tilly with a side of fries.

Last weekend, I went to the Basque Country up in northern Spain, to visit Bilbao and San Sebastian.  It was incredible!  The Basque Country is known for having some of the best food in the world, and I wasn’t about to let the opportunity to taste some of it pass me by.  The day we arrived, we went to San Sebastian and visited a local culinary school to learn about Basque cuisine and sample some of their most popular dishes for lunch.  To begin with, we had a tasting of a few different “Pintxos“, followed by Vegetable Crepes.  For the main course, I was served Hake in Green Sauce with Baby Eels (Baby Eels are apparently very popular here, although I hadn’t seen them before this trip.  I couldn’t bring myself to eat them… they had eyes and mouths!).  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and was unfortunately underwhelmed by most of my meal.  The presentation was beautiful, but the food was surprisingly bland.  The best part of the meal (no surprise here) was dessert.  The Tiramisu was delicate and fluffy, while the Mascarpone Ice Cream was rich and creamy.

Pintxo Tasting.

Vegetable Crepes.

Hake in Green Sauce with Baby Eels.

Tiramisu with Mascarpone Ice Cream.

Thoughts?

http://gothamist.com/2010/03/06/cheese.php

Kiwi has always been one of my favorite fruits, but only recently did I learn about its health benefits.  They are filled with dietary fiber, Vitamins C,A, and E, and have almost the same amount of Potassium/weight ratio as a Banana.  And since kiwi is so widely available here, I’ve enjoyed one almost every day.

Kiwi Kiwi Kiwi!

To enjoy my kiwi, I used to just cut it in half, scoop out the inside, and use the skin as a little bowl.  Now, however, I’ve started to use the following (much more efficient) method to peel them.  Please excuse the video, I know it’s silly, but you get the point.

My roommates and I have found ourselves missing Mexican food more than anything over here in Barcelona, and that Spanish food isn’t quite as spicy as we’d like it to be.  Utter the word “Chipotle” (as in the burrito chain) in our presence, and you’re likely to get the stare of death.  It’s simply cruel.  We finally found a great Mexican food restaurant called La Rosa Negra not too far from school, but not close enough to our apartment.  Therefore, we’ve had to take things into our own hands.  On a rainy (and hailing) Sunday afternoon, I decided to make Chilaquiles for the girls, to try and satiate our craving for a little spice.  To start with, I sauteed some onions, red peppers, and mushrooms, and then added the eggs, and let that cook for a bit.  After that, I added the salsa and home-made tortilla chips, and sprinkled some cheese into the mix. Finally, I topped them with black beans.  Since then, I get requests on a daily basis for Chilaquiles for dinner.  Maybe I’ll give in and make them one night this week…

Mmmmm… Spicy.

PS – Props to Ruthie for introducing me to Chilaquiles…

I just found this article on Gourmet Magazine’s website .

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2009/09/the-conscientious-carnivore

If you’re interested in reading more about where your meat comes from, check out Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (very informative, and incredibly well-written).

On our second day in Paris, we went back to Rue Cler (of course), but decided to sit down at a little bistro and have a big breakfast.  For 1O Euro per person, we each got fresh-squeezed grapefruit (or orange) juice, a huuuge croissant (which was served with home-made jam), an omelette with salad, and any coffee beverage of our choice.  The croissant was the best that I have ever had (in my entire life) and the omelette looked like Julia Child had made it.  The bistro, I did not happen to write down the name (Je suis désolé), was adorable, and very French.  Mmmm… I miss Paris.

Fresh Baguette, Cheese Omelette, and Salad.

Delicious Croissant.

20 seconds later….

After breakfast, we walked around a bit before heading over to the Musee d’Orsey for a few hours.  I found an adorable little macaroon shop, and had to poke my head in.  Of course, I couldn’t refrain from grabbing a few brightly colored confections.

Real Parisian Macaroons.

Later that night, after a long day of walking the streets of Paris and visitng the Louvre, we headed to Le Caveau des Oubliettes on Rue Galande (about a block and a half away from Notre Dame Cathedral).  The bar was built on top of an ancient Latin Quarter dungeon, and today, instead of prisoners in the dungeon, they have a live Jazz band!  As one of the reviews I read said, it just “oozes atmosphere.”  Upon entering, it looks as though it’s a regular local bar, with beer ads on the wall and very little sitting room, but if you make a beeline to the back of the bar, you’ll see a stairway on the right that leads you down into the dungeon.  People were crammed into the dungeon area like sardines, to see and hear the band cover Ray Charles songs, and other Jazz classics.  If you’re ever in Paris and looking for a super trendy local spot, this is the place to go.

Le Caveau des Oubliettes.

Downstairs Bar.

(right behind me are the stairs to climb down into the dungeon!)