Tonight’s dinner was at a Basque restaurant near our apartment called Pottoka. Le Pays Basque straddles the border between France and Spain. The Basques are independent sorts who have their own language, which bears no resemblance to any other Indo-European tongue. They were horribly suppressed by the Franco regime in Spain; as a partial result, a Basque terrorist group with the acronym ETA was formed. The organization finally disbanded earlier this year.
Basque cuisine is similar to its Spanish and French neighbors. It’s primarily based on fish, seafood, and lamb. Fresh vegetables are also a big part. Some of the best restaurants in the world are in the Basque city of San Sebastian. The Basque country has been on my bucket list of places to visit for years, so I was looking forward to this dinner ever since Julian made the reservation.
Julian and I both started off with a salmon and apple appetizer, while Bruce got a huge bowl of razor clams with minced tomato and pepper. Our main courses were lamb confit and scallops with chanterelles and Israeli couscous. Everything was well prepared and very tasty. This was probably the best restaurant meal I’ve had in a year.
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