Arzak - A Taste of Heaven

We've all eaten on average about three times a day every day of our lives thus far. So to have a single meal stand out in your memory for the rest of your life is a pretty big deal. And last night, for Wilbert and I, Jose Mari Arzak (pictured with us above) and his amazing staff accomplished this feat. Our dinner at Arzak in San Sebastian will go down in our memories as one of the most special and outstanding meals we've ever had.

Every detail from beginning to end was painstakingly thought out and well-executed (as one would hope from a restaurant with THREE well-deserved Michelin stars!). From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, we were treated like royalty. The atmosphere was friendly, elegantly casual, and while sophisticated, not at all ostentatious. We were approached in English (by a member of staff who had accurately judged us not to be Spanish or French like the majority of guests), but were accommodated when we chose to speak Spanish instead. We were expertly helped through our choice of menu items and wines.

The food was nothing less than edible art. We ordered the five course "Tasting Menu", and were proactively offered seconds (and thirds) of individual courses at no additional charge, giving us a chance to try as many as twenty separate dishes over the course of the evening (including complementary hors d'oeuvres and various desserts). We finished off the evening with cofee and a delightful "copita" of thier homemade pacharan, an anis-based Basque liqueur far better than any one we've ever had from a bottle.

We paid by far the biggest price we've ever paid for a meal, but in retrospect it was worth it for a unique experience that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.