The restaurant serves quite a number of dishes we've either never heard of or have never had. I stayed in my comfort zone. Our friend The Goddess Elena's comfort zone is much broader given that she's from Bilbao, which is in Basque Country. She's not Basque herself, but she's familiar with the culture, the food, and even some of the language. Elena ordered squid in their own ink. I thought it looked like a pile of tar. I won't repeat what San Geraldo thought it looked like.
Fuimos a un restaurante nuevo sábado noche, un restaurante vasco que se llama Hemen. En euskera (vasco), "hemen" significa "aquí."
El restaurante sirve muchos platos que nunca he tenido. Me quedé en mi zona de confort. Nuestra amiga La Diosa Elena tiene una zona de confort mucha más amplia porque ella es de Bilbao, que está en el País Vasco. Ella no es vasca, pero está familiarizada con la cultura, la comida, e incluso algunos de los idiomas. Elena pidió chipirones en su tinta. Y le gustó. Pensé que parecía un montón de alquitrán. No voy a repetir lo que San Geraldo pensó que parecía.
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| AS THEY SAY IN BASQUE: EZ ESKERRIK ASKO! (NO THANKS!) COMO SE DICE EN VASCO: EZ ESKERRIK ASKO! (NO, GRACIAS!) |
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| A COMPLEMENTARY APPETIZER: MORCILLA (BLOOD SAUSAGE) WITH RICE AND PEPPERS. UN APERITIVO GRATIS: MORCILLA CON ARROZ Y PIMIENTOS ROJOS. |
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| FOR STARTERS, SAN GERALDO AND I SHARED A SPANISH SCRAMBLE THAT WAS DELICIOUS. PARA ENTRADAS, SAN GERALDO Y YO COMPARTIMOS UN DELICIOSO REVUELTO. |
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| AND SHE LIKED IT! ¡Y LE GUSTÓ! |
Inka dinka dee adinka doo, 1944.
Jimmy Durante, un artista famoso estadounidense, cantando una de sus canciones más populares (con el jefe de banda, Harry James), 1944.
Jimmy Durante, un artista famoso estadounidense, cantando una de sus canciones más populares (con el jefe de banda, Harry James), 1944.
It looks as an nice restaurant
ReplyDeleteGosia:
DeleteIt's a very beautiful place in a great location.
It looks like some adventurous eating, but I'd give it all a try.
ReplyDeleteStephen:
DeleteI try lots of different foods, but I have my limits. Squid ink is one of my limits.
Stephen:
DeleteCome to think of it, squid ink ISN'T EVEN one of my limits. I've had pasts with squid ink and liked it. THIS dish of squid ink, however, is the limit!
Long ago, we went to a place in Santa Cruz (India Joze) that specialized in squid and everything was delicious! Even the squid in ink. But the image of Elena's dish is a little off-putting to me; somehow it doesn't look like food. Glad she enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteWilma:
DeleteElena's exact words when that dish was placed in front of her: "It's gorgeous!"
At first I thought that that black lump was a close-up of a prune. Pity it wasn't!
ReplyDeleteGood to see 'The Great Schnozzle' again. There aren't that many visual records left behind of him actually performing.
Raybeard:
DeleteIt did have the color and shine of a prune.
Squid in its own ink???? Oh my lord.
ReplyDeleteDebra:
DeleteIt was all too much for me.
Ive had black pasta before with squid ink and honestly , i wasnt a fan. I really really wanted to like something different and out of my box but nope- couldnt do it.
ReplyDeleteHolli:
DeleteI've also had black pasta with squid ink and DID like it; I had forgotten about that. But this was just way over the top. I'm willing to try things different to me, but there are just some lines I can't cross.
I'd rather look at jimmy than the food (queasy tummy).
ReplyDeleteanne marie:
DeleteAw, I hope your tummy is better by now. So sorry for doing that to you on a bad tummy day!
The squid looks horrid! I am not adventurous in my eating so no way in the world would I try that, beside the fact that I am vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Durante was wonderful! Haven' seen him perform many times.
Take care Mitchell!
Robin:
DeleteGlad I at least gave you Jimmy Durante in this post, since there's not much else that appeals to you. Sorry about that!
We call it black pudding here! Adorable...especially when wrapped around a scotch egg
ReplyDeleteJohn:
DeleteYep. Black pudding is a popular dish here due to all the British tourists and expats. Hemen's version, from the north of Spain, was very moist and not as overwhelmingly rich as morcilla can be. (And, sorry, "adorable" and "wrapped around a scotch egg"?)
I've tried "sepe" pasta and risotto - both favourite dishes in Venice but wasn't all that thrilled. And as for the squid in ink.... well San G said it al.
ReplyDeleteWillym:
DeleteI LOVE risotto. Squid... only when it's battered and fried.
I would like to congratulate you on your Spanish, Bravo! you are integrating well. All those dishes including the squid are quite good, take my word for it.
ReplyDeleteLaurent:
DeleteOh, thanks, but it's not as good as it should be and usually takes some careful review each time just to get it to an acceptable stage. I'll take your word for it on the squid -- since I will never have my own word to take on the subject.
Not often you can get a plate of food that looks less appetising than the Los Angeles Tar Pits! It would not have surprised me if she had encountered a long extinct mammal in that gloop
ReplyDeleteTy:
DeleteAnd, since we were just speaking of La Brea Tar Pits, that was today's crossword puzzle!
I agree with San Geraldo, on that the squid looks like. I've seen piles like that in barnyards, after a spring rain.
ReplyDeleteTravel:
DeleteI agree, too. I just didn't want to put that thought in my mind while I ate MY meal. I stuck to the thought of tar.
I'm with you Mitch ~ no go there for me!
ReplyDeleteRon:
DeleteSome other friends of our were in the restaurant that night. They're original from north of Madrid. They had the same dish and love it. Ugh!
Hm-m-m-m.....I would have to pass on that first dish, I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteThe scramble looks like a possibility.
The finished dish at the end looks like an abstract piece of art. I think I could handle that!
Jim:
DeleteThe scramble (revuelto) was excellent. I'd have that again.