Arzak. For dinner. We secured a reservation, which is more difficult than childbirth, and then it worked out that Kit Cat had booked her ticket for this time, so we left her with the children and drove to Spain. For dinner. Doesn't that sound so international and like we are riche, when in fact, everything is so expensive against the dollar that we are totally French Country Pau and we "drove to Spain" for dinner at the #6 or #9 restaurant in the world. Whatever. Getting into the small, private parking lot behind the building takes an act of God.
The meal starts with Elena showing up at your table and asking questions about food allergies and then tells you what lovely stuff she'd like to make for you.
And the sommelier, his English is "no bueno," which is fine because my Spanish is "non existent." I asked the sommelier if his apron is "leather." I don't know the word. So I suggested "vache," which is French for cow. I spoke Frenglish the entire meal and the wait staff laughed with me the entire meal. So we figured out the whole, "Is that leather?" And he said, "Si." And as he opened my wine, I said, "Oooh, sex-y." Which he actually laughed out loud.
Let me explain - these white table cloth super expensive restaurants have no sense of humour. I get it. Patrons are paying a ton of money to eat there, so let's everybody have a quiet, sober experience and pay homage to food. Or you can be me - where I enjoy the food and comment on it and laugh and feel delightful at the food. So despite my "American-ness" and my French joie de vie, I am sure I offended all of the British and the Norwegians and the French in the restaurant. Go French yourself. I'm fin with it. We had fun. And the price we paid, I should have fun.
As expected, the meal was fantastic. Lee loved the lobster (of which I could not partake) and I love love love my pigeon or whatever tiny bird it was I ate. Lee ordered the lamb. All of it was fabulous, not gonna lie. This white tuna was my favorite though. So freakin' good. If I were not a little "capitalizing on my petit dejeurner with Kit Cat right now" I'd go find my souvenir menu. But I'm too lazy right now. In fact, I'm so lazy right now, I can't even flip the picture right now. Listen, I stopped taking pictures of food a long time ago when I moved away from NH, because food was not so good there. For this dinner - I never remember what I eat, so it just helps my memory. And the pictures suck - like all of the pics I take.
Cold tomato soup as part of the amuse bouche. Seriously... eat the toothpick stuff, then drink the soup. Fabulous.
At the very end of the meal, the tray of sweets arrives. Lee was all, "I don't like those, so eat mine." It was a gelee. I had popped my in my mouth and I said, "I don't care if you don't like it. Eat it. You have to!" I was delighted by it.
It had fancy shmancy Pop Rocks on it. Deeeeliteful! So the couple next to us... well, their tray of sweets showed up and while his wife was in the restroom, I pointed at the gelee and said, "Eat!" He smiled, and said, "How do I?" I said, "Just put it in your mouth." Meaning - use your fingers! This fancy food, sometimes... confuses people. And all I say is, "PUT. IT. IN. YOUR MOUTH!!"
So he does. And then he laughs. He said, "My kids love this. I feel like a kid."
His wife returns and the poor thing had an audience as we watched her eat it. Oh, she was surprised and delighted too.
Then we all started talking together as everybody else left the restaurant. It was wonderful. They live in San Sebastián (lucky jerks) and have three boys. She said to me, "You are young? You have kids young?" BWAHAHAHAHAHA! We had a good laugh over that. No, I'm not young. I didnt' even have kids young. I just think that leather apron is sexy!!! They also told us that they have so many friends visit and all they ever ask is how to find Arzak Restaurant. I replied, "Take a cab. HAHAHA!" Well, they finally made it to Arzak! HA! I love that! When you live in a city, sometimes it is the hardest thing to do to make it to a restaurant.
We talked for a bit. I told them about San Fermin and how much we enjoyed it. Turns out - she is a doctor and at one point worked in Pamplona during San Fermin. She laughed and said that during San Fermin, "You see everything." Drugs, drunks, all kinds of injury. HA! But she was happy because we had a "beautiful experience."
I think it is funny that he has run with the bulls and that they have never taken their own kids. What is even weirder... when he was 16 he did a foreign exchange in the U.S. to "improve his English" and he lived in... wait for it... Waldport, Oregon. After we told him we were from Portland, Oregon he waited a few minutes and then mentioned his stay in Waldport. Small world. I literally said, "What the F* were you doing in Waldport?" And we all laughed and laughed. The conversation moved on to their visit in the U.S. and how slow people drive.
And all of the sudden it was midnight and I was going to turn into a pumpkin. We also had a long, 2.5 hour drive into Buzy in the dark. It was worth it every centime and calorie.
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