Craig Cavallo has published an article in Condé Nast Traveler about Basque cuisine, San Sebastian, and the gastronomic societies, which he nicknames “secret societies”.
The truth is that the article’s author can’t complain about the level of his guides and patrons in this debut run, which took him from a general overview, pintxos, and the great restaurants of San Sebastian, to the Brecha marketplace and the heart of one of its gastronomic societies.
But, you have to admit, he made the most of those guides and wrote an outstanding article that we’re sure will inspire many readers to want to visit San Sebastian and all the Land of the Basques.
San Sebastian has gone from being a well-known city, to being a worldwide reference, and is now on its way to becoming “mythical” in the field of cuisine. It’s a path in which all the restaurants, bars, residents, chefs, tour guides, big and small, have a fundamental role.
And it’s a successful path that we’re sure is still on its way up. San Sebastian is one of the great gastronomic capitals of the world, on par with any European, Asian, or American city.
We hope that we’re all capable of avoiding the pitfalls this kind of success can bring. The awards and success and recognition can be mixed blessings. In this case, one of those might be to fall into the temptation of making San Sebastian a kind of “gastronomic theme park,” where everything is designed for the visitor, rather than staying an “authentic” place where visitors can really find what they came looking for.
Condé Nast Traveler – 5/1072016 – USA
Inside San Sebastián’s Secret Societies…For Eating
“The Basque people have a huge reverence for food,” Alex Raij tells me over the phone. She is in a cab inNew Orleans, on her way back to New York City and the small empire of Basque restaurants she runs there with her husband Eder Montero, who was born in the Basque country. “And they believe everyone deserves to eat well.” This is reflected in both spirited pintxos (the region’s take on tapas) bars and Michelin-starred restaurants, alike. In fact, San Sebastián, with more Michelin stars per square meter than any other city in the world (16 total, and counting), has long held a global reputation as one of the greatest gastronomic destinations on the planet.
