I think I would prefer the bar as opposed to the restaurant at Casa Urola based on what I have read. There are some dishes at the restaurant that look interesting though.
@ninkat,
Nice photo! You donât like txakolĂ? Have you tried the K5, Kpilota or the one from Katiña? Iâm a big fan of the latter. And the Katiña winery in Orio has a spectacular setting for dining on the local grilled besugo (sea bream). Another of the Basque Countryâs great asadores, but one of the newest.
White tempranilloâWe like the one produced by Bodegas Valdemar from OyĂłn (we belong to their club).
What cider do you recommend?
Any of them, but it may be an acquired taste.
We go to the cider houses when theyâre open in cider season and last year we enjoyed Gurutzeta in Astigarraga. Theyâre now open year round with new owners but outside of txotx season, it functions as a regular restaurant. Txotx season is more fun, January through first of April.
Try the Zapiain and see what you think.
Thanks @Maribel, taking notes for my next trip to the area (Iâm going to spend a few days in Barcelona starting Monday). Iâm not sure at all what varieties of txakoli I have tried, but several times in bars in SS. Definitely my first try was at La Cuchara de San Telmo. I remember because it was on a subsequent visit there (late lunch) that the barman introduced me to the white tempranillo. It is this one, that I have also been able to get delivered in New York (Iâve bookmarked the one you recommend and will look for it along the way and in NY when I am home):
@ninkat,
Thatâs a very good one. Ontañón also makes one, but we prefer Conde de Valdemarâs. When we lived in Seattle we belonged to the Valdemar Estates wine club, but now weâve switched to Conde de Valdemarâs in the Rioja Alavesa.
Many pintxos bars in the Old Quarter pour the classic TxomĂn Etxaniz, but I think that K5, Kpilota, Hirutza from Hondarribia, Hika B119 and especially Katxiña are even tastier. I donât know if theyâre available in NY but itâs worth the search.
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So itâs pretty much house pours when you ask for Txakoli or can you request K5, Kpilota, Hirutza from Hondarribia, Hika B119, Katiña at the pintxos bars?
ItÂŽs what the house pours unless they have another txakolĂ option on the chalkboard wines by the glass selection. But ime, you just order the txakolĂ, and it will be the house pour. I think Urola pours TxomĂn Etxaniz.
If you want to try the others I mentioned above, you would need to purchase in a wine shop, for example, Vinos MartĂnez on Narrika or Goñi Ardoteca on Aldamar in the Old Quarter or another specialty shop or Solbes Gourmet on Aldamar, opposite side of the street, which usually has a nice. selection.
And the wine shops in Gipuzkoa usually sell only the local âtxakolina getariakoâ, not those from the other province, Bizkaya, the âtxakolina bizkaikoâ, which are equally good, for example
Doniene Gorrondona,
Gorka Izagirre (the one below Azurmendi)
Itxasmendi 7 (delicious).
Thereâs also the txakolĂ produced in the province of Alava.
Some SS restaurants do serve Katxiña, which is our favorite.
I just looked at Kaia Kaipeâs wine list and they offer these txakolĂs
Adur
Agerre
Aitaren
Ameztoi (available in the US)
Gaintza
Katxina
K5
Rezabal
There are now 67 (and maybe counting) txakolĂ producers among the 3 Basque Country provinces.
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Wow! I had no idea (though why I never thought this) that txakoli is such a varied type of wine. I will try and source the ones you particularly recommend in NY, at least to try. Gracias!
Ninkat, there are others, a red, a rosé, a sparkling and a late harvest.
Here are the products from Itsasmendi (Gernika)
Just came back from Sunday late lunch at our favorite Basque restaurant in the Madrid suburb where we live----had a bottle of Katxiña from Orio, their house txakolĂ. Excellent accompaniment to our ventresca and bonito con tomate.
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This morningâs El PaĂs gastro article, "Where to eat in Bilbao according to Michelin-starred chef Eneko Atxa (of Nerua in the Guggenheim)-
One of his choices is Porrue and for txuleta, TxakolĂ SimĂłn up in the hills with lovely views.
Thanks for that. All my meal slots are filled now.
I went to Mina last night. The dishes are hit & miss. There were about 3 or 4 savory dishes I liked. The rest were pedestrian. They tried to do a lot - some of it worked, some didnât. I can recognise the inspiration for some dishes from other restaurants I have been to. There were a lot of Japanese & Asian influences. The execution was mediocre on some dishes. There is a confit of ocean trout which is like the Tetsuya Wakuda one but here it is smoked or cured with a different texture & very salty. Large bones remained in the tranche which was unpleasant. Ditto for a rabbit stew which was tasty but had bits of broken bone which were a tooth hazard. I was surprised at the lack of attention to detail at the prices they charged.
The desserts were excellent.
Wow, thatâs certainly good to know and to keep in mind. But Iâm glad you enjoyed the desserts, at least!
If youâre interested in gourmet products to purchase and take home when youâre in San SebastiĂĄn, we like the gourmet shop Aitor Lasa on Aldamar in the Old Quarter.
Ditto to chocolates at Maitena on Peñaflorida
And wines at Goñi Ardoteca on Aldamar
Weâve had 3 meals at Mina and the 2nd one was similar to what you describe with not everything coming together and some carelessness. The 3rd time it returned to excellence. I wonder if it depends on the staff that day and/or the menu for the season.
I really liked Porrue. Something of a similar approach to Exteberri with a focus on grilling.
Ditto to Porrue . Un restaurante de producto.
For the prices they charge, the very least they can do is be consistent.
