this at home it won’t come out as good.

Grilled whole fish w/ fries.

Baby Clams.

Angela's Birthday Dinner

Saturday, 23 May, 2009. 3:22am.

Tonight we celebrated Angela’s 30th birthday at ABaC. We all decided to try the 9-course tasting menu. For a Michelin rated 2-star restaurant, I felt the food was hit or miss. At 120 Euros per person, we had more food then we could eat. The service was also quite good. However, we experienced our first incident of racism from some of the restaurant’s patrons towards the end of the evening. We didn’t let it ruin our night and overall had a great time. Below are some visual highlights.

Shrimp & Watercress Salad.


Braised veal shank w/ aubergine.

Passion fruit panna cotta w/ rhubarb sorbet.