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La Campagne - outside of Paris- of course! During Bastille Day, Paris fills up with people from the banlieux and outer regions who come to watch the military parade and attend other festivities. It can get really crowded!! If you want to enjoy a nice picnic that day, it is advisable to do this outside of Paris in my opinion.

Sometimes the romantical image that is set upon us gets on my nerves. This is the Internet, and this forum is also read by French people. ← From a French voice too . I agree with everything you said, didn't mean to be offensive, I was just being a little silly...

I guess the project has grown a lot of skepticism the same way the Guggenheim did initially in Bilbao. I was frankly in awe with what I saw in Bilbao, it is simply majestic. As for the Riscal Gehry project, I will have to see it to really understand it I guess. Wendy, we actually also brought a bottle of Baron de Chirel, but a 2000 reserve. We can't wait to open up that baby!! On all counts, La Guardia was the highlight of this visit for us, we certainly enjoyed it as much as you. I have yet to try more Rioja wines since it is never my first choice with food in general. I normally enjoy it alone or with some good sheep cheese. Based on what you are saying, I should definitely experiment a little more. Which other places did you visit during your stay? Did you check out other bodegas?

And i thought the French were culturally sensitive.. , may be it wasn't a French mime..

Bois de Boulogne is actually annexing the western city limits, but it is to many Parisians considered an integral part of the city. I would stay away from the Bois de Boulogne for two reasons: First, many prostitutes who decided to make a living in the area call it "the office", unless you know where you are going you might be in for an unpleasant surprise . Second, the nicer parts of the park such as the beautiful green areas surrounding the lake and islands where the famous Chalet des Iles restaurant is located, can get really busy when it gets warm and Parisians decide to go for strolls or laze under the sun. Although it is nice, you will find no intimacy there. Plus, it is an ideal place for pickpockets. Parc de St Cloud is one option I suggested earlier, I forgot to add the Foret de Meudon just 15 minutes away from Paris which is another option.

Of the three main wine regions (Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Navarra) that we could have visited further south, we picked La Rioja because it was the closest and the most easily accessible. Our time was limited and we had to eventually make the long drive back to Bordeaux. We were a little uncertain at first since before the trip we had heard close to nothing about the region. If given more time, I would have frankly preferred to see the Ribera del Duero, just because I love their wines. As it turns out, we absolutely loved our Rioja journey. The valley where all the vines are grown lies to the northern fringe of the region. It is relatively vast as it stretches from west to east over 70 kilometers of green vines and golden cornfields. Towering mountains enclose the valley on each side. Oddly (odd because the valley looks so arid!!), one can actually go skiing just less than an hour away in the ski resort of Valdezcaray a little further south in the Sierra de Pradilla. We stayed in Haro at the North-western extremity of the valley for the night, a nice little town, very quiet and cozy. The first thing we did before leaving the next morning was to go wine shopping of course in the old part of Haro. We actually found pretty good deals and excellent local wines from smaller bodegas that are not distributed here in the US. On the road somewhere between Haro and Logroño We more or less knew from the get go which wineries we wanted to see - highly advisable given the immensity of the valley. It is important to note also that the highlight of this region does not consist of visiting the wineries alone but also the multitude of Riojan medieval towns, monasteries and sandstone villages which have remained unchanged through the centuries. The beautiful village of La Guardia is probably the best example of this. We stopped in this scenic medieval town for a quick lunch, highly recommended. Other towns I would recommend to visit are San Vicente de la Sonsierra just outside of Haro and Briones which has a wine museum. Moko in "downtown" La Guardia Views of the valley from La Guardia Despite its reputation as the “Robert Mondavi of Spain”, we wanted to visit Marques de Riscal because it is after all one of Spain’s oldest bodega. We could have targeted smaller bodegas but since we didn’t know Rioja wines well enough, we thought Riscal would be a good introduction. The visit was made on appointment only but arrangements could be made the morning off. Although I am not too fond of their wines, it is undeniable that in its 100 plus year history, Riscal was a factor in firmly positioning Spain as one of the world’s major wine producing countries. One interesting thing to note though: when we went to the tourism office in Logroño, which is the political capital of La Rioja, we asked for a map with a listing of bodegas. We looked carefully to see if we could spot Marques de Riscal on the map, to no avail. Strange we thought. The tourism office clarified this mystery when they told us in a rather stern way that Riscal was not in La Rioja but in Alava, Basque country, so they had no information to give us!! As it turns out, quite a few wineries are located in Alava despite their Rioja appellation. I frankly found it a little odd that the Logroño tourism office would print brochures and maps on the “Rioja wine route” without even citing bodegas located in Alava. Driving through the winding country roads located above the Ebro river is quite amusing since you basically cross the Rioja-Alava border about a hundred times. Through our short drive, we must have also seen signs that said Ongi Etorri and Bienvenido (welcome in Basque and Spanish respectively) about a hundred times as well! What I also found surprising (as you may have noted this trip was quite educational) was that despite all its beauty La Rioja is still not today a common tourist destination and for this reason, it is probably still one of Spain’s best-kept secrets. After all some might say, who could blame the millions of tourists who each year would rather enjoy the Mediterranean coastal towns than sweat their butts off in the middle of a sun-drenched bucolic land. Vino!!!! One of the many cellars at Marques de Riscal Nevertheless, it seems that things are changing, or so were we told. For instance, in an effort to develop tourism, a (very expensive) luxury hotel and spa with a gastronomic restaurant is currently being built within the Riscal winery itself. The building was designed by Frank Gehry and will basically look like a miniature replica of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. I think it is due to open sometime later this year. Personally, I am not crazy about the idea, the hotel is fine but a little less eye-catching building would have been more appropriate. I just hope that it won’t kill the charm and almost serene atmosphere that the valley currently enjoys. Last time I was in Spain 5 years ago, I was in Catalunya and in the Granada region of Andalusia. I kept fond memories of this trip but I think this more recent trip to El Pais Vasco was really something else. By all counts, it was an exquisite, scenic, welcoming and delicious experience. I realized through this trip that Basque people are extremely proud of their cuisine, a pride reflected through their colorful markets, energetic tapas bars, and enchanting restaurants of all kinds, many of which have become temples of gastronomy. More importantly, it is reflected with a genuine kindness and generosity. I am eagerly anticipating my next visit…

since you seem to insist so much, and since Mooonsieur Robuchon himself thinks it is one of his favorite bistros, I might be convinced to give it another try . It is of course impossible to draw conclusions based on one night only. But with so many other places to visit, and such a poor first experience, I promised myself not to chance it again... We shall see.

Christopher and Wendy, thank you both for your interest and kind words. To answer your question Christopher, I stayed at the guesthouse I mentionned earlier called Iketxe 20 minutes away from San Sebastian, it was just wonderful and I highly recommend it. Plus, for $50 (that is about 40 Euros I guess), you can't beat it. I found it on this website: www.secretplaces.com. It has an amazing listing of cozy and affordable little inns in Spain, Portugal and Italy. In La Rioja we found a little hotel in Haro, my wife and I found Haro to be quite charming and a great place to start a visit of the Rioja valley. And Wendy, you are absolutely right, I fell in love three times in El Pais Vasco: with the beautiful scenery, the food and with the wonderful people. The latter is especially meaningful to a New Yorker like me, I frankly forgot a thing or two about genuine human kindness Tomorrow, we shall open a bottle of Rioja wine too in celebration of that!!!

Not sure if it was an off night since most of our fellow diners sounded pretty happy with the food (I hate to intrude into other people's conversations but the place is so small and quiet that you can't help it ) I frankly do not remember what my wife and I ate exactly but we left pretty unhappy. A simple matter of personal taste maybe..

First of all, let me congratulate you for your report. It really makes me want to return to the Basque Country and enjoy its food and all the rest. On the zizas: this is the calocybe gambosa (aka Tricholoma georgii), St. George's mushroom, which also receives the common name of perretxico. I'd say that it's called ziza in Guipuzcoa (Donostia and surroundings) and perretxico in Vizcaya (Bilbao and surroundings), but I'm not totally sure about that. Regarding the indigenous condition of this mushroom, it grows in a number of different regions of the country, including La Rioja and Navarra. Nonetheless, it's one of the most appreciated mushrooms in the Basque Country. ← Thanks pedro , I also appreciate the clarification on zizas, with my limited Spanish i really couldn't quite make out what it was exactly.

Parc de Sceaux is indeed beautiful, however if you do not want to go too far out, check out the Parc de St Cloud right behind Boulogne-Billancourt with some spots offering magnificent views of Paris.

In the 7th I'd second Fontaine de Mars and add Cafe de L'Alma on the list. Also Le Troquet not too far in the 15th. Stay away from Le Ptit Troquet, I ate there last month and it was aweful. How they got a Michelin bib gourmand is beyond me.

Lunch at Akelare Akelare is just a 15 minute drive away from the city center. I generally hate to rush through my meals but we only had a few hours to spare since we had to hit the road right after this meal and head towards La Rioja. Nonetheless, we still managed to arrive at the restaurant a little late. Strangely, we could not help but notice that despite our late arrival for a 1:30pm reservation we were the first lunch customers. By 2:45pm, the room was entirely full. The first thing that strikes you when you enter the dining room is the spectacular views of the Bay of Biscay. I could not keep my eyes off the windows as we were being escorted to our table, it is truly stunning. As soon as we were seated to our table, a young hostess rushed towards me with a telephone receiver in hand to tell me that a man was asking for me on the phone. A little taken aback, it took me about two or three seconds to realize what she wanted from me. Since I was miles away from home, I really wondered who would possibly call me in this place, at that time and on that day?? I thought of three “impossibilities”: my dad, my boss, and chef Subijana. Why? I don’t know, but on all prospects I was very far off the mark. Anyhow, I placed the receiver on my ear and after I muttered a timid “Hello?” I heard: “QUE CABEZA TIENES!!!” (where is your head!!). I must have paused a good five seconds… It was Patxi, our host at Iketxe, who called to tell me that upon checking out I had forgotten my jacket in the bedroom closet. I remembered mentioning to Patxi at some point that same morning that we had lunch reservations in a “nice” restaurant in San Sebastian, but how did he find us here? Well…not knowing which restaurant exactly, he simply called up every “nice” restaurant he knew of before he could find us at Akelare. I thanked him profusely and told him that he shouldn’t have gone through some much trouble for just a jacket. This is when he reminded me that our train and plane return tickets were in the jacket. I felt profoundly embarrassed to say the least and we ended up picking everything up the following day coming back from la Rioja on our way to Biarritz. The restaurant offered two different tasting menus, we each picked one. Curdle of fresh green asparagus w/baby green peas and local spring beans. My wife had this dish and thought it was a little insipid. Although it looked pretty and the idea of it all sounded appealing, the partially cooked vegetables weren’t as vibrant as we had expected. The asparagus “coulis-like” curdle was somewhat muted. It just was not as “singing” as we had expected. Steamed Percebes (goose neck barnacle) with Borage. Unfortunately whoever cooked the percebes had a heavy hand with the salt, so it made it quite difficult for me to eat and enjoy. The borage which is to some extent cucumber like in flavor was not noticeable, almost certainly overwhelmed by the intense saltiness of the barnacles. I was looking forward to eating this Basque specialty, but unfortunately I’ll have to try it again. A very bad start regrettably. Fresh king prawn green apple and ginger. Quite a recovery from the disapointing preceding dishes. The prawn was accompanied by a warm and gelatinous apple and ginger scented sauce. In addition to the beautiful plating, we both thought the simple yet pleasant combination of spicy, sweet and citrus worked quite beautifully. Springtime broth with wild mushrooms. The mushroom featured on this plate is called “Sisas” and is apparently indigenous to this region of Spain. The broth which was garnished with turnips, and a tiny mouth popping vegetable “roe” of some sort was light and vibrant, quite a wonderful spring dish overall. Sauteed foie gras with walnut soup. What a superb pairing I must say. The nuttiness of the soup miraculously brings to life the smooth, creamy and silky qualities of the foie. I generally get tired of sweet pairings with foie gras, so I thought this kind of pairing was actually quite phenomenal. I do not quite remember what the green sprinkling on top was. Iberian ham with raw jelly vegetable stew. The piece de resistance. A slowly braised cut of Iberico, served caramelized on top with a thick pork/spinach stew with vegetables cut into a brunoise. This dish kind of speaks for itself. Straightforward and just fantastic. Monkfish with roasted tomato juice and roe of pepper What was described to us as a “tomato juice” was in fact a lightly scented tomato broth. The monkfish was topped by the mouth popping red bell pepper “roe”. I do not remember what the garnish was unfortunately. The monkfish was moist, with a little bite left, just the way I like it. The broth only had a faint tomato aroma and was nicely seasoned. The pepper “roe” was in contrast quite intense. One of my favorite dishes of the meal. Grouper with fava beans and tender germs. Again,a beautiful preparation featuring if I understood correctly a fava been coulis with two translucent “raviolis” filled with young tender sprouts. Roasted pigeon in quince tambourine. The pigeon was presented under a quince “skin” enveloping the bowl in a drum –like pattern. The quince skin was pierced at the table, thus revealing under the sliced pigeon bathing in its own jus. Although the pigeon was fantastic, I think I enjoyed the tangy quince skin even more. I eventually peeled it off to the last bit and consumed it entirely. To stay in line with the drum theme, a wooden “stick” with an edible component (which description I did not catch) wrapping one extremity is presented with the dish. “Presa de Iberico” with licorice oil. Or so they said…For some reason neither my wife nor I have any practical recollection of this unfortunately. That being said, it must not have made an impression on us. Desserts: Strawberries, cream and champagne The pear in another form (I think ) Chocolate flower in hearth of beer I enjoyed these desserts more than I did at Arzak. I particularly liked the chocolate flower which was served with cocoa powder and doused with beer at the table. An odd combination of flavors which, if given time to marry, results in a perfect balance of bitter and sweet. The petits fours where equally satisfying and featured a thin chocolate biscuit with we were told “una sopresa adentro” (a surprise inside) ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** we could not stop laughing when we discovered the surprise: the chocolate also contained the same tongue fizzing and popping granule found in popping candy dips. I think it made me smile as much as I smiled the first time I tried these as a kid. ****END SPOILERS**** For wine we had a 2000 Alion from the Ribera del Duero, a fantastic wine and a great bargain from the same folks at Vega-Sicilia. To sum it up, I’d say that despite one or two mistakes, we enjoyed our meal at Akelare as much as we did at Arzak. Food was excellent. A few notes though: I thought that contrarily to Arzak, the menu at Akelare was more season oriented, and it is a factor that made me appreciate this dining experience a little more. It seems by looking at previous Arzak reports on this forum that many of the dishes we had were apparently also featured on the menu many months ago. Nothing wrong with that, but I found it odd that in a restaurant of this standing, the menu would not change as frequently and seasonally. Another key element of this meal that impressed me was the plating. I really hope I did the kitchen some justice with my photos, each plate was quite dazzling and very elegant. I found it interesting to experience both restaurants back to back especially knowing that for all those years, Michelin has consistently given them different ratings. I certainly am not experienced enough of a diner to explain why Akelare still hasn’t earned its third star. To me and based on my experience, they stood on the same pedestal. I’ll leave it up to the expert diners on this forum to help me shed more light on this. La Rioja is next..

Lunch at Arzak This was a first for me in two ways: It was my first time eating in a three star restaurant outside of France and my first experience with avant-guard cuisine. This last point was what intrigued me most obviously as I was eager to discover what would come out of a kitchen that relies as much on refractometers and PH meters as it does on pots and pans. I generally have a penchant for culinary minimalism and I feel it is sometimes in simplicity that food expresses itself the best. In addition, I was also hoping that despite its forward-thinking approach, Arzak’s menu and style would also remain anchored to the typical ingredients of Basque cuisine. Since this lunch immediately followed our visit to the San Sebastian market, we naturally expected to see many of the local ingredients we discovered featured in the dishes we were about to eat. The restaurant is located on the first and second floors of a four story high townhouse, which has belonged to the Arzak family for more than a century. The rather small lobby housing the bar is separated from the main dining room, which remains out of sight as you enter. While we were waiting, Juan Mari Arzak came out of the kitchen in his chef whites to greet what appeared to be some friends of his. The reason I am saying this is that they were conversing in French (which Juan Mari seems to master perfectly) while using the more informal “tu” form. I also spotted Elena in the kitchen conversing with her staff. After a short wait, our hostess finally opened the door leading to the dining room. We were amongst the first customers to be seated. The first floor dining room is somewhat small, a feeling which is exacerbated by the relatively low ceilings framing the room. The décor is nevertheless tasteful and elegant. Light reds and peach colors dominate the room making it sophisticated without being snobby. Despite its 3 stars, we also liked the seeming lack of pretension as far as service goes (unlike Akelare where the staff has a little more posh attitude). The restaurant still seems to operate like a small country inn and the friendly and welcoming staff made us feel like we were the guests of a big family. For an establishment that has put Spain at the forefront of international gastronomy, I was surprised to see that with the exception of a German couple sitting right next to us, the restaurant was filled with mostly locals. I’ve noticed on the other hand that in many 3 star restaurants in France, I’ve heard English being spoken more than French. I quickly realized through this trip that Basque people are not only very proud of their cultural heritage but also of their cuisine. It seems that locals have a profound respect for their world-famous chefs, so they seem to pay frequent visits to their restaurants. Before I go into describing the food, I have to point out that since I misplaced my meal notes (stupid, stupid me), I am relying on the photos I took, previous similar threads and a brain not trained to memorize in the Spanish language. It may contain some mistakes here and there which I hope some members will help me correct. Earring of vegetable hearts with mango. Thin slices of roasted mangos filled with foie gras mousse, lettuce heart, tomato olive oil and chive. This dish was sheer luxury for the senses. The foie was light and airy and wonderfully complimented by the somewhat more concentrated flavors of the mango and the bitterness of the lettuce. A wonderful way to begin this meal. Crimson shelled jumbo shrimp. It was first time eating these local delicacies (Carabineros in Spanish). They were tucked in between the greens and served barely cooked which maintained their buttery sweet texture. If I understood and remember correctly, the 3 brush strokes on the plate consisted of a Morcilla (blood sausage) flavored sauce/dressing. Excellent. My wife had the egg flower and truffle oil in goose fat, Txistorra sausage with dates. Another hit. I normally dislike truffle oil but it was so delicately used in this dish that it did not bother me at all. “Graffiti” on elliptical shaped egg. Egg poached sous-vide with squid ink and parsley water, accompanied by a fried breadstick and crispy green rice. Squid ink is added at the table. I’ve read raving reviews about this dish on previous threads but I personally found it a little off the mark. The concept of it all is indeed brilliant visually but I just couldn’t discern the nuances of flavors, a little too monotonous to my palate. For the fish my wife had the eel which I cannot comment on unfortunately (my wife enjoyed it a lot for all I can remember) while I had monkfish. Monkfish with thin layer of peach gelatin on top, parsley sauce and peach scented sauce. This was probably one of the best things I ate during this entire trip. I liked the fact that peach was featured on two distinguished levels here: the somewhat condensed, jelly-like, sweet and tangy peach flavored layer resting on top of the fish and the lighter peach sauce acting as a base for the dish. The sauce was somewhat thick in texture but had a lightly infused peach aroma. My wife then had the Pigeon which she said was extremely tender and not too “gamy”, while I had the lamb. Boneless Lamb chop wrapped in a paper-thin coffee scented sheet. Hot lamb jus was poured on top of the lamb at the table causing the sheet to melt down thus perfuming and giving body to the sauce. I loved this dish, besides the visual allure of this presentation, I thought the bitterness and mild spiciness of the coffee was a nice supplement to the jus and the meat. For Desserts: Chocolate hamburgers Chocolate tortilla with lettuce coulis (Not pictured) Passion fruit soup and orange loaf Glorious baked fruits with strawberry bubbles Of these I personally liked the passion fruit soup however I was not too crazy about the other desserts. I thought the baked fruits and strawberry bubbles dessert for instance was more pleasing to the eye than to the palate. The flavor of the soup was somewhat reminiscent of what you get by mixing strawberry Nesquik powder and milk. During the meal, and as is customary in many European high end restaurants, Elena Arzak came out to each table to greet her guests. She of course asked us where we were from and when we told her we lived in New York, I couldn’t help but notice a wonderful smile on her face. I guess it always makes her happy to see how far people would come from to eat her food. We of course talked briefly and she mentioned the recent birth of her child in the course of the conversation. She told us she wished she could spend more time at home but that her obligations at the restaurant did not allow it unfortunately. I guess such is the life of a three star chef in Europe. Well, Arzak turned out to be everything we had hoped for. To start with, I was quite in awe with the way each dish was prepared with a rigorous attention to equilibrium. Flavors tended to juxtapose themselves quite nicely without allowing one single ingredient to play a strong dictating role. More importantly, I was also happy to see that the menu interpreted in an innovative way the traditional flavors and dishes found in Basque cuisine. Bacalao al Pil Pil which we did not get to sample unfortunately is a perfect example of this. Arzak is a definite must see and must eat. Whether you are interested in avant-garde cuisine or not, it should not be missed. In an extraordinary display of talent, Juan Mari and Elena truly carry on the spirit and essence of Basque cuisine. They do so in a brilliant way while reflecting a unique gastronomic culture which transforms the basic concept of eating into sheer delight. I hope to go again soon. Next, lunch at Akelare (with much better pictures I promise )

San Sebastian/Donostia was supposed to be the highlight of a two week trip with my wife last month. It surely wasn’t a let down. We drove to San Sebastian from the Aquitaine region of France which I reported on earlier here in the France forum. Going to Basque country was a long anticipated trip that we had marked right on the top of our list of places to visit. We are glad to have finally made it happen. Since this report is a little long and in an effort not to bore the reader, I will divide it in 4 installments consisting of an introduction to San Sebastian and its surroundings, lunch reports at Arzak and Akelare, and finally a report on La Rioja. While I was planning the trip I first hesitated between staying in San Sebastian proper or finding something in the outskirts. Many of our friends who knew the region well raved unanimously about the Basque countryside. So we ended up booking a room in a beautiful guesthouse located in the hills just outside of Hondarribia just 10 minutes away from the French border. The guesthouse is called Iketxe and our host, Patxi (a proud Basque middle aged man), was so kind and gracious that he made our stay an unforgettable one. Views from our room at Iketxe, lots of green, lots of mountains, and lots of sheep The high point of this Basque journey which would of course involve eating a lot of good stuff was lunch reservations at Arzak and Akelare planned for the following days. To avoid an overdose on fine dining and to also stay within budget, dinner each night would consist of bar hopping for Pintxos in old San Sebastian. Going bar hopping at first was quite intimidating given all the agitation. It’s your typical bar scene, disorderly, rowdy and crowded. The difference is that you’re not in for the booze but for ham, fish, and cheese. In some places we had to almost fight our ways to the food. Plus, getting the bartender’s attention can be somewhat of a challenge so once you’re up, you have to be fast. A brief moment of reflection (i.e. hmmm…do I want Jabugo or Iberico?) will cost you dearly, that is, another 10 minute wait. Although each bar has its own specialty, it is very tempting to order too fast and too much. Since variety is the golden rule here sticking around too long at one bar means eating less elsewhere. Having said this, we decided to limit ourselves to no more than 3 or 4 pintxos at each bar so we could sample as much as possible at different bars. From all the bars we visited, I remember enjoying the Jabugo and the Bocadillos at La Cepa as well as the incredible variety of Boquerones dishes at Txepetxa. I wish I could comment more on it, but I took no notes, no camera and drank lots of Txacoli. I guess that gives me three valid excuses... As a general rule, I’d say that if you are visiting the area on a tight budget, by all means, go for Pintxos. We must have averaged about 8 or 10 Euros for both of us at each bar for lots of food and drinks. A multi-bar hop feast will cost you about 30 Euros, and that’s pushing it. The indoor market in San Sebastian is a must-do for anyone who likes food. What impressed me most was the quality and variety of fish displayed on the fish stalls. I generally love everything that has to do with fish so I could not stop snapping pictures. A few things I noticed: monkfish is sold whole, WITH the ugly head containing all the good stuff (the cheeks) and with the liver. Strangely, I did not see any sardines but loads of anchovies instead. Kokotxas (cod throats/collars) are also sold everywhere. To my surprise, I also noticed that all fish stalls were attended by women only, they did all the trimming, cutting, slicing and selling of the fish. It all makes sense I guess, in a family whose livelihood involves trading fish, men handle the fish from the ocean to the harbor and while they are at sea, women handle the rest. Here are a few pictures taken at the market: As I briefly mentioned earlier, we were told before our departure that Spanish Basque country is famous for its beautiful coast and mountains. We were not deceived, it is indeed stunning. What really made an impression on us was the alpine countryside, more than the coast actually. It is drop dead gorgeous and I would recommend anyone visiting the region to spend a good chunk of time there. The scenery changes quite dramatically as you go further inland, high green hills towards the coast and rugged peaks and lush green valleys further into the mountains, with hundreds of picturesque little villages to drive through and visit. Walking through the green hills near the Valley of Axpe My wife Moko in one of many squares that we visited. This picture was taken in the mountain village of Oñati, an hour and half away from San Sebastian Oñati on a busy day We found it quite funny that the mountain region on occasion seemed to contain more sheep than people. Mountain villages tend to be tranquil and very empty whereas the wide green pastures that drape this rugged terrain are filled with hundreds of white fury animals! At times, the panoramas reminded me more of Switzerland than Spain. Lunch at Arzak in my next installment...

Another vote for Blue Hill. Fantastic food, relaxed atmosphere, attentive service, a perfect choice if eating solo at the bar.

Interesting, I personally think it's the other way around. For some reason I find Herme's macarons a little more toothsome than the ones at La Duree. I actually prefer La Duree for that, less of a chew and lighter inside. Next time you are in Paris you should try the macarons at Sadaharu Aoki, just a few blocks away from Herme's store on Rue Bonaparte. Before he opened his own store he apprenticed under Monsieur Pierre himself. Nice way to kill time on a long flight, never thought of that!!

Not sure if that also means an improvement in terms of quality... If the Yankee organization decides to renew its contract with its current concessionaire (most likely they will), presently in charge of ALL food and beverage operations at the stadium, i'm afraid we won't see much change happening. Despite its 4 or 5 restaurant type facilites, numerous food courts and food stands (all managed by the same company), the general consensus remains that from hot dogs to shrimp cocktails, food literaly sucks. It is absurdly overpriced too. Based on my experiences at both Yankee and Shea stadiums, it is hard to expect much being that in these types of venues, a greater emphasis is put on high-volume rather than on high-quality.

For decent Puerto Rican food you can try Cuchifritto's on 161st Street just up the block.

Welcome to eGullet Alvaro! Iketxe is the place I actually stayed in when I was in the area last month. I cannot recommend it enough and for the price ($50 per night), it is an excellent bargain. Beautiful surroundings, clean and cozy, wonderful host, and quite a treat to wake up each morning with the sight of green hills and sheep right by your balcony. Great place.

I recently came back from a similar trip a few weeks ago. In addition to what has been already suggested on previous threads, I would highly recommend you take the time to venture further away from the coast and visit the alpine countryside. It is absolutely stunning and the area is dotted with lovely basque villages. Of these, the famous village of Axpe is certainly worth a detour as it is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. It is a great place if you enjoy hiking. Not too far away you can also check out the village of Idiazabal where the famous cheese is made. As far as La Rioja goes, visitors usually choose to stay either in Haro or Logrono which pretty much frames the valley on both ends from west to east. Logrono is a big city and I did not particularly care for it, Haro is smaller and more charming in my opinion. This is where my wife and I stayed when we visited the area. In the valley itself you'll find many cute small rural villages. I would recommend a stop in La Guardia which is technically located in Alava still in basque country (but in the Rioja valley). If you intend on visiting wineries, bear in mind that most of them actually do open their doors to visitors but you will need to make an apointment a few days prior. That goes for the bigger wineries as well (Riscal, Caceres). Enjoy!!!

If Ortiz ventresca isn't your cup of tea then i doubt you'll find the jarred variety any better. If you want to really enjoy your salade nicoise, then do as many have already suggested, stick to grilled fresh tuna... and the heck with classicism

Welcome to Egullet Michel!! Foodman's suggestions are right on the money so nothing more to add to that really. However, if this is any comfort to you, the problem of dried shawarma is unfortunately a very common one here in New York (so you are not alone in this predicament!!). This is why I always order shawarma during busy lunch hours, when the meat is grilled and cut every minute. When it sits uncut for too long, it is bound to dry out a little no matter what you do. Turning off the heat and covering it with foil will help minimize that, but from what i've experineced, it still won't give you perfect shawarma.

I couldn't agree with you more!! We make salade nicoise every week in the summer time and we always use ventresca from the Spanish brand Ortiz. It is heavenly!!! It's been available in the US for about 2 or 3 years, at $10 a can yes, but really worth the money..

Thanks for reporting, I'm looking forward to your report on Cafe Sabarsky, a personal favorite of mine. I hope you had the strudel!!!!!!