MitchW

People definitely like/liked Tammie. Although Tammie might have jumped the shark.

This might be TL. In that case, DR. One of the more fun ways to get to San Sebastian (if you're already on the continent, I guess) is via the high speed train. From Paris, for example, the train takes about 4.5 hours, though there is a little quirk in that the train you take from Paris only goes as far as Hendaye, which is on the border with Spain. Hop (or crawl) off the TGV high-speed rail, and onto the Eusktren, and you're in San Sebastian in another 30 minutes. Even though flying from Paris to San Sebastian is much faster, getting to the airport, getting from the airport, dealing with security, luggage, etc. etc. I find the train much more roomy and relaxing. Heading into Basque country... It's pretty beautiful. And for this trip, we almost pulled out all the stops, staying in one of the nicer hotels, in one of the nicer rooms. Which afforded this view, of one of the most beautiful cities we've been lucky enough to visit... La Concha. The view was actually quite similar to the view we had from an AirBnB on our last trip, but said AirBnB was unavailable this time. I love the beach writers and artists; some of the most ephemeral writing and art around. Lasts only as long as the tides allow! One of the "issues" we faced during our stay in San Sebastian was that a number of the places I'd planned to dine at were actually not available. Not because they were booked. Rather... They were "cerrados por vacaciones." Bastardos! Also, I have no idea who that person is, but she was following me everywhere! Not to worry - we were still able to dine regally, and on our first night, we certainly did... At Gerald's Bar, new to us, but not new... Kind enough to give us a menu in English (have you tried to read Basque?!). We were hungry. And wanted to compare the paté with some we'd had in Paris. Maybe it was even better here? Grilled leeks and pears...amazing what some heat will do for a pear. This was simple and fantastic. Significant Eater quite enjoyed her tagliatelle (chef trained in Italy for a while, and this was a great, house made tagliatelle). On the other hand... My pork chop, from a pig raised on the hills above Getaria, was astounding. Tasting better than it looks... Postre. Mas pera. Believe me when I say if we could get a meal like this, at this price here in the states, I might be ecstatic. (We can't, so I won't be). After a fair amount of rain in Paris, it was lovely to see and enjoy the sun in San Sebastian for 2 days, though the rains came here eventually. Gandarias is fine for what it is, old school (with both a pintxo bar and a sit-down restaurant), open on Sunday night, not closed for vacation, and pretty good food. We'd had a good time once before, so off we went... Delicious pig products. Shrimp from Huelva, simply cooked on la plancha. Sweet as can be. Para mí, a big hunk of lamb shoulder, with crispy skin - oh man, this was good. Para ella... Rodaballo with lotta garlic, and no one in Basque country is shy with olio! Beautifully cooked fish. Did I mention it started to rain, after 2 days of almost perfect weather? That doesn't mean it isn't still gorgeous, and a faint rainbow even appears every now and then! This is the Urumea River, which can get angry looking when it's stormy. It sometimes gets surfed by crazy people. So how was this trip different from our previous trips to San Sebastian? The one big difference was that we stayed in a hotel, which is not generally how we operate. The hotel also offered quite a lovely breakfast, which we indulged in. That meant lunch wasn't always necessary, and it also reduced our pinxtos intake, as we wanted to enjoy somewhat fancier meals in the evening. However, it didn't stop us from enjoying a great lunch at a place I'd be clued into from a previous AirBnB host, located within the sparkling Merkatua San Martin. It's called Maun Grill Bar, and two guys cook and serve fabulous food out of their tiny, well-appointed (kitchen geeks would enjoy this place!) space Grilled and braised artichokes and celery were so different and delicious. Getting the most flavor out of this tomato salad, by torching it. Great idea. Scallops roasted in their shells, with their roe and a spicy ginger-y sauce thing. Carabineros, simply grilled. One for each of us, though I might've eaten another; they're just so good. This all kept us well sated until dinner at Antonio Boulevard (we did indulge in Antonio Bar's, a separate location not in the old town, pinxtos on Tuesday). Tuna belly, piparras, pimento, anchovy on toast, drowned in olive oil. More artichoke hearts, this time with jamón. A favorite were the clams and rice with green sauce. Here's where I learned that I am probably overcooking my Spanish rices by a little - all the rice we had in Spain was a bit more al dente than I have been able to achieve, but I'm working on it. I didn't realize that their "famous" meatballs (quite good) would come with potatoes, and we ordered a side of potatoes as well. Note the salad, similar to every other green salad we had in Basque country; i.e.: lettuce and onion. I think we've had enough, no? OK - maybe a wee bit of queso to finish. Lovely, casual meal. Our final night in San Sebastian was not to be so casual, and off we walked to a restaurant which had been recommended to us by the chef pictured above, at Maun Grill Bar. It would be Casa 887, whose chef is from Brazil and where the cooking is slightly more fusion-y (but only slightly). The amuse was almost classic, more tuna! Red tuna "nigiri." Just great. Pork gyoza, served in the style of Mission Chinese Food. "Glass peppers" drowned in olive oil. Significant Eater had to have some more rice, this time with those great red prawns from Huelva. Wow. And I had the special wild sea bass, which was rightly cooked and right up my alley. I'm pretty sure we drank dessert here, along with a scoop or two of ice cream. Great find, and I'm glad to have asked chef at Maun Grill for some recommends. As mentioned, it rained, but that never stops us from wandering. It's only water, after all (and we don't use umbrellas!). Decisions, decisions. Gotta walk to get coffee... Whether it's at Old Town Coffee Roasters, or... Simona Specialty Coffee. Here's our hotel in the rain. We stayed at the very top, in a room with a private terrace. The rain keeps a lot of people off the beach, though some hearty Basques were swimming every day... And even though the view from our room when it was raining wasn't too bad... When the sun broke through, it was even prettier... On our final night's walk back to our hotel... Might be Jupiter. Till next time... Oh - I forgot to show this... Couple pushing a baby stroller into Casa 887 on our final night. That's either a very ugly baby...or...a fucking dog!

Just read this piece...Le French Diner is where your favorite chefs eat on their nights off. Wherein the writer, one Chris Crowley, crows about how wonderful Le French Diner is, and how chefs love the place... But as I read this, I'm positive we went there before 2014. Many times. Sure enough, there's a review from The New Yorker: Dated a mere 8 years before this douche believes it opened. But to give old Chris a break, it did close briefly in 2013, before it reopened again.

Wow, the Helen print piece (just catching up on missed mags) certainly skirts the issue about shame and guilt.

Oh no...we shared quite a few meals, and John always loved to share his knowledge. RIP, my friend.

The shiva calls should be interesting.

Much more correct!

Lots of great songs to listen to.

Did you ever write about them, @Wilfrid?

The great, great frontman of the Pogues (when it wasn't Joe Strummer). At 65. Probably be hearing Fairytale of New York even more this Christmas season. RIP, Shane.

He was a good guy who did some bad things? He was a bad guy who did some good things? He was a fucking horrible human being?

Yeah, Leo liked to name his gin. As a matter of fact, he calls out Antica for the vermouth. And Hayman's for the Old Tom.

Me too - see you Xmas eve!

Here's how it was made at Pegu: 2 oz. gin 1 oz. sweet vermouth 1 barspoon Luxardo 2 dashs Ango Garnish - lemon peel

I never knew it, but evidently millennials (and Gen Z) have "invented" mortadella AND the charcuterie board! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/dining/mortadella.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CE0.r9ri.LCBnNZXYTeVp&smid=url-share

Isn't he still dead?

I've come to learn, after decades of shows, that nothing in NYC is ever truly sold out. Or to put it another way, one can always get a ticket.

I think they need a place with general admission, or at least some standing area in front of seats. Lest we forget another of my least faves - Webster Hall.

Which reminds me of: I guess that depends on what one's definition of "out of the ordinary" is.

Let's decide what heinous venue they'll play at here in NYC... Terminal 5? Brooklyn Steel? Maybe Pier 17 (which would be fun). Bowery Ballroom - though I guess they're too popular for that? Open for the Stones at the Meadlowlands = HELP!!

Similarly to @Sneakeater, I'm not feeling great. Unlike @Sneakeater, however, it's not Covid, apparently just a cold I caught somewhere on our way home. At least that's what it appears to be, after testing negative two days in a row. But one has to start cooking at some point. So... Last night, pan-roasted chicken thighs, red beans, rice, peas and carrots. Night before last, penne marinara and roasted Brussels sprouts.

As long as @Orik was recommending, we weren't about to just toss the dice, so in our short stay in Madrid, we had dinner at two of the above recommendations: La Buena Vida and Saddle. As we were staying in the Cheuca district (or is it called Justicia?), that meant we could walk both to and from our dinner reservations, perhaps even stopping off for a preprandial cocktail each night. Perhaps. So as mentioned before walking to dinner: A stop off at Del Diego Cocktail Bar. For a Martini and a Manhattan. Obligatory crisps and crackers, in this case. Then on to dinner. Sig Eater started with the classic Iberian ham croquettes, while her partner wanted 'shrooms... And got 'em. Our main courses don't appear on the menu above, as they were both specials. Chef came out to chat about what he was cooking, and that made the decision easier. Fantastic red mullet served atop its bisque. This was great. My knockout wild duck dish, with some creamy potatoes. I had asked chef about the broad beans on the menu, and he was nice enough to send out a small ramekin for us to taste - tasting straight out of Florence, meaning delicious. Fine meal - lovely service...I think we ended with a couple of sherries, because I don't see dessert on our bill. On our way to dinner at Saddle the following night, it just so happens that Saddle is located across the street from the Ministerio del Interior, and some other important stuff on the block, as there were policia et al. everywhere, toting their machine guns. Which either makes you feel safe...or maybe not. But it also means there is generally a divey bar nearby, because those public servants don't make a lot of dough. At least, not legit dough... I kid, I kid. But it works out just great for the two of us - we love the dive bars. Yes, we were an early res at 9 PM, but that's how it goes, after a light lunch and a couple of hours walking around in a museum, a nap, and hunger. The food here was great, and the service was...omnipresent. From the Martini cart at the start (we demurred), to the bread, oil, and butter service (don't tell Sietsema, but the bread and butter was more expensivo than that unnamed place on Avenue A). Lotta butter. Olio. Great bread. Amuse me... Re amuse - fantastic brodo. Paté en croute... Full portion, split tableside for us. It's great that Saddle also offers "1/2" portions on many of their dishes, which enabled us to try more. And more... Boletus w/grilled, wild rabbit, whitefish and paprika crumbs "El Sequero." Holy shit, this was good. Wood Pigeon Tortellini - Game consommé, chestnut infusion and wild eel. Those were the starters! For my main course... Mont Royal Pigeon - Potato gnocchi and inside meatballs (inside here meaning the innards). Another fucking winner. Here's where things got interesting. Significant Eater did not like her main...at all. From the first bite. But...they noticed, came right over, and basically forced her to choose something else. She did, and was quite happy with the wild sea bass (which was on every menu around, from San Sebastian on down), done fairly simply. Kudos to the staff for that. Another tidbit..I spilled some wine drops onto our tablecloth. They came over with dots to cover it up! This came... And we almost had enough. But we didn't, so queso was consumed. Nice petit fours to send us on our way. Oh - one more interesting tidbit. Saddle was the first place, after two weeks in France and Spain, where my Cap One card would not go through. Sig Eater's Cap One card would not go through. So they said let's go outside, maybe the connection will be better. It wasn't. But there were like 6 people there with us, watching the credit card transaction...I felt like Anna Sorokin. A different card was proffered, and off we stumbled into the night. We had an early flight Saturday, and wanted to stay close. And eat early. That's easy, in Chueca,. Our apartment was directly above: Which our airbnb host practically insisted we try. Scoff if you must, but... The wings were fucking great. And on a Friday night, around 7:30 PM, they were turning people away. We'd reserved. As should you...https://celsoymanolo.es/ The Madrid portion of our trip was way too short; gotta do a week next time...this city is great.

Haven't been, don't know if that'll ever happen. But...Helen Rossner has been, and it must've been tough (or was it?) for ol' Helen to to give props to someone (April Bloomfield) who knew and allowed terrible things to go on in a restaurant she partly owned and was in charge of. I'm so happy for April's psyche...and happy that April has come to terms with it. Oh lookie here - Helen feels guilt!!! And ambivalence. Didn't April already hand stuff off to someone else, somewhere else? I guess that lesson wasn't learned. Just...no.

In our short stay in Madrid last week (next time, it'll be a longer stay for sure), we (re)visited both the Museo del Prado as well as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. We had a need to (re)see some classic works, and both museums had excellent exhibitions currently running. At the Prado, before spending time getting as depressed as possible, we took in this: Reversos - a quite fascinating look at what goes on behind and in back of a work of art. Then it was time for depression, so we trudged to this: The Lost Mirror. Jews and Converts in Medieval Spain - what is there to say? To cheer ourselves up, we took in Bosch, el Greco, Goya and Velazquez. I then needed a drink. What an amazing museum; that's all. It's also great because they don't allow photography - I wish every museum would do the same (I know, I know, I take pictures, but I do it without annoying everyone around me, and also with the knowledge that, for instance, Las Meninas is not going to be better because I'm in front of the fucking painting). The following day, we headed out after lunch to the Reina Sofia. In addition to (re)seeing Guernica and it's attendant works (I particularly like the Dora Maar photographs of Guernica in progress), there was this wonderfully curated exhibition: Picasso 1906 -- The Turning Point - basically focused on one year of Picasso's life (when he was 25), an in depth look at what influenced him, and his influence on modern art. Astounding stuff. Since they let you take photographs at the Reina, what the hell... El Greco, for Picasso. Gertrude Stein, for Picasso. Picasso, for the world. Stendahled out.