Foie y Vino

After returning to San Sebastian on December 11, we had tickets for December 13 to go to another event at the Basque Culinary Center. While the last event we attended there was a tasting of ham and wine this one was advertised as Mas Que Foie y Vino, more than foie gras and wine, and it was that exactly.

There were about 18 of us in a room at the BCC, with presenters from a maker of duck products, and a Spanish winery. First, we learned a bit about the process of raising and preparing the ducks for making foie, along with a video that showed the process of dividing a duck for sale of its various parts. While that may sound daunting, it was very interesting and not bloody at all because the ducks are actually killed by stunning them and then draining their blood, making the division process quite clean. Then, it was time to taste.

We started with a plate of three types of cold foie with a taste of white tempranillo, which was new to us as tempranillo is usually a red grape and we did not know that a white version exists.

Not very pretty to look at, but extremely tasty with textures ranging from pate-like on the left, to more what we think of as foie on the right.

Next was a plate of cooked foie, which is often served in the Basque region as foie a la plancha, with a very nice red wine.

Third, and this was a surprise, was a duck breast with another red. We were surprised because we thought the event was only foie, and with the duck breast it was turning into a full meal:

Yes, the meat may look raw, but that is how they serve meat in Spain, whether it is beef or duck.

The coup-de-grace was another thing that we did not know existed -- foie bon-bons. Essentially they were foie covered with sweet things including chocolate. Paired with a Gran Reserva red, they were one of the best things I have ever eaten:

We definitely need to find more of those.

Finally, as if we had not had enough to eat already (spoiler alert: we had) there was a bit of duck ham to try:

 Without a doubt, we had fun at the event:

And, we even took home a few parting gifts of foie (not the fake duck) after talking to the representative of the duck company.

Not surprisingly, we will continue to look for more fun events to try at the Basque Culinary Center.

Que tengais un buen nochevieja (have a happy new year)!

Jeff and Shana

California Dreaming

We recently enjoyed a visit to Northern California for Thanksgiving and to Southern California the week after. It is always good to see family and friends – in person. Skype and WhatsApp video calls are great, but they are still no substitute for actual hugs from the people you love. We enjoyed catching up with everyone and learning, well confirming, that everyone’s family is crazy in some way or another.

This was our first trip to the US since December 2017! And to be honest, our friends and family remain the main draw. Ok, them and Trader Joe’s. We don’t miss driving at all. Jeff probably drove more during our two-week visit than he has in two years. We didn’t encounter too much traffic by planning our travels well, but there are just so many cars in CA!! We brought some much-needed rain with us from San Sebastian, so we didn’t enjoy as much sunshine or time outdoors as we would have liked. But CA always needs rain, so – you’re welcome. We did enjoy eating Mexican food a lot. And we tried not to be too overwhelmed by how expensive life in CA is in comparison with San Sebastian. The prices on good running shoes and peanut butter, among other things, are better in the US though.

We were supposed to stop in Paris on our way home to see the special Leonardo DaVinci exhibit at the Louvre, but due to the transport strikes in France, we didn’t want to take any chances on getting stuck if our train back was cancelled. So, we changed our flight and flew back from London to Bilbao instead. We were sorry to miss the exhibit, but happy to be home.

Another hearty thanks to all those who hosted us during our visit. Your hospitality was sensational.

We’re back to the routine and ready for the holiday season here, which starts December 21 and lasts officially through January 6, with the added bonus of Tamborrada on January 20.

Hasta pronto,

Shana & Jeff 

Local Happenings

As we enjoy our trip to California for Thanksgiving, we wanted to share a couple of recent events of interest (at least to us) in San Sebastian.

First, there are a number of bridges in San Sebastian that cross the Urumea River, which runs through the city. Some are simply utilitarian, but the Maria Christina Bridge is considered the most elegant structure crossing the river. Modeled on the Alexander III Bridge in Paris, it was built in only nine months in 1904, and opened in 1905. Each corner of the bridge contains an obelisk with decorative sculptures.

We have always noted the elegance of the bridge and its sculptures, but we had no idea how beautiful it actually is until the city undertook the process of cleaning the obelisks and sculptures over the past several months. The results are impressive as the before-and-after pictures below show:

We expect the cleaning of all four of these edifices to be completed in the next few weeks, which will provide an even better photo opportunity for the many tourists this summer.

Second, while you may know that San Sebastian is a destination for serious surfers, especially in the winter, you may not have realized that storms often bring significant swells into the Urumea. While we often see surfers at the confluence of the river and the sea, this guy is more than  half-a-mile from the ocean at the fourth bridge (the one closest to our apartment):

Finally, this being San Sebastian, there has to be something about food. Each year for many years, the local beer company called Keller has sponsored a pintxos event in which bars participate by offering a special pintxo and a Keller beer for a discounted price during a limited period. Apparently, last year (although we do not remember this), they decided to do a second such event specifically for bocatas (basically sub sandwiches). This year, we came across one of the signs for the bocata event, and were very excited because the sandwiches offered by the various bars looked great, and at 7 Euros for a sandwich and a beer, the price was very good.

Although we wanted to try about 20 of the 30 or so options, we only had time to try two. While they were both good, the winner for us was definitely the bocata from Rita (whose restaurant we have eaten at several times), which included lamb meatballs and a green curry sauce. Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jeff and Shana