history's greatest day: volume 33

I'm not sure if it's mere coincidence, but the greatest day of the year occurred on the same day as it did in 2013, Februrary 27. That's right, it's already come and gone. The rest of 2014 is basically on a downward trajectory; we should all look towards flipping the remnants of this calendar year. And how exactly did Emmelle and I celebrate said day of magnificence? Well, by dining at one of the world's most renown restaurants of course. On the last full (non-travel) day of our recent London-Barcelona-San Sebastian romp, we dined at the famed Arzak. Spoiler alert: It did not disappoint. A great great meal - delicious, fun and memorable. Headed into the meal, I read a Yelp review written by a Korean American about her epicurean experience. Included was a description of her interaction with the owner, Juan Mari Arzak. When she mentioned that she was of Korean decent, he told her that he had one Korean friend, David Chang of Momofuku. After reading that, I became very excited about sharing a similar experience - and fully ready to drop that we were Korean. When our moment came with Arzak, he also inquired about our ethnic background. In response to our Korean heritage, he claimed that he knew the best Korean chef, of course David Chang of Momofuku. It's good to be prepared; we probably had the longest chat with him among non-Spanish/Basque speakers that night. I don't care if he asks this question to every dark haired/small eyed individual that walks into his famed doors; it was pretty cool. Our dinner menu is re-typed below. Fantastic photographic memory? Hardly, they actually gave us personalized printouts of the menu based on our actual selections. For example, it includes the wine that we drank (half bottle of the Roda Reserva 2008) and excludes dishes that we did not choose (simple but terrific nuance to the whole experience). The courses with multiple dishes outside of the first, were basically an "OR" selection. As all couples should, we chose one of each to maximize our sampling. First Jiro's and now Arzak. Honestly, the best establishments in our own backyard seem fairly reasonable (i.e. French Laundry). Thanks for stopping by! Scorpion fish mousse with kataifi Mushroom with nuts and citrus Beans with olives and apple Gilda with carrot and ssamjang Chorizo with tonic ++++++++++ Beet root blood apple Apple injected with beetroot accompanied by creamy foie gras and potato "mother of pearl" Cromlech, manioc and huitlacoche Crispy manioc hydrated with huitlacoche stuffed with a preparation of onion, green tea and foie gras ++++++++++ Lobster "Sea and Garden" Grilled lobster with a crispy star shaped crepe and fresh greens Volcanic oysters Warm oysters over black salt, smoked vegetables and light acid touch ++++++++++ Ovo-lacto Egg with semi crunchy shell and baobab accompanied by "lactic leaves" and curds ++++++++++ Sole with "snow" Sole fillet served with a crust of fermented yucca, mussel and tamarind sauce and its snowman Fish steak with potatoes Fillet of seabass lightly marinated with gin and served with several flavors of potatoes ++++++++++ Wild duck and seeds Roasted duck breast over a selection of dried fruits accompanied by an elaboration of seeds like pumpkin, grape or sunflower Venison with plaster and Jerusalem artichoke Deer and roe deer loin served with roasted and plastered Jerusalem artichoke, fried chestnuts and their juice ++++++++++ The Big Truffle Largue cocoa and sugar truffle with a creamy chocolate and carob filling The Circus: Diabolo and Calamansi Under the tent of a circus, diabolos soaked in calamondin with chocolate, carrot ice cream "melted" and piece of colored clay ++++++++++ Acai granita Bitter almond ice cream "sauced" with acai and fruit ice Suspension jelly Roasted and smoked pineapple with vanilla covered with cloche and suspension jelly set with carrot and orange