What’s the Best Meal You’ve Ever Had?

Have you ever been asked “what’s the best meal you’ve ever had?” And, did an answer come to mind immediately, or did you have to think about it? We spent a week in Spain with some friends and ate many, very delicious things. There were pintxos that I’ll never forget like the foie gras with cranberry from Cafe Bar Bilbao; the Gildas that appeared everywhere which are made with a guindilla chile and an olive with an anchovy fillet draped between them, all skewered on a pick; and the little, sandwich-like pintxo at Bar Martinez made up of squares of toasted bread layered with tuna, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato salad, and topped with a shrimp. The wedges of tortilla seen wherever pintxos were offered made simply with eggs, potatoes and onion, although there were options with added mushrooms or chorizo as well, were so, so good. There were croissants from Galparsoro bakery, cheeses like Idiazabal and Cabrales made nearby and sold at the local market, and fresh mushroom varieties that I never see at home. And, the food was always accompanied by a lovely, local wine like Txakoli, Rioja, or Albarino. During this week of incredible food, there were two meals that I have to describe in more detail. One of them has become my answer to the above question, and when asked, I won’t need to think about it.

I’ve posted a few more photos from our trip on my Facebook page. First, we spent a day in Bilbao, and we visited that beautiful museum that I’ve read about since before it was even built.

Then, we drove to San Sebastian where we spent a week in an apartment on Paseo de Ramon Maria Lili. It was situated right between the two bridges that cross the River Urumea as it empties into the Bay of Biscay. It was an easy walk to the Parte Vieja, La Concha beach, and bars, cafes, shops, and markets.

The first meal I want to talk about was lunch at Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo-Bizkaia which is about an hour away from San Sebastian by car. Other than the use of grills, wood ovens, and specifically chosen wood for cooking at Etxebarri, the other thing I repeatedly read about this restaurant was that everyone gets lost on their way there. We did too. Our little detour only made us 20 minutes late, and we were still greeted warmly. The restaurant is in an historic building with a backdrop of mountains and a winding country road. The bar is on the first floor with the dining room above.

We tasted several things since I ordered some dishes a la carte, and everyone else ordered the lunch tasting menu. Surprisingly, the flavor of smoke wasn’t evident in every dish. I started with a very generous serving of decadent goose liver terrine served with thinly sliced pieces of toasted cornbread and a pear sauce. There were prawns that were perfectly cooked over wood fire, and those did offer a subtle hint of smoke that somehow didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the prawns. They were perfectly, just cooked through. I loved the lobster salad which was simpler in execution that I thought it might be, but the flavors were outstanding. The vegetable course was a smoky eggplant puree topped with porcini caps. One of the favorite items we tasted was the hake with leeks. Some of the things I didn’t manage to photograph were grilled bread topped with a grilled anchovy that made us want to raid the kitchen to demand more, and the steak that was the defining dish of cooking over a wood fire. Desserts included a delicious ice cream made with reduced cream and served with “red fruits” as it was explained on the menu, and a white chocolate souffle that had a toasty, crispy surface that contrasted nicely with the sweet, melted interior. This was a leisurely, long lunch, but the service felt slow and the flow of flavors from one course to the next got lost in the waiting. Although we loved everything we tasted, we can’t describe the experience without some quibbling.

A couple of days later, we visited Arzak, listed as the eighth best restaurant in the world, for dinner. I didn’t bring my camera for this meal. I just wanted to enjoy it without documenting each bite at the same time. The photos shown here were provided by Arzak. We took a taxi, and as the car stopped in front of the restaurant, the front door opened and we were welcomed and shown inside. Our umbrellas were taken and stored for us, and we were immediately shown to our comfortable table.

The sommelier guided us through the wine list and helped us choose a couple of very nice wines from nearby regions. Then, without further ado, we were each poured a glass of the house Txakoli, which was fantastic, to go with a parade of amuse-bouches. There were long picks holding shrimp wrapped in crunchy kataifi that projected off a vertical support; an unbelievably good corn soup with morcilla; an upside-down crushed Schweppes can that served as the plate for a tiny, chorizo mousse-filled, delicate pastry called “Chorizo with Tonic;” and there were sardines with strawberry which was an uncommonly good combination. I think I’m forgetting one or two other amuse-bouches. I was too delighted to keep track of them all.

We all chose the dinner tasting menu, and there were options for all but one course. I was thrilled to be able to choose dishes with no red meat for the entire meal. The first course, shown in the top photo of this post and above, was a crispy cone made of manioc and filled with a foie gras mousse with huitlacoche. We were instructed to use our spoons to pick up the cones and keep the filling inside and then to bite into them. They were rich, delicious, lovely things, and Kurt suggested I learn to make them and serve them for dinner at home every Tuesday. I’d love to. The meal progressed with perfect timing and impeccable service. One course included a “dusted” sous vide egg with shrimp powder and a plump, little mussel. There was a tapioca salad with citrus and a course of white tuna with prickly pear and figs. I ordered the pigeon which was served with tender slices of breast meat, on which the skin had been crisped, sitting on a purple “anthocyanin” sauce topped with long pieces of chives. The pigeon legs were served on a separate, little plate with hibiscus pudding. Every single flavor complemented the others, and I’ve never been so happy with a course of fowl.

There were two desserts per person, and the males received different desserts than the females did. Each was a plate made up of components with a dish of a ice cream or sorbet on the side. After a chocolate column filled with a fruity pastry cream, toasted garlic slices, and edible flowers held in place with tiny dots of more pastry cream among other little chocolate confections on the dessert plate, my palate was cleansed by a basil sorbet. My next dessert was served on a clear, glass, rectangular plate that was set on top of a same-sized rectangle of colorful art. There were more little components across the plate including a bright, red, jellied ladybug that burst with a creme fraiche-like filling. The passionfruit and banana sorbet with that dessert course was fantastic. Last, our check came with a silver platter of chocolates molded into shapes of nuts and bolts.

Both Elena and Juan Mari Arzak came out to talk with us at different points in the meal. They were both extremely friendly and kind. As we were leaving, the chefs were saying goodbye to diners and happily taking photos with groups. The two of them were so approachable and sweet, we forgot for a moment what incredible talents they both are in the culinary world. Before we stepped out the door that was being held open for us, our umbrellas were returned as we were thanked and told buenas noches. And, that, undoubtedly, was the best meal I’ve ever had.

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