Index du Forum

aderfp633 · Inscrit le: 27 Sep 2011 Messages: 7915 Localisation: England

{San Sebastian is a haven for foodies}
Seafood reigns in San Sebastian. Whether the popular Gilda pintxo (Basque tapas, or bar snack) made with a salted anchovy, pickled guindilla peppers, a green olive and plenty of olive oil,[url=http://woolrich-outlet-online.blogspot.com]woolrich jackets[/url], tortilla de bacalao (cod omelette), or ttoro (fish soup), seafood is prevalent in restaurants and pintxo bars in the seaside city.San Sebastian (officially called Donostia-San Sebastian) is located in northern Spain on the Basque Coast, which runs southwest from France along the Bay of Biscay.Renowned for the high concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in the area, such as Akelarre, Arzak and Mugaritz, there is plenty at street level, particularly in pintxo bars, to occupy food-oriented visitors as well.Poteo, or bar-hopping, is the way to enjoy pintxos. Do as the locals do, and have one or two pintxos with a small drink (zurrito - a quarter pint of beer, txakoli - sparkling white wine, or sidra - cider), and then move on to the next bar. Pintxos have evolved from simple snacks held together with a toothpick (pintxo means 'spike') to more elaborate small dishes, such as the Hoguera served at Bar Zeruko.Due to an unfortunate pintxo experience during my first visit to San Sebastian in the winter of 1999, "pick your pintxos wisely" was my mantra on my return trip this past autumn. The value of local knowledge cannot be underestimated, especially when choosing a place to eat.Neither my travelling companion, Lara Popic, nor I knew there was so much more to pintxos than what you see sitting on small plates, covering the bar. Dishes within arm's reach are really only the beginning: a whole host of dishes are made-to-order, and typically listed on a blackboard behind the bar.Not to knock the ubiquitous tortillas de patatas (Spanish omelettes) or bocadillos de jamon (ham sandwiches) - I'm a believer that all things delicious have their place - but it took a carefully curated tasting tour to teach us the delights of local ways. While we were eating cod fritters and egg with prawn at Ganbara, we could have also been enjoying made-to-order dishes such as sau-teed mushrooms with egg and prawns, cod cheek with clams, and homemade mamia cheese.San Sebastian Food offers cooking classes, experiences such as culinary tours, Spanish wine tastings, and escapes such as three-and five-day Basque cooking classes.Jon Warren, managing director and founder, was inspired to start the company while working at boutique hotel Villa Soro after arriving from London."What I found was all the clients were coming up to me asking where the best places were. 'Is this touristy or not? We want a local place,' and 'We didn't get what was going on, how do you order the hot things?'" Warren says in an interview. "I could see that this local knowledge, even though there are guide books and the Internet, just having someone on the ground was really added value."Warren proceeded to establish a company that trades on experiences normally out of reach of people just passing through.The pintxo tasting tour we joined was led by culinary guide Lourdes Erquicia, who is fluent in Spanish, Basque and English, and was born and raised in San Sebastian's Old Town. Her passion for her hometown, and its food culture, came through in the history and customs she shared with us, as well as the dishes and wines she selected.
_________________
People watching the forthcoming beginning of the German half of the inhabitants of Berlin are no interested in co-optation

Index du Forum -> Raquettes -> San Sebastian is a haven for foodies