drink seco issue no. 3
The Basque Country, what to drink, where to eat, Gerald's Bar, a trip down memory lane to a winery
Lucky #7
Welcome back to another edition of Drink Seco! This week I’ll be giving some recommendations for all things food and drink in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. This is my 7th time in this city and it’s starting to feel a little more like home. More importantly for you, I think I’m now slightly qualified to give some local-ish recommendations.
Give me a few more years and I’ll be one with the locals walking around with a ridiculous tan year-round, a pintxos bar regular, all with the effortlessly cool attitude that can only come from living by the sea, and the knowledge that you’re eating better than most of the world. As we speak, I’m taking retirement notes from the woman in the apartment opposite us, who spends pretty much all her day on the balcony, same outfit, same spot. A rare consistency in this life.
The Basque Country
Straddling Spain and France, San Sebastian is part of Basque Country, an autonomous region known for incredible food, beaches, and unique history. A place where food is serious business- which you might guess given it has the highest concentration of Michelin-star restaurants in Europe. As I’ve been taking a bit of a “mental health break” from fine dining, I’ll be sticking more to the local spots and some personal favorites here. Not to mention you could quite easily use google if it’s the stars that you’re after.
The history of the culture, language, and people is, for the most part, lesser known! The jagged coastline historically made it difficult for invasion so it largely remained culturally untouched. Interestingly, Basque or ‘Euskara’ is the oldest living language in Europe, and is linguistically so different from French, Spanish, or any other language. In day-to-day life here, it’s quite common to hear a multitude of languages spoken, and even more common to hear folks mix some Basque vocabulary into their Spanish. It’s been quite tricky for me as I’m navigating my fifth week of intensive Spanish classes!
Likewise, Basque cuisine is quite different from Spanish cuisine, especially the well-known Spanish dishes that primarily come from Southern Spain. While you can see some of the French influence, Basque cooking is ultimately rooted in simplicity and a passion for what is fresh and local (think amazing seafood).
This time round in San Seb Kate and I were very conscious to cook at home, stay in, and see what it would feel like to plant some roots, work, and live, rather than be on holiday. This turned out to be a slightly harder task than expected when you’re surrounded by incredible restaurants, beaches, mountains, and culture. Even home cooking is exciting when everything in San Sebastian is so fresh. We seem to frequent one of the two main markets here daily. La Bretxa, near El Parte Vieja, is a wonderful stop for your seafood, chicken, and red meats. San Martin has been our primary stop for fresh vegetables hailing from the Basque Country and some specialty items as well. One could certainly make an argument that they both offer everything you would need, but sometimes we just like to get more steps in!
I will say though, for all my praise of Basque food, they could take a note from the Spice Girls and Spice Up their Life, as you are pressed to find anything spicy in Basque cuisine. However, the benefit of this not being my first el rodeo was that we came prepared with a few bottles of tabasco… I’m not kidding.
Pintxos Hopping
In San Sebastian, the culture is less that of slow, long-course dining. Instead, it's a culture of pintxos bar hopping, called txikiteo. Pintxos are small finger foods usually served on a toothpick or bread, a Basque country specialty. Each bar has its own infamous dish and a night out in San Sebastian requires a ‘choose your own adventure’ path based on the delicacy you’re after. While it’s hard to go wrong anywhere in San Sebastian, I’ve put together a small list of my favorite bars in el Parte Vieja and their specialty if you’re ever in the area:
La Cepa- go for the jamon. It’s mouthwatering. If you like what I like, your order for you plus one would be “un media ración de Jamon Iberico y dos sidras”.
Bar Txepetxa- go for the anchoas y boquerones (anchovies) and grab 2 per person with a cool glass of Manzanilla sherry!
Borda Berri - this is a well-known spot but after frequenting it for years, it still hits the same… so while it’s quite touristy, I’d still recommend it to anyone.
As always, follow the locals and the oldies- always impeccably dressed and holding the secrets to the best humble bars for each delicacy.
There is truly no comparison to the US when it comes to growing old in a place like San Sebastian. As a generalization, I’d say growing old here and in most western European countries comes with grace, pleasure, and honest simplicity that is lacking elsewhere. I’m constantly surprised to see old couples still in love, holding hands down the street, pintxo bar hopping, topless at the beach, or sitting around with friends for drinks, coffee and cards. The culture and approach to growing old is completely different and honestly refreshing. If growing old looks like this, I welcome it with open arms!
The Donostia Beverage Staples
It would be remiss of me to talk about txikiteo without talking about sidra or txakoli, two essential Donostia bar drinks. If you’re getting confused with all the ‘tx’ words, I won’t get started on the pronunciation (American English brain blown)...
Sidra is the traditional hard cider from Basque Country. Forget everything you know about cider because sidra is bound to break it. With a huge history and tradition dating back to the first century, sidra has a strong, dry, tart flavor. It’s nothing like the sweet sparkling cider we’re used to. To make sidra, apples are harvested in autumn and then left to ferment for 6 months with only the natural apple yeast. When the sidra is ready, everyone gathers around for txotx (the tradition of drinking the first sidra of the year) drinking it straight from the barrel, before it is bottled. So. much. fun. The txotx season starts in mid-January and ends in April. The menu is the same for all and consists of txuleta (basically a high-marbled rib-eye cut), cod tortilla, cheese, nuts, and more.
The Spanish do everything with a flare, and the practice of drinking sidra is no different (although I must say this next part isn’t all for looks). To pour a glass of sidra (which btw is very small, so, no, your bartender doesn’t hate you) you pour from a great height to allow for air bubbles to get into the drink and for you to really taste the flavor.
The other day Kate and I went on the hunt for an off-season txotx experience with a friend of mine and her mum which turned into a bit of an unplanned adventure. We had initially planned on taking a cab to the cider house, but it was the first rainy day of the season, so naturally, there was a cab shortage. San Seb is a city, but a very small city, and after a few conversations with the sparse cab drivers we did meet, phone calls were made and we were smoothly driving just outside the city and into Astigarraga. We had a great time, drank a ton of Sidra, ate txuleta, the whole deal. However, when we went to call a taxi to go home, they wouldn’t come to us because we were JUST outside of Donostia. We had to walk down to another sidra house, back down the hill in the pitch dark, post a downpour, with only very loose verbal directions. We definitely thought we were all going to get ‘taken’ (lol). I think I called the poor cab company 3 times to ask… "Cuando van a llegar?” Quite the adventure. Safe to say, next time I think we’ll just bike it!
Also in the Basque drink essentials, we have txakoli, the food-friendly, high-acid, dry wine that has been produced in Basque Country for centuries and no surprise, compliments most basque dishes. The wine received a designation of origin (DO) in 1989 because a small group of winemakers believed it was necessary for preserving their culture. Getariako Txakolina was the first region to gain recognition as a DO and takes a leading role in my wine life. Txakoli is made from two grape varieties, Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza which produce white and red wine respectively. An added bonus is its very low alcohol content makes it a versatile drink for all occasions and a food-pairing staple.
As is the history of most fermented products, Txakoli finds its humble footings as a table wine made by family members for celebrations and holidays. Generations of home-grown winemakers passed down familial techniques while the studies of viticulture expanded. It took a few dreamers to join the globalization that allows people worldwide to savor this special place and its gastronomy.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
I was first introduced to this wine in 2012 when the winemakers, Julian Ostolaza and Itziar Etxeberria, invited me to a private tasting in their winery and home, Txakoli Gañeta. The intimacy in this space is unparalleled, and I can only adequately convey the power behind the experience through taste.
As the tour began, I had fleeting moments of Julian popping corks of unlabeled bottles from their different plots of vineyards, each within walking distance. The espaliered vines reach beyond one's peripheral vision against the cliff sides. They share a romantic seaside view of the Bay of Biscay and gather the aromas of the sea breeze in such proximity. This closeness helps capture the wines' concentrated aromas and flavors, noting sea salt and rock deposit. I still find myself lost in this memory when on a beach at high tide. If you stay long enough, your skin becomes reminiscent of the grape, misted in gentle salinity and minerality.
We found ourselves in a dark and damp room, exposed to nature and the climate, as we continued to drink small sips of the slightly effervescent wine Julian told the story of each bottle from the perspective of the land's terroir. Terroir is how a particular region's climate, soils, and aspect or terrain affect the taste of the wine. Each wine varies in the amount of rain adhered to the soil due to subtle slopes and the direction of sunlight warming the hills.
I vividly remember the smell of yeast and the feeling of the direct heat from the kitchen. Itziar was cooking, baking, and pulling on the tabs of some of Spain's best seafood. There is a bond between these fat-forward, oil-packed sardines and the low abv, high-acid wines that is nothing short of pure bliss.
This experience was as much of a study of people as it was a proper introduction to pairing. Some tinned seafood had little fish, and some had big fish. Some had spicy peppers, and some were seasoned with lemon, herbs, and pickles. My favorite, to this day, were the boquerones. While still sardines, they are cured in vinegar rather than salt, producing a lighter and fresher product. We knifed and schmeared firm and soft Basque cheeses onto Itziar's homemade sourdough bread to soak up the alcohol, dipping bits and pieces of the hard crust into the remaining sardine-flavored oil left in the tins. Itziar fried hot peppers and garlic in olive oil pressed from their land. She mixed this with angulas, a texturally satisfying, meaty baby eel. We gave thanks and clinked glasses and communicated through multiple languages, albeit only sharing one (barely) in common. I felt at home. These three hours in a rustic farmhouse in the countryside between the neighborhoods of San Prudentzio and Askizu shaped the way I live and breathe my passion for food and wine.
The Spirit of Gerald’s
Now, any San Sebastian restaurant and bar recommendations wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Gerald’s Bar. The ultimate local that never loses its charm, has magic you can’t quite put your finger on, and of course undeniably good food and company.
Gerald’s bar, set up by Gerald Diffey and Mario Di Lenno first opened in Melbourne in 2006 and then in San Sebastian in 2014. A night at Gerald’s and you're guaranteed delicious food, great wine and cocktails, and to leave with a couple of new friends and some good stories.
While some make the pilgrimage to Mecca in their life, if you’re from Melbourne and a Gerald’s regular, you instead make the pilgrimage to San Sebastian Gerald’s at least once.
Earlier this September Kate and I were out for dinner at Gerald’s (after much debate about expanding our restaurant repertoire we once again settled on our fav) and we met someone from Melbourne doing just that, a 20-year-old Australian, Rimini, who is currently solo backpacking around Europe for 6 months, and of course, as a Melbourne Gerald’s local, promised Gerald her trip would include a meal at the San Sebastian equivalent. After a long night of sharing food, wine, stories, and laughter it was clear we were gonna be great friends.
Our story didn’t end there, Rimini was staying in a hostel a 45min walk from San Sebastian center in a shitty hostel (god, remember backpacking at 20?), so the next day we decided to take a risk and invite her to spend the week with us and stay in our spare room! The beginning of a hilarious, beautiful week, and a lifelong friendship. And a true testament to the spirit of Gerald’s.
Who needs Italy? (kidding, kidding…)
Perhaps we learned from our lesson from our earlier taxi and sidra adventure because the other weekend, Kate, two friends/fellow chefs, and I instead rented bikes for our culinary adventure and rode to Astigarraga (a recommendation outside of San Seb, radical, I know) and oh lord did we have the BEST pizzas. We talk of them often, and will probably keep dreaming about them until we meet again. The crusts were perfect, thin, and crispy. We had the mushroom and egg pizza, an absolute killer. It came with two egg yolks that we crushed and rubbed all over the pizza. We also ate red pepper, goat cheese, and chive pizza. Again. Amazing. Look at these pictures and drool my friends!
No gatekeeping here, the restaurant was 115 Pizza and we will certainly be back.
Coming Up
Stay tuned for more regional and international adventures as Kate will be learning how to drive a manual! We’re planning on driving through the swiss alps in mid-October and we’re hoping to avoid a Thelma and Louise situation (or to at least be prepared for one).
Although while we’re on the topic of films, I will quickly mention that in other news San Sebastian just had their film festival! While it lacked some of the energy and celebrity gossip of the Venice Film Festival… Don’t Worry Darling cast I’m looking at you… a few big names showed up, Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Ana de Armas to name a few. We made the bold decision to hit an 8:30 am movie, ‘Marlowe’ a Liam Neeson detective movie. It was fun to watch a premiere like that, such a vibe. Much to Kate’s disappointment, Glenn Close, who also had a movie premiering, wasn't spotted in San Sebastian, but maybe this is for the best…
Signing off for the week and sending love!