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Michelin-starred Azurmendi, set within a futuristic greenhouse, is just outside the city, but feels worlds away.
(Photo: Courtesy of Azurmendi) |
Expect a once-in-a-lifetime meal at three-Michelin-starred Azurmendi, a 20-minute car or bus ride outside the city, atop a hill in Larrabetzu. Entering the enormous glass greenhouse feels like a visit to another realm: Each of the elaborate tasting menus (from $178) actually begins with a walk-through, during which the initial courses (already prepped) are literally plucked off vines and hidden within branches. Ecofriendly touches like geothermal heating and rainwater harvesting are only part of chef Eneko Atxa’s wizardry, evident in dishes like foie gras ashes with edible flowers or a truffled egg cooked from the inside out. For a less pricey taste of the experience, try the restaurant’s more casual prêt-à-porter concept, set in a separate barnlike dining space on the sprawling rural property, and offering a set menu ($40) changing based on whatever’s harvested that day, with dishes like grilled squid with onion toffee and grilled Magret duck.
Sample some of the city’s most delectable pintxos (Basque tapas) at Gure Toki, right on Plaza Nueva in Casco Viejo. The three-decade-old tavern has all the marks of tradition, with its long counter and chalkboard lists of bites, but stands out from the pintxo pack with consistently innovative takes on the snacks (for which it has won numerous regional awards). Start with a basic like rabas (fried squid rings, $8), a standard favorite in Bilbao, before moving on to more adventurous choices, like pan-fried scallops ($3.50) on a bed of pureed potato with parsley and curried breadcrumbs, or gooey grilled foie gras ($3.50), all composed artfully and served in futuristic glass bowls and curved porcelain dishes.
Dine on modern Spanish cuisine within the Guggenheim’s walls at chef Josean Alija’s Nerua, which received its first Michelin star in 2012. One of the country’s most-talked-about chefs, known for his explorations of regional plants and products, Alija uses the minimalist, stark-white dining space (with, of course, Gehry-designed wooden Hat Trick Chairs) as a backdrop to pristine, deceptively simple plates utilizing just a few superb Basque ingredients. Sample delicate stewed spinach with almond milk and olive oil ($16), or candied baby squids in a turnip-and-black-olive broth ($46), and you’ll taste the quiet influence of a culinary education extending to Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli. For something heartier, order the veal sweetbreads ($37) or the rack of lamb in a mint-and-sherry broth ($41), and enjoy while gazing out the windows at Richard Serra’s imposing steel sculptures inside and the Abandoibarra esplanade outside.