Warning – if you don’t care about food then don’t continue. This post will describe a perfect meal in great detail, very great detail. You have been forewarned.
The title of this post is about more than one thing… it really pertains to our last 24 hours. Last night was our final evening in San Sebastian and we couldn’t have ended it on a better note. San Sebastian is known for it’s food and has more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than any other city. We ate in one last night called Bodegon Alejandro and it was, simply, incredible. Again, if you don’t care about food than skip ahead because I’m about to describe everything we ate.
We started with an amuse bouche of watermelon-tomato gazpacho in little shotglasses that came with delicious homemade crackers. We didn’t order these but we made sure the kids tried everything that came (in an attempt to ‘broaden’ their palates). The colour was beautiful and they were interested at first, but they both made quite an interesting face after tasting it. Admittedly gazpacho has a unique taste – I quite like it but I can understand if you don’t. They thoroughly enjoyed the crackers though. Then came our appetizers.
Wow.It had taken us a long time to decipher the menu – it was in Spanish but described things we’d never heard of so with the help of our very patient waitress we felt confident with our choices. I ordered ‘country style tomato salad’ which was the plainest looking thing you’ve ever seen. A bowl of cut up tomatoes – but it was absolutely amazing. Simple oil and vinegar with rock salt on top… but the flavour was indescribable. Jeff ordered ‘fried peppers’ and was presented with a plate of teeny green fried peppers that resembled tiny jalepenos. We were told to eat them with our fingers and that we did… they were so good! If we could’ve licked the plates clean we would have – that’s how delicious it was. Plus we had a local white wine that complemented everything perfectly, and to add an extra layer of delight it cost about $10 for the bottle!
Okay, on to the main course. I had ‘cod with mussel juice’ which I must say sounds a lot better in Spanish than it does in English. Regardless of the language, it was perfectly cooked and very tasty. Jeff had (brace yourself if you have issues) veal cheek. Let’s just say he didn’t need the knife they provided him with, and I can’t deny that it was amazing. It was unbelievable. Oh, and on the side we had fresh baked bread and I don’t think we left a crumb! The kids had the ‘plat infantil’ (kid meal) of carne con patatas fritas – glorified steak and French fries which they both loved. They skipped the included ice cream (I know, crazy!) because they wanted to go to the fancy candy store down the street. Chloe actually told that (in her gr.3 Spanish) to the waitress who was very pleased by the interaction. (As an aside note, anyone who has been annoyed by Jeff and my attempts at Spanish have been completely won over by the girls and their usage of the language. We have received very good service and we have them to thank!!)
Okay, dessert. Oh my Gaaaawwd. Jeff had ‘spicy peach gnocci with coconut ice cream’. I know, what the hell is that? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like and it was crazy delicious! It really was spicy peach gnocci, I have no idea what they were made of but they were so pleasing and they contrasted beautifully with the ice cream. I had ‘junket foam’. What is junket foam?? I’m not really sure but it had the consistency of really light foam that held it’s own shape but…. Indescribable. It also had a cruncy top like crème brulee so it was reminiscent of a fluffy, whipped foam crème brulee I guess. But not. So strange, but so good! Finished off with coffee con leche and a smile.
It was so, so good, and the price was very reasonable. They also included all those fancy ‘extras’ that really nice restaurants add on - like the little gazpachos at the beginning, homemade chocolates at the end, and a little aperitif of something we didn’t recognize with little honeycakes. At a comparable restaurant in Calgary we’d pay double what we paid last night. What a way to end a stay in a beautiful city!
So, in a nutshell, I would definitely recommend San Sebastian as a destination vacation. But, that’s only if you love good food and beautiful beaches. If you’re more interested in fishing or shopping, well… oh wait, they have that too!
Cue giggle and a smile…
It absolutely sounds delicious and somewhat exotic. What fun that the schooling in Spanish is paying off. I can just imagine the confidence that the kids acguire from speaking up where their parents can't.
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