Day 6: San Sebastian Part 2
Lunch at Arzak was nothing short of amazing. We were lucky to spot the legend himself, Juan Mari Arzak coming out of his van before the start of service. He was a huge influence in preserving Basque cuisine, yet still push the boundaries to what the food is known for today. His daughter, Elena has taken over the throne as the 4th generation Arzak. Instead of going with the recommended tasting menu, we selected several half portioned dishes which was better suited for sharing.
Everything was excellent from start to finish. The appetizers such as the thinly sliced sweet breads and the seafood puree on crab shaped crackers were full of depth and complexity. We shared two divine seafood entrees: the prawn appearing to hide under a rock was a perfect example of Arzak's playful nature. The lobster with splashes and smears of different colored dressings revealed a sophisticated, artsy side. The meat entrees of pigeon and lamb were both cooked medium rare with their respective delicious sauces. But we found the oozey Arzak egg with bacon bits and tasty mushrooms the most memorable dish of them all.
Before our dessert, we were granted a tour of the back of the house. The kitchen was busy prepping and plating the last entrees of the day. We were introduced to Jones who took us immediately to the upstairs cellar where they house nearly one hundred thousand wine bottles from 3000 different vineyards. The oldest wine was from 1918 but he stated it's not the most pleasant to consume, as the quality of taste is similar to vinegar. They only keep the older wines for historical purposes.
Lastly we were provided the opportunity to explore the Arzak lab. This is where the team of chefs, chemists and a nutritionist test out new recipes until they meet the approval of the Arzak family. It was very interesting to see the different devices and equipment used to extract and promote desired flavors. There's even a shelf of what it must have been several hundred spices, each labeled with specific barcodes for easy access to information like name and origin.
For dessert, we had a variety of long thinly sliced chocolates, arranged in a way to look like a campfire. We absolutely appreciated the balance between the smoky flavored foam mezcal and sweet raspberries. We ended our spectacular lunch with chocolate frogs with different fillings like avocado, curry and caramel. It pays tribute to the relatively rare frogs in the San Sebastian area.
Unfortunately, Juan Mari Arzak was forced to leave the restaurant early due to "unforeseen circumstances." However we did have the pleasure of meeting his daughter Elena who was so down to earth and friendly. We wished her a belated happy birthday and she gladly informed us that she just turned 50 years old. Both her and her 77 year old father look great for their age. You can tell she was genuinely happy to see visitors from all over the whole exploring her native city. Similar to our encounters with other amazing chefs, this will be a memory to cherish forever.
Later in the evening, we continued our pinchos crawl until our bellies couldn't take any more food. We consulted multiple articles from Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown website and concur with recommendations of the mini hamburger and banana chips from A Fuego Negro, as well as Borda Berri's beef cheeks, pig's ear and creamy risotto. Saturday is our last full day in San Sebastian before we head back to France. We plan on going to the beach and finishing the last few pincho bars on our list. It's hard to believe a week has gone by. But we are very excited to see what week 2 has to offer.