Post-parading pintxos, picnicking, and pizza

Tracy and I left Tamborrada (drum fest) at around 2am, ready for much needed sleep. After awakening, we returned to melee of percussion and partying to enjoy some pintxos with Marti.

This bar was pretty modern in their approach, so there were a lot of whimsical surprises along with the more classic fare. We sipped on txakoli (a white wine poured from a great height for aeration) and vino tinto (red wine) and ordered a tasty procession of small plates.

I started with morcilla (blood sausage) topped with a fried quail egg, cradled in fried potato slices. It had just a bit of burstingly-fresh tomato sauce on the side. I highly enjoyed this, the blood sausage has a gorgeous rich, meaty flavor unlike anything else. The yolk serves to add a bit of creaminess and cohesion to the whole ordeal, turning this little bite into something quite rich enough to sate your hunger. It also went really well with Ribera del Duoro...

Tracy had pulled suckling pig, served with a tart mustard sauce and a buttery crouton. The flaky salt on top was a nice touch against the incredibly tender piglet.

This dish actually belonged to one of the neighboring patrons, but it was pretty intriguing; baccalao served on a grate over a smoldering ember.

For some as yet unknown reason, every Tom, Dick, and Harry (I mean, Guillermo, Amaia, and Andoni) in Donostia can cook calamari to perfection. This smelled (and tasted) so great Marti dug in as soon as it hit the bar. The aroma didn't lie about the roasty-sweet flavor, and the calamari was silky with just a bit of "al dente" bite to it.

Pig's trotters, oh, yum. The meat was pulled and then formed into disks, which were then seared to crispy goodness. The crunchy exterior gave way to a beguiling, gooey, sticky center of pork, skin, and fat. Maybe it sounds weird, but the way the fat stuck to your teeth just a bit was pleasant in some very, very wrong sense of the word.

Yesterday morning, we headed back to a now much quieter San Sebastian to purchase provisions from a gourmet market and hike to the top of one of the mounts overlooking the city to enjoy a picnic.

The view was absolutely stunning.

We watched dogs play in the park and listened to the calming music of waves and singing birds while we enjoyed our casual lunch.

Cured beef, Idiazabal cheese, crusty bread, and jamon Iberico Bellota make for an excellent lunch.

Last night, Guillermo (Sammic's technology guy) invited us to a small party at his flat for some pizza, so we grabbed a few pintxos beforehand to sate us. Above is jamon, topped with creamy goat cheese and a tomato coulis. Excellent, creamy, salty...

Tracy had cod jowls with artichokes and fried onions.

While I dug unceremoniously into this unctuous plate of seared foie gras with caramelized onions, pumpkin puree, and raisins. I'm a pumpkin obsessive, so it was an amazing, ooey, gooey, rich, yummy plate of happiness!

Again with the calamari perfection; seared ring of squid atop sweet onions and an ink sauce, topped with crispy fried parsley, the dish that would convert any squid-adverse diner into an enthusiastic devotee.

And a grilled piece of tender, fatty pork, topped with roasted calimyrna figs, in the same rich pumpkin puree. Also amazing.

Post-pintxos, we joined Guillermo and a cadre of Spaniards and Swedish transplants at his flat for an array of pizza and drinks. It was a really fun time, I got to practice just a little bit of my Spanish, and enjoy some very tasty flatbread in the company of warm and inviting people.

Could one ask for more?

Adios!

Basque beginnings

My flight to Spain was long, but a simple mix of Dramamine and alcohol ensured that I slept for nearly the entire time. (I highly recommend this practice) so I arrived with less jet lag than on previous overseas flights.

After some confusion in the Madrid airport (the place is huge!) I found the ramp to my connecting plane to San Sebastian. The ramp... may have been too complicated for me. I first attempted to enter a plane that was being cleaned and re-fueled; the flight attendants were none too happy about that. It turns out that I had to drag my suitcases down two flights of stairs and take a bus to the flight, luckily a nice Spaniard helped me with my bags.

Tracy (my new roommate and partner in crime for the next 6 months) found me on the bus, we had the same flight to San Sebastian.

The airport in San Sebastian is adorable. It's seriously a runway and a one-room building, no crazy security lines or trying to find some distant terminal, a fact I appreciated greatly. We met up with the marketing guys from DeliFunArt, who are running the Basque Stage program for Sammic.

We picked up our apartment keys and had a quick, 3-course lunch (remember: Europe!) and a stroll along the beach to see San Sebastian's famous "wind comb" sculptures.

We quickly unpacked and showered at our new apartment, which is in Lasarte, 5 minutes from the restaurant and 10-15 from central San Sebastian. We have two very large balconies, and an adorable kitchen, it's a pretty nice place. Then we went back to the city to enjoy a pintxo and some txakoli, after which we were to meet up with Marti, our "nanny" in the Basque region. She's originally from Alabama, but teaches English here in town.

She prepared an excellent feast of Mexican-style food for us, replete with guacamole, tortillas, spicy pork, and black beans with chorizo. Yum!

We were joined by several of her fellow American-born teachers, and one guitar-wielding Spaniard. We laughed, we drank...

Then drank some more, After all, this was preparation!

Drums and blue kerchiefs were required. Why? To commence 24 straight hours of drumming, dancing, and drinking.

It's almost too easy to have fun when there's booze and drums in abundance!

Obviously.

The festival celebrates the Basque's victory over Napoleonic troops. Apparently, (I may not be exact here) as the French were trying to march into town with their drum corps, the bakers of San Sebastian mocked them by banging old loaves of bread in an imitation of the bands. The ceremony begins at midnight, and for the next 24 hours, townspeople dress up as chefs, housemaids, or in old military regalia, play drums, dance, jump around, and march through the streets drinking, smoking fat cigars, and drinking excessively.

By the time we got close enough to the square for me to take this picture, it was so crowded that I couldn't have gotten my arm down to reach my pocket if I wanted to!

There were so many different groups of people in different parts of the city drumming that the streets shook from the reverberation of the percussionists. It was jovial, and really exciting.

Tracy and I stayed out as late as we could, considering the jet lag. Sleep was assuredly a welcome thing last night, and when we ventured into town earlier today, the bands and the drummers were still going full-force, though most possessed bloodshot eyes and only a little less vigor from their exhaustive and constant drumming. The endurance is impressive, I've never seen anything like this, such an awesome start to my Basque adventure.

Today, there were pintxos, many, many pintxos. I shall elaborate more tomorrow, but until then...

Buenas noches y adios!

Red Rock

Many, many people come to Las Vegas every year and miss out on one of the finest parts of the city; hiking at Red Rock.

It's one of my favorite places in the Western U.S. The scenery is vibrant and beautiful...

And completely unlike anywhere else.

My brother and I hiked the Calico Basin trail, it involves a moderate amount of climbing and a few "crap, we lost the trail!" moments, but the view at the end is pretty magnificent. This hike was also an excellent opportunity to add to my large collection of "Alex with a camera" pictures!

And take quite a few nice shots with my new camera.

If you scale a narrow ledge next to Calico Basin, there's an astounding reward; you can see the entirety of Las Vegas from the peak. Being out there, staring down at the city from such a distance really puts everything into perspective.

And helps you work up a decent appetite...

We drove to the newly-opened Cosmopolitan, in a futile (second) attempt to get a seat at Jaleo. Problem: I never think ahead enough to make reservations before it's too late. Jose Andres' new spot was filled to the brim, so we decided to forgo tapas for some other day.

Instead, we grabbed a bar seat at Comme Ca, a brasserie/bistro themed venture serving classic French fare.

Roasted bone marrow and oxtail jam.

Steak tartar,

And pomme frites. The food was tasty and satisfying, the wine list nicely stocked (including 1/2 liters of Languedoc-Roussilon for $16, a major bargain in this city) and the bar service was friendly and prompt.

We split a caramel torte for dessert, it was good, but a bit sweet for my taste (my own fault- caramel's all about sugar). I was highly fascinated by the tuille that came with it though; it was flexible, and had a very quick, light crisp to it upon first bite, then instantly melted in your mouth.

This coming Tuesday, the 18th, I'll be leaving for San Sebastian, and I couldn't be more excited. We'll be arriving just in time to celebrate in this festival on the 19th.

Adios!

Aureole

Friday night, Michael and I decided to revisit a restaurant we had enjoyed previously; Charlie Palmer's Aureole in Mandalay Bay.

Oh that? It's nothing, just a four-story wine tower that sommeliers rappel through on ropes to retrieve your bottle, nothing out of the ordinary here...

Just kidding, this thing never ceases to impress. While we were dining, the "wine angel" was performing something akin to mild acrobatics in there; it was pretty cool.

And of course, you need a touch screen, electronic wine list to help you navigate their selection.

Meat salad. Again, kidding! Seriously though, frisee with quince, fried pasta, duck confit, foie gras torchon, and a poached egg. Not exactly a "light" appetizer, but tasty.

Onion soup with foie gras, black truffle, and a puff pastry and Gruyere top. The puff pastry was incredibly buttery and flaky, and the Gruyere had a savory, satisfying depth to it. Underneath its crisp lid are caramelized onions in a rich veal stock, and there were big slices of black truffle throughout.

Waygu skirt steak, mashed potatoes, fresh corn and peas. There were subtle southwest flavors woven through this dish, it was really balanced and rich. I especially liked the peas, they were very fresh and had a nice bite to them. Actually, all of it was perfectly delicious.

The absolute best bread pudding I've had thus far in my life, dulce de leche with brioche and caramelized bananas. There was just the thinnest layer of super crisp caramelized sugar on the top, and under that was the most incredibly moist, custard-like bread pudding. The banana flavor was really intense, but nicely ripe and very fresh.

They finished us off with a selection of mini baked goods, all of which were fun.

Our second visit to Aureole was just as impressive as the first. Last time I ate there, they were nice enough to give me a tour of their beautiful kitchen.

As of right now, I'm just waiting to find out what day I'll be flying out on... the anticipation is getting intense, I'll soon be in Spain!

Adios!

A quick note about Jeni's Ice Cream

The best ice cream ever comes from Columbus, Ohio. It's made by Jeni's Splendid ice creams, and it's hauntingly good. They use local, seasonal ingredients and fresh cream from an Ohio dairy. The Short North location is pictured above, although the picture's from earlier this year. (I promise the weather is nowhere near this amicable currently)

I try to visit the place at least a couple times whenever I happen to be in Ohio, and this past trip I had opportunity to try quite a few new things. Normally, I'm not too super excited about ice cream. Though it's usually pretty tasty, I just never really feel the urge to eat it. But Jeni's is an entirely different story. The flavors are so complex and balanced, and they have sophisticated, yet friendly flavor combinations that are always pretty exciting.

Michael's favorite flavor is the lavender and wild berries.

A fantastic sundae "One Night in Bangkok": spicy Thai peanut ice cream, salted caramel sauce, banana, cilantro and whipped cream.

The simple looking sundae that I wish I was eating right now; salted caramel ice cream, honey Vin Santo sauce, almond biscotti, and a liquor-soaked cherry.

And an addictive frozen sandwich; blackstrap praline ice cream encased in gingersnap macaron-style cookies.

It's not pictured, but the sweet potato with torched marshmallow may have been the greatest ice cream flavor in the history of time.

Musing about the Midwest

It's easy to get caught up in pondering and exploring the world's more "exotic" cuisines. The food of a place is evocative of its soul, personality, and the reality of its resources and ingenuity of its people.

Often, it's easy to overlook the Midwestern states as having a cuisine, I know I did for a long time. But since beginning my travels, I keep coming back to a notion in my head of just what it may mean to be "from" Ohio.

Perhaps the food's not as well-defined or distinctly recognizable as say, Florribean or Southern cuisine, but there is most assuredly an "Ohioan", more specifically Columbus cuisine, and every time I visit my home state I try to explore and understand the parameters of it a little more.

Okay, Ohio's not exactly renowned for its viticulture, but there are wineries within the state. I recommend skipping some of the dryer varieties and heading straight for the icewine, alas; above is a tasting of Spanish wines from the Burgundy Room on High street. I used to frequent the place when I lived in the city. They have an incredible wine list, surely with something for everyone. I enjoy the multitude of tasting flights they offer as well; each comes with a laminated mat with a picture of the label and tasting/technical notes of the wines offered. They serve tasty, well-prepared food meant to pair with wines, so I fully advise Buckeye state oenophiles to give it a try.

One thing that does, however, scream Ohio to me is the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Central Ohioans simply go crazy for it. I'm sure the cookies above are no stranger to many, they're called "peanut butter blossoms" (I assume because they vaguely resemble brown flowers...) and they're a Columbus staple.

I have a lot of memories wrapped up into these cookies, and they still bring a smile to me around Christmas time. When I was in my teens, I told my grandmother that they were my favorite cookies, and every Christmas she would make a huge batch of them and wrap them in tin boxes as presents for my brother, cousin and I. The three of us decided to get together and bake some up in honor of my grandmother, who died earlier this year. Making these with my family was really a great experience, even though my cohorts' contribution was to sit at the table and drink several bottles of wine.

Another eponymous Columbus treat is the mysterious "Buckeye", of which I should have taken a picture for illustrative purposes. I think the humble Buckeye deserves more than a passing mention... so I'll have to let you hang on the mystery of it until I get around to expounding upon them, perhaps on some future date.

Sandwiches? Yeah, universal. But, a very "Ohio" way to enjoy them is with a large quantity of good beer. Seriously, it seems like micro-brews are cheaper than water in Ohio. I mean, at Bodega on High street, you can get a nice grilled sandwich like the one pictured above and your choice from a monumental beer list for under $15.

The restaurant scene in Columbus seems to be on the verge of something, and I think it will be a good thing, as long as the city sees fit to support its burgeoning culinary creativity. Even in the somewhat desolate (after 5pm) downtown area, new restaurants are popping up. Above is a tasty, hearty potato soup from Barrio, and I heartily advise checking out Dirty Frank's for a hotdog and the mysterious "Tater-totchos", and Tip Top for Ohio-themed meatloaf and more beer.

Also pushing the envelope are several smaller, fine dining venues looking to introduce a new sense of identity to the region's food. Sage served Amish made cheeses with complimentary sauces as an appetizer.

I tend to get offended when people posit that there are no artisan cheeses in the U.S., because there most certainly are. Beyond all the amazing things happening in northern California, Wisconsin, and the north east, there have been people making high quality cheeses all over the states for some time. The Amish cheeses served above may seem simple to some, but they tell a story of the place and the history of the people who live there. Embrace it, eat it!

Then there's the... quirkier aspects of fine dining in the mid west, quirks like barbecue sauce. But hey, if it tastes good, why not? This was a pork loin with cabbage, apricot barbecue sauce, and sweet potato hash. A pretty nice dish, and definitely tastes like "Ohio" to me.

Do I know what defines Ohio's food culture? I'm not 100% on that. But after studying the cuisines of the world, I hate to dismiss it, because it speaks to a place and a people, just as every other cuisine does. Specifically, it speaks to my roots and the memories that influence my own style. It has its merits, and also a ways to go (in my mind at least) to truly stand out on its own, but it seems as though it has taken a turn in a positive direction of self-exploration and definition, and it's exciting to see it happen, even if usually from afar.

So yeah, if you get the chance, eat in Columbus. I think you won't be disappointed in the city.

I left out the best part of eating in Columbus, because I think the place deserves its own entry, and not just because I visited it nearly every day while I was there. But, you'll have to wait until next time to hear about it, because I'm still swooning over the photos too much to write about it...

Adios!

The heartland

I'm finally unpacked and settled back into Vegas from my visit to Ohio. It was an excellent time; I got to see good friends and family, dine at interesting places, drink to excess, and eat a lot of amazing ice cream. It was also really, really cold.

I got to cook with and for my family, which I really loved doing. I also tried to mindfully absorb culinary ideas that are uniquely "Columbus" to me. The food scene in the city is getting interesting, there were a plethora of new restaurants to try on this visit. Tomorrow I'll organize some more pictures and report back on the highlights of our eating adventures.

I was pretty happy with the Christmas day menu I prepared for my family; I believe they enjoyed eating it as well. My mother made her incredibly addictive bread rolls and some cookies, and Michael pitched in as Sous for the day.

Baked French Brie with caramelized onions, we served it with a ruby Port reduction.

The goose was free-range and organic from the North Market. I stuffed it with lemon, thyme, and some of the trimmed fat, then scored the skin and roasted it. I used the heart, trimmings, and gizzards to flavor a rich gravy. The skin was incredibly crispy and delicious.

Golden potato puree, loaded with butter.

And Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and apple wood smoked bacon.

Cooking for people you love is always a huge pleasure, and I really enjoyed spending the day with my parents and everyone else preparing this meal.

By the time I post this, it will be 2011, so happy new year, everyone. This past year has been unbelievable for me, and with my upcoming voyage to Spain, 2011 in looking pretty awesome as well. I'm really, really excited about it.

Adios!