Marty B

Ryan and I love to eat, especially when someone else is cooking for us. One of our favorite things to do is enjoy a delicious meal and bottle (or two) of wine on a Friday or Saturday night. We have been fortunate enough to dine at some wonderful restaurants, however our most impressive dining experience to date was at Martín Berasategui just outside of San Sebastian.

Marty B!

When we found out Spain has 7, 3 Michelin star (highest honor) restaurants and 3 of them are in the San Sebastian area we immediately decided to splurge. I often argue you will spend the same amount (if not more) money going to a Broadway show and a nice dinner, renting a cabana or table in Vegas or spending too many hours buying rounds of drinks for your friends during a night out. Most of these events will include a hangover, questionable decision making, or the odd show tune stuck in your head for weeks on end. I will choose a 12 course tasting menu at an amazing restaurant all day, any day. The decision was made and we called to make a reservation.

The restaurant was a short cab ride outside of the city to the small town of Lasarta-Oria. We pulled up 15 minutes early to a modest building across the street from a small park. The tables were simply dressed in white linen with the glow of a candle and small flower arrangement in the center. We were given the option to sit either in or outside, and with the rest of the patrons, chose a seat outside. The outside became completely full over the next hour, however inside remained empty. When we asked our waiter if they ever fill up, he said they always book to 1/2 capacity just incase you want to take your dessert or coffee inside after dinner. Say what?! With our minds already blown at the service level, we settled in and all decided to order the tasting menu.

Outside seating at Martin Berasategui

I don't claim to be a foodie or know all that much about wine, however over the course of the next 3 hours my mind and tastebuds were blown. I am not entirely sure what I ate, or if I would even eat if it I knew what the actual ingredients were or how it was prepared. However, it was the best meal of my life and each plate was a work of art. I am afraid of oysters. I ate one, I loved it, I wanted more. There was a little, fried (I am sure Marty would shame me for assuming it was fried) egg that was the most amazing explosion of flavor. We literally laughed at how good it was. My favorite might have been a red shrimp dish disguised as white and red foam. I love it when something looks different than it tastes. How do they make foam taste and feel like the most flavorful shrimp I have ever had? Well done. 

Our tasting menu, amazing!

Example of ridiculous his dishes are

We ate this one! Beet salad! So good!

 I can't end this post without talking about the service. While the food alone would bring me back, the combination of food and service will have me dreaming of this meal for years. The waiter to diner ratio appeared to be 2:1. They were all dressed in smart black suits and every time they served you a glass or utensil they put on white gloves. Each entree was delivered to us at the exact same time and what impressed me most was how the waiters set pace with the kitchen. There was a couple sitting at a table next to us who started their first course before we did. However, since we were devouring each course with American vigor we started to outpace them. Somehow, the kitchen was made aware of this and while the timing between courses was the same as our neighbors, we were served at a slightly faster pace than they were. Impressive. The waiters were attentive, but never hovered. At one point a young girl rubbed her shoulders signaling she was becoming chilled. Within minutes, she was wearing a smart, black suit jacket. When given the multi page wine menu we all panicked a little bit. There were so many choices and 5/6 of the options felt a little out of our price range. I love wine, but I don't know enough about it to justify a high ticket price when the cheaper stuff tastes just as good to my poorly developed palette. The sommelier came over and must have sensed our confusion. He chose two bottles of wine for us, both in the "cheaper" category and both outstanding. I hate it when sommeliers recommend a super expensive bottle of wine and force you to say you are looking to spend less. Our guy nailed it. The wine was delicious. So good, in fact, we asked if he wouldn't mind writing down the year and label. He took it one step further and not only printed out the type of wine we drank, but peeled each label from our finished bottles and glued them to a piece of paper for us. 

At some point during the meal, I not so casually mentioned that we were all on our honeymoon. I unabashedly admit I assumed this would lead to a comped glass of cava or an extra dessert. Nope, it resulted in a plate signed with a sweet message from Martin himself! Now we have a new plate and a great souvenir to remember our experience by.  Towards the end of the meal, Martin himself came out to make sure his guests enjoyed their experience. He was extremely soft spoken and did not speak english. A waiter translated for him when necessary, which was very endearing. Stuffed to the gills, completely blown away and already gushing over the entire experience, our sommelier came over and asked if we wanted a tour of the kitchen and space where they film a cooking show Martin helps host. Not ones to pass down an experience we obliged and were lead into the completely pristine, 45 cook kitchen. Yes, you read that correct, 45 cooks in the kitchen.

We ended the evening thanking everyone profusely for allowing us such an amazing meal and experience. Marty B, you were worth every single penny of this splurge. Thank you.

Fun Fact: This is a really long post.