Where is Axpe, you might ask? It's a small Basque village about 45 mins from Bilbao and about an hour from San Sebastián. located in a deep valley between beautiful lush green mountains. There is nothing special in this tiny village except for
Etxebarri, a restaurant known for the freshest ingredients grilled. The meal was so good after the first time, while we were staying in Bilbao, that we asked to go again. We were pleased to learn that we had another opportunity, a few days later, when we were staying in San Sebastián. The tasting menu was priced at 120€ but our friends, who have been going there at least a couple times per year for the past few years, told us of their favorite dishes and we decided to follow their lead. To start, the bread was crusty and delicious, and when accompanied with the restaurant's home-made goat's butter (12€), was phenomenal. There were 6 of us and we each ordered about two dishes each, followed by the dessert. The gambas (shrimp) from Palamós was a huge favorite and indeed, the shrimps were just barely grilled, with lots of delicious juices and 'head-matter' if you like to suck on shrimp heads, which I have no qualms doing. My dad used to say "That's the best part." The tuna was the second favorite on our first trip but after one of us ordered their T- bone steak, the t-bone became the favorite on our second visit. It is charred to perfection on the outside and rare and juicy on the inside, yet not bloody - a remarkable feat accomplished by a secret the chef shared with us. The baby squids were unbelievable as well. The desert, oh my the dessert, is the Flan de Queso - an amazingly light, creamy, slightly sweet, and slightly savory spoonfuls of heaven. It is an amazing dessert and one that I will want as the dessert in my last meal.
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Restaurant Building - Etxebarri
Axpe Countryside |
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| Beef Chop |
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| Shrimps from Palamós |
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| Tuna |
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| Cheese Flan, yum! |
We were lucky to have the opportunity to meet the chef and his sous chef. The sous chef is from Florida. We asked him how he ended up in this restaurant in the middle of nowhere, and he told us that two years go, he heard of this restaurant, wrote in and, after a two-week try-out, was accepted. He explained that the logs were put in the burning oven for a good number of hours, until small lumps of coal are formed. The different types of meat and vegetables are grilled at varying heights.
I would love to go back to Etxebarri, again and again and again...
p.s., here's the pooch, looking up from under the table at Extebarri:
