Traveling in Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa & Navarra

[docsconz]

Next week a Celebration of the Food and Wine of Navarra will take place in NYC. On Wednesday evening, Wylie Dufresne will be joined by three chefs from Navarra who will prepare a degustation meal at his restaurant, WD-50. Although I do not know the names of the chefs, they each apparently have one Michelin Star. Can anyone here tell me about the Michelin starred cuisine of Navarra? Does it differ from elsewhere in NE Spain? What should I look for if I attend this event?

I am intrigued by the event, but relatively ignorant of this cuisine.

[pedro]

I'd say that the cuisine of Navarra has a personality of its own. One of the best pantrys in the country and influences from the areas which surround it, mainly Aragón, the Basque Country and, how not, France. Powerful and rich dishes, like trucha a la Navarra (trout Navarrian style, coated in flour and stuffed with ham), or the cochifrito, dish of fried lamb which Néstor Luján and Juan Perucho mention in their book El Libro de la cocina española as one of the emblematic dishes of the region.

[Rogelio]

My vision on navarrian food is a orchard devoted cooking based on their excellent vegetables from the Ebro riverside in southern Navarra (bordering with La Rioja) like the white asparragus, Lodosa piquillo peppers, crystal peppers, artichokes, cardo... With a big tradition of stews like chilindrón goat or ajoarriero cod and Menestra.

And there is a bounch of navarrian cooks like Enrique Martínez in Cintruenigo's Maher, Atxen Jimenez from Tubal in Tafalla and Koldo Rodero in Pamplona's Rodero. that are pushing forward the navarrian gastronomy all of them worth the visit.

Edited February 11, 2005 by Rogelio (log)

[Bux]

It's been quite a few years since we've eaten in Rodero. We selected in based on it's star in Michelin with no other information to guide us. It was my first visit to Pamplona in about forty years. I remember running the bulls, but I don't remember much about what I ate, or if I ate on that visit. What I remember, was the indelible taste of the cheapest wine of a much poorer country and even that wasn't improved by drinking it out of a goatskin bota. A few of the back streets near the ring seemed as if they hadn't changed all that much and might be familiar if the barricades used during the running of the bulls were put up. The main plaza, a dusty square than, did not register in my memory. Perhaps it was the paving, or that I was sober for the first time in Pamplona.

Rodero was good enough to have earned its star, but at the time, I was most struck by its urbane decor and the creativity of many of the dishes. It took more than a couple of those kinds of places to destroy my prejudices about what to expect when I walked into a restaurant in the Spanish provinces.

[docsconz]

My vision on navarrian food is a orchard devoted cooking based on their excellent vegetables from the Ebro riverside in southern Navarra (bordering with La Rioja) like the white asparragus, Lodosa piquillo peppers, crystal peppers, artichokes, cardo... With a big tradition of stews like chilindrón goat or ajoarriero cod and Menestra.

And there is a bounch of navarrian cooks like Enrique Martínez in Cintruenigo's Maher, Atxen Jimenez from Tubal in Tafalla and Koldo Rodero in Pamplona's Rodero. that are pushing forward the navarrian gastronomy all of them worth the visit.

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Rogelio, thanks for the links. I do believe that these are the three restaurants that will be represented at WD-50 Wednesday night. I am looking forward to a brief, but relatively inexpensive return visit to Spain!

[docsconz]

I was wrong on two counts. The only one of those restaurants represented was Maher with Enrique Martinez. Javier Diaz of Alhambra also provided savory courses, while Alex Mujica of Basa Kabi did the desserts.

My writeup of the dinner with photos can be found here.

I will say that Navarra did itself proud.

[Judith Gebhart]

I was wrong on two counts. The only one of those restaurants represented was Maher with Enrique Martinez. Javier Diaz of Alhambra also provided savory courses, while Alex Mujica of Basa Kabi did the desserts.

My writeup of the dinner with photos can be found here.

I will say that Navarra did itself proud.

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Docsconz: Thank you for an interesting presentation of Wylie Dufresne's wonderful and helpful education of chefs from other places in the world that deserve our attention. Wylie as host to these guest chefs offered a marvelous chance to NYer's to sample a rich, interesting cuisine from this area in Spain. I wish more of our chefs everywhere were open to such foreign culinary contributions. Nice presentation and glad you shared it with us. Judith Gebhart

[brr]

Hello everyone

I will be travelling from Washington DC in July on a self-described 'Attention Deficit Disorder' itinerary. I will of course be trawling through the forums but also wanted to throw out my itinerary to see if anyone thinks theres a particular 'not to miss' place. We'll be travelling with a well behaved 4 year old who is used to eating in restaurants.

We'll be in Madrid, Bilbao, Elizondo, and San Sebastian for 2 days each.

We have nothing on our radar screen for Madrid so suggestions would be most welcome.

For Bilbao, we will probably just meander through the old quarter and try the pintxos and also try the restaurant at the Guggenheim. Any other suggestions?

We'll be driving from Bilbao to Elizondo (just outside Pamplona) - any suggestions for a good place to stop?

We also have nothing on our radar screen for Elizondo (we'll be at a wedding so some of the meals will be taken care of) but any suggestions are welcome.

Finally we drive from Elizondo to just outside San Sebastian. Obviously I'm interested in getting a reservation at Arzak. The "'cazuela' (small earthenware pan) of sautéed baby eels followed by a grilled 'a la espalda' sea bream at Kaia, Elkano or Kaipe, the fine fish 'asadores' in Getaria near San Sebastián" from another post sounds delicious.

Finally we'll drive back to Bilbao for our flight - I was thinking of trying lunch at Eneperi Jatetxea in Bakio on the way.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Edited April 27, 2005 by brr (log)

[malika]

The jealousy is eating me alive....... wish I was going, too!

I was in Euskadi for two weeks in October, so I do have a couple of travel (not necessarily food) suggestions to add.

In Bilbao, we particularly liked Bertón for pintxos - they have Joselita Gran Reserve jamón serrano.

Also, we LOVED our hotel in Bilbao- the Ostatua Iturriena. It was right in the Casco Viejo, and would be a fine place to stay with kids (unless you need a pool).

And the park outside the Guggenheim is wonderful - don't skip taking your child there! There's an interactive fountain, and really great play structures. I haven't seen it mentioned much - I think it's relatively new - but it really should be talked about more. I played in the fountain for 20 minutes, and I'm 35 years old. I imagine that a 4-year-old could spend a very ecstatic hour.

In Tolosa (you'll probably be driving close), please go to Asador Nícolas for lunch. It was one of the two best meals of our trip (the other was Arzak). We had a huge ribeye (for two people) grilled over a wood fire, the best piquillos of the trip, and got to visit the wine cellar. (Ask to see the cellar - it's just downstairs - we followed some other patrons down there.)

And in San Sebastian, at least one of you should do the thallasotherapy circuit at La Perla. It takes 1 1/2 hours and costs about $10/person. (You have to bring a bathing cap, or you can buy one at the desk.) I don't think that it would be appropriate for a 4-year-old, though. We stayed in the Hotel Niza, which we liked very well.

And a warning - We had heard good things about the coast drive from San Seb. to Bilbao, but we regretted driving that way. We really like to drive, but that particular drive was too long/windy/narrow/stressful to do in one day. We left about 10, and stopped for lunch in Getaria, then drove to Bilbao, arriving around 6. It would have been better to do Getaria as a day trip from San Seb, as it sounds like you're planning to do.

Have a terrific time!

[docsconz]

Your itinerary sounds great. Arzak is a must. Getaria is great. As for the Navarra, if this meal I had at WD-50 is any indication, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding excellent dining options there too.

[Bux]

Campsa lists two places in Elizondo, Casa Galarza and Santxotena. They list two more thirteen to sixteen kilometers away in Urdax-Dancharinea, Menta and La Koska. The also list two places in France (I searched within 25 kilometers of Elizondo), Ithurria in Ainhoa and Les Pyrénées in St. Jean Pied de Port. They give Ithurria a sol and two to Les Pyrénees. I've eaten in the Ithurria and it was quite good, but that was many years ago. Les Pyrénees is well known, but Michelin has down graded them to one star recently and Ithurria, which had a star when I was there, now has none. Anyway, they're in France and off topic.

San Sebastian is a Mt. Olympus of restaurants and chefs. My personal favorites are probably Martin Berasategui and Mugaritz. I've posted my thoughts on them and the other restaurants in which we've eaten. Some of my favorite eating has been in the tapas bars. A four year old may not enjoy the bars in the old city in San Sebastian because they are crowded, but it you can get a bar stool, he or she, just might. On the other hand, I recall seeing lots of kids running around the old square, called the new plaza, in Bilbao which is another nice place for tapas. There's an attractive bar in the corner with outdoor tables and chairs.

Depending on how you want to drive and what you want to see, it may be faster to drive through San Sebastian to get from Bilbao to Elizondo which is not so much further from San Sebastian than it is from Pamplona. Either way it looks as if there are some interesting roads through the mountains. The roads over the Pyrénées to France look straighter from that point.

[brr]

thank you all for such helpful and informative replies - docsconz - I just found your photo report from Arzak - all I can say is wow! I'm drooling

and thanks for the tips on kid friendly stuff in Bilbao malika and the driving tips Bux!

I am really looking forward to this trip - I think the only problem will be a lack of time to visit all the places I want to

Edited April 28, 2005 by brr (log)

[Janice]

Very jealous of your trip!

I spent a week in the Baztan valley near Elizondo last September and a weekend in Bilbao and San Sebastian last month.

Elizondo was a walking holiday rather than a foodie experience and the meals we had were simple but tasty. The handmade chocolate is a must though.

If you fancy an excursion it is a short drive to St Etienne de Baigorry (in France but only just!) where Hotel Arce is a lovely spot by the river with good food - local trout, lamb etc. The style of cooking is different from what you get in Spain but still has a Basque flavour to it. You can also try some of the local wine - Irouleguy - from the co-op there.

On the recent trip to Bilbao we went to Andra Mari in Galdakao which is 15-20 min from the town centre. It was the highlight of the trip and the style of the restaurant was fairly relaxed so should be fine for a well-behaved four-year old. We had the nine-course tasting menu which included anchovy lasagne with garlic ice cream, foie gras with smoked bread and a salty cherry jelly, monkfish and lamb, a wonderful chocolate and citrus dessert which succeded in being rich yet light enough to manage at the end of nine courses! It has one star but doesn't seem to get as much attention as some other restaurants in the area - when we were there it seems like it was mainly locals dining.

We also had a great meal in San Sebastian at a mid-priced place in the old town but I will have to consult my notes for the name....

[malika]

I agree with Janice about the Hotel Arce-- it's a wonderful place to stay, in addition to having wonderful food:

http://www.hotel-arce.com

In fact, the Hotel Arce is one of my very favorite hotels, and I have a very short list - just two!

We wanted to eat at Les Pyrenees, but it was closed - check their schedule (I didn't) to make sure that they're open the day you want to go.

[Bux]

and thanks for the tips on kid friendly stuff in Bilbao malika and the driving tips Bux!

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I was just looking at the map out of curiosity about were Elizondo was located. I haven't driven many of the roads around there and never been to Elizonda, but I see a lot of switchbacks on the map to get to Elizondo not matter how you do it. I've been on the highways from San Sebastian to Bilbao, from Pamplona to San Sebastian and from haro to San Sebastian, but from the looks of the map that's all highway and relatively flat.

[brr]

thanks again everyone

I'm also hoping to pick up some wine while I'm there - good vintage stuff - I saw this recommendation for wine shops in Madrid on the forum "Reserva Y Cata and Lavinia", but would rather wait until Bilbao when we'll have a car (we are bussing from Madrid to Bilbao).

Are there particular places in Bilbao/San Sebastian that are good for wine? Or am I just as well served by stopping at a large supermarket with a big selection.

I had originally wanted to incorporate a few days in the Rioja region but I don't think our schedule will permit that.

Niall