Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Pintxos in San Sebastian

I am horrible at making decisions.

This applies to most areas of my life, but is especially in choosing what to order at a restaurant. I can deliberate over the menu for a very long while without actually making any choices. Luckily, I’m currently in San Sebastian: no need to make decisions when pintxos are abound.

Going out for pintxos is more than just going out for dinner here. It’s a social thing: San Sebastian is a tiny city, and when you know the right spots, you’re likely to run into people as you go. You can have a little bit of your meal with several different groups of friends and make sure you’re getting the best version of every pintxo there is to offer. Of course, going to the best places also means you may run into crowds, but that’s OK… there’s more than enough space to wedge yourself between two people you don’t know.

Most bars in San Sebastian have some sort of pintxo on offer, even if it’s just one Spanish tortilla cut into wedges on the bar. However, the best ones have a variety of options, hot and cold, to have with a nice caña (beer) or txacoli (Basque sparkling white wine).

The hot options are usually written on a chalkboard on the wall, while the cold options are laid out for you to see on the bar. Ask for un plato and get started choosing: every bar has a different way of keeping track of how many you’re taking, but most of them can just remember by watching you.

If you’d rather make your tapas experience into a sit-down meal, you have a few options. One is to order raciones. These are simply larger portions of tapas designed to share with more than one person. The racion above is fried potatoes with lomo (pork), red peppers and green peppers, and it’s absolutely sensational–those green peppers have become a staple of my diet here.

Another option is to go to a pintxo restaurant as opposed to a bar. Here, you’ll sit down and have your food brought to you, much like in a sushi bar (i.e., you can keep ordering more as you go). These places are slightly more expensive than your average tapas bar… by that I mean maybe one or two euros more per pintxo than a regular place (5 euros tops per piece). You can still get a $75 value meal from a similar quality restaurant in New York for about 20 euros.

One of my favorite places to go for a meal like this is called Aloña Berri. It’s in Gros, the city that faces the Zurriola beach, and is an easy walk from the Parte Vieja of San Sebastian. Pretty much everything I tasted left me wanting more, but luckily, I had other dishes on the way!

This one, from Aloña Berri, is sea urchin purée served in the shell with red caviar. It tasted exactly like the sea… if you like oysters, you’ll love this.

I generally tend towards seafood dishes here in San Sebastian–everything is so fresh and delicious. I was persuaded by friends to try this beef cheek at Aloña Berri, though, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and just the right amount of meat to get all the flavors and not leave you stuffed.

Foie gras, called simply foie here, is a popular pintxo: pretty much every bar has some version of it, usually served with a sweet counterpart, like apple, marmalade, honey or membrillo. This one had an apple glaze and was very rich (and very cheap… less than 5 euros!)

Seared tuna was served with green beans and veered slightly away from the Asian preparation I’m used to.

I loved the preparation of this crab, served in the shell. I can’t extoll the seafood here enough… everything I’ve had is just amazing!

This dish was the star: this txipiron (baby calamari) comes with an arancini rice ball, a spun sugar-chile wafer, the txipiron itself and hot broth in a glass. The waitress explains the order in which to eat them (arancini, wafer, txipiron, broth)–it’s an experience worthy of any top molecular gastronomy restaurant! As my dining companion said, “It’s sweet then hot then bitter then sweet, and it’s just like, ‘play with me!'” (Anonymous to protect the innocent: I can’t hold it against you it if amazing food turns you into a poet.)

While eating at a pintxo restaurant is an amazing dining experience that should not be missed, my favorite part of pintxos is the social aspect. It’s so impressive to watch the waiters, who also serve as line cooks of sorts. They cut bread as easily as if they were opening a door and deal slices of cheese and ham onto plates as so many decks of cards.

They know what you’ve ordered long after taking ten other requests, and they don’t write anything down. They remember everyone’s face–“Otro chico, ¿no?” Another guy… right? I’ve heard as a friend comes to the bar to pick up the pintxos his buddy ordered. I’ve waited tables before… I know what it is to have to remember. But even I can’t fathom this.

I love to watch them pour glasses of txacoli the traditional way: from up high so that the bubbles froth through the drink.

It’s for this that most of my pintxos dinners happen in the actual bars, where the food is laid out in front of you and locals sit and chat over a beer and a cigarette or a pack (it’s still legal to smoke in bars in Spain). You may have to elbow your way to the front, but once you do, it’s worth it.

Cold pintxos can be very alluring, especially in the summer months. Many of them are topped with some sort of mayonnaise, which I have to admit, I usually scrape off. The combination of colors and flavors always draws me back though, especially because the quality of everything is just so good. This one came from a bar called Senra: the Spanish ham and smoked salmon together were a surprisingly delicious combination.

I love pintxos that can mix sweet and salty: this one, from the same bar, combined fried cheese with raspberry jam and a sweet, honey-like spread.

In the end, though, I almost always turn to hot pintxos: I took a tip from the locals and tried them, and because so many of them have to be made to order, this is really where you can see this local cuisine shine.

This one comes from one of my favorite pintxo bars in the Parte Vieja: Cuchara de San Telmo. This bar is always packed to the gills, but you can take your plates outside once you receive them and enjoy them on the terrace. This particular bite is one that I always order: vieira or scallop wrapped in bacon and grilled a la plancha.

Beef cheek is on all the menus in San Sebastian, so we tried it again at this place: once again, melt in your mouth tender and delicious, with mashed potatoes to boot!

I always gravitate towards any seafood, but pulpo, octopus, is one of my favorites–literally every pintxos bar here has some form of octopus on the menu, and the one at La Cuchara doesn’t disappoint: perfectly tender and tasty with braised cabbage alongside.

Just down the street is one more bar that I love: Casa Gandarias. The gambas here are amazing and succulent, with a mixed vegetable salsa over the top.

If you still have room for dessert (make room!) try the tarta de queso at La Viña. It’s nothing like American-style cheesecake, as you can probably tell from the photos, but it’s sweet and creamy and perfect to share: for 4 euros, you get one large piece sliced in two.

Ask the bartender for a DVD (pronounce it day-ubay-day), and he will gladly give you one that features several of this bar’s famous recipes, including the one for the cheesecake.

Of course, don’t take my advice: simply walk down the streets of Parte Vieja, and you’re sure to find some of your own favorites!

Addresses:

Aloña Berri

c/ Bermingham, 24

Senra

c/ San Francisco, 32

La Cuchara de San Telmo

Abuztuaren Hogei ta Hamaikako Kalea 28

Casa Gandarias

c/ 31 de agosto, 23

La Viña

C/ Abuztuaren 31-KO 3