Asador Etxebarri Axpe

The man. Bittor Argonzoniz at his favorite instrument, his self-constracted precision charcoal grill. Never parading in the dining room, you can always find him in his groundfloor kitchen, far away from the fancy guests, always keeping an eye on his precious ingredients.
And his amazing sommelier: Mohamed Benabdellah, originally from Algeria, but he is a true expert on the wine of Spain, try him, he might surprise you with some odd bottles!

My other posts about Erxebarri:
👉 #jokuti_etxebarri

#asadoretxebarri #etxebarri #bittorarginzoniz #txuleta #worlds50best #txuleton #charcoalgrill #grill #bbq #basquefood #truecooks Less

Some other amazing dishes of the Saturday lunch at Etxebarri in Axpe, Spain.
Home made desserts, chorizo made of Joselito pig, buffalo mozzarela with corn cream, oyster, cod kokotxa, swim bladder, sea snails and a close-up of the txuleta 🥩 from the last post.

My previous visits:
👉 #jokuti_etxebarri

#asadoretxebarri #etxebarri #basquefood #euskadi #chocolatesouffle #cheeseflan #chorizo #txuleta #seasnail #swimbladder #joselito #kokotxa #spanishfood #charcoalgrill #worlds50best Less

Some of the best bites at Etxebarri this time. The restaurant is still getting better and better, and it was already pretty amazing back in April, my last visit.

My previous visits:
👉 #jokuti_etxebarri

#asadoretxebarri #etxebarri #basquefood #euskadi #bitorarginzoniz #txuleta #txuleton #caviar #whitetruffle #albawhitetruffle #seaurchin #palomosprawns #percebes #goatkid #cabrito #luxury #onmyplate #cep #anchovies #anchoas #milkicecream #smokedmilkicecream Less

Autumn season at one of my favorite restaurants on earth, cockles and lamb were 🔥
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#wine #vino #winelover #winetasting #winetime #instawine #winelovers #vin #wineporn #wineoclock #winestagram #wines #vineyard #wino #winegeek #drink #winelife #asadoretxebarri #basquecountry #spain #spanishfood #sansebastian #michelinstar Less

My kind of bday 🥂
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Some places are great. The feeling, the food, the amazing wine, the view. And then there are others that are magical. That stay with your forever. And Etxebarri is one of the few. Atxondo and its mindblowing surroundings, Bittor Arginzoniz approach to food and fire, his aura, kindness and dedication, the absolute excellence of all the products he chooses, flavour at its best, an epic wine selection, all done with honesty and passion. Bittor is one of a kind. And so is @mohamed_sommelier .
Asador Etxebarri is the perfect place to celebrate life. And people. Etxebarri is home. And home is where your heart is. ❤️
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#mustgo #asadoretxebarri #etxebarri #atxondo #basquecountry #euskadi #producto #product #finedining #seasonality #burgundylover #hudelotnoellat #champagnelover #ruppertleroy #gastronomy #wine #winediaries #wineoclock #winelover #instawine #lisbonfoodies #bittorarginzoniz #worlds50best #michelinguide #food #foodie #foodlovers #gastroart #chefstalk Less

Some places are great. The feeling, the food, the amazing wine, the view. And then there are others that are magical. That stay with your forever. And Etxebarri is one of the few. Atxondo and its mindblowing surroundings, Bittor Arginzoniz approach to food and fire, his aura, kindness and dedication, the absolute excellence of all the products he chooses, flavour at its best, an epic wine selection, all done with honesty and passion. Bittor is one of a kind. And so is @mohamed_sommelier .
Asador Etxebarri is the perfect place to celebrate life. And people. Etxebarri is home. And home is where your heart is. ❤️
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#mustgo #asadoretxebarri #etxebarri #atxondo #basquecountry #euskadi #producto #product #finedining #seasonality #[instagram] #bittorarginzoniz #50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #michelinguide #igersportugal #foodstagram #gastronomy #eeeeeats #food #foodie #foodlovers #gastroart #f52grams #chefstalk Less

Another boozy lunch at Etxebarri, the 1961 vs 2016 Simon Bize Vergelesses was an interesting comparison, the continuation of the style was evident. Also impressed by the 18 Richard Leroy, very expressive and complex for such a young vintage. 18 Mugneret-Gibourg La Colombiere was also open and ready, creamy floral nose was quite close in style to Roumier but a lot easier to approach at this point.
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#wine #vino #winelover #winetasting #winetime #instawine #winelovers #vin #wineporn #wineoclock #winestagram #wines #vineyard #wino #winegeek #drink #winelife #comandog #richardleroy #simonbize #mugneretgibourg #roumier #christopheroumier #chateaulagaffelierenaudes #burgundy #Bordeaux #vosneromanee #loirevalley #spain #asadoretxebarri Less

Asador Etxebarri 3rd visit (Part 2) — one of the few restaurants on earth that’s worth taking a plane ride to visit. The best expression of top quality Basque ingredients. •
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#foodgasm #yum #eat #foodpic #foodpics #foodphotography #foodlover #tasty #hungry #foodblogger #dessert #foods #cooking #foodies #eating #chef #foodblog #nomnom #delicious #asadoretxebarri #basquecountry #sansebastian #spain #spanishfood #seafood #finedining #スペイン #バスク #スペイン料理 Less

Asador Etxebarri 3rd visit (Part 1) — one of the few restaurants on earth that’s worth taking a plane ride to visit. The best expression of top quality Basque ingredients. •
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#foodgasm #yum #eat #foodpic #foodpics #foodphotography #foodlover #tasty #hungry #foodblogger #dessert #foods #cooking #foodies #eating #chef #foodblog #nomnom #delicious #asadoretxebarri #basquecountry #sansebastian #spain #spanishfood #seafood #finedining #スペイン #バスク #スペイン料理 Less

One if the best kept secrets of the culinary world! Well, until now…
You can enjoy a spontaneous pintxo brunch in the third best restaurant of the world, no need for reservation!
Octopus, ox tail, pella with rabbit, tripes with chorizo, bellota sandwich, asparagus, russian salad, beef cheek, lamb liver, etc etc. It’s a must have experience!

#jokuti_etxebarri
#jokuti_euskadi

#pintxo #pintxos #rabodetoro #bellota #paella #ensaladilla #callos #tripes #basquefood #spanishfood #asadoretxebarri #etxebarri #bitorarginzoniz #worlds50best #culinarysecrets #comfortfood #onmyplate #euskadifood #patanegra #jamoniberico Less

Asador Etxebarri 2nd visit (Part 2) — undoubtably the top dining experience in San Sebastián (or the world)! Simple dishes, best local ingredients, perfect execution. Highlight this time: clams, barnacles (biggest I’ve ever seen, yet extremely flavorful), squid with sautéed onions and ink sauce, and of course the smoked ice cream. Worth visiting every season. •
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#foodgasm #yum #eat #foodpic #foodpics #foodphotography #foodlover #tasty #hungry #foodblogger #dessert #foods #cooking #foodies #eating #chef #foodblog #nomnom #delicious #asadoretxebarri #sansebastian #etxebarri #spain #spanishfood #finedining #seafood Less

Etxebarri, Oct.9 part II
After some many great dishes and even some very special extra dishes, the txuleta!!! A perfection.
And then the big surprise: another txuleta!!!! 😂
And the amazing desserts: the smoked milk ice cream (see earlier post), the chocolate soufflé…. and the Etxebarri cheese flan!

Earlier posts: #jokuti_etxebarri
More local favs: #jokuti_euskadi

#foodie #txuleta #txuleton #steak #etxebarri #asadoretxebarri #grill #grillmaster #basquefood #euskadi #flan #basqueflan #tartadequeso #chocolatesouffle #mignardise Less

Um pouco como nas outras artes - sejam plásticas, performativas, cinema ou até na literatura, também pela arte da gastronomia vamos alinhando o gosto por uma determinada estética e estilo narrativo.
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Se desde cedo me apeguei ao estudo da criatividade associada à complexidade das técnicas e à vertente conceptual e performativa da alta cozinha, a curiosidade por outros estilos e processos criativos sempre esteve presente. Foi nesse mesmo registo que começou a aventura ao País Basco, tendo como principal paragem a visita ao Etxabarri (3.º melhor restaurante do
Mundos), espaço pioneiro ao que respeito diz da utilização do fogo aplicada à alta cozinha - e que complexo é fazê-la com esta única técnica! 🔥
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Foram 5h de puro deleite, com pratos incríveis como o caviar ‘no fogo’, a lula, a gamba roja ou o souffle de chocolate branco, uma das melhores coisas que coloquei à boca, em toda a vida! Valeu as mais de 7h de viagem, pois claro. Less

(SWIPE FOR MORE PICS) Etxebarri has been regarded as the best asador style restaurant in Spain for many years. And when you are at the top it is easy to have a mindset of staying at no.1 by doing what you are doing every day without making changes.
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That is not the case at Etxebarri, as Chef Bittor and his team continues to elevate their game. Compared to a few years ago, they have enhanced on so many aspects. From hardwares such as their plates and bowls to the food such as the combination of ingredients, flavors, techniques and skill level, it has become more refined (meaning he fixed any tiny rough edges that people might not even notice), more precise, more perfect. He does not follow others, he uses his own approaches, but he never compromises authenticity and flavors.
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We are talking about improving from 95 to 99 or even 100, which comes extraordinarily hard and way harder than from 70 to 85 or 90 to 95. Usually the achievement of perfection only happens when the chef is truly talented, extremely hardworking, high level of perseverance and dedication, and most importantly, full of passion of what they are doing. In Japan I think Amano san of Tenzushi and Sugita san are the shokunins that show such upward trajectory even they are already top tier sushi masters, and they still manage to push themselves to be better than before. Quoting my dear friend @mdgoulding from our conversation yesterday, “He (Bittor) is the most shokunin of all western chefs”. Mad respect and admiration 🙏🏻❤️🙇‍♀️
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Chef Bittor always stayed in kitchen and never came up to the restaurant level, but he did an exception this time to greet @steveplotnicki . I felt so blessed and privileged to have this meal at Etxebarri, one of the best in my life, I will never forget. Less

（SWIPE FOR MORE PICS) Cod Kokotxa with Cod Tripe And Pil Pil Sauce. Daxn, when I thought the hake kokotxa was good, the best was yet to come. This cod kokotxa. WOW. It was grilled with an egg batter (you can see the lines of the grill on the surface). The gelatinous collage of the jaw was hot but did not melt with the egg “protector”. The cod tripe, much like fish maw in Chinese cooking, was covered with this super delicious pil pil emulsion, so so so so good. These three things combined into insane deliciousness. So good I lost my mind literally and my friend @bethlang4 sitting opposite to me said “calm down calm down” 🤣🤣🤣.
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I couldn’t especially when some people who did not eat kokotxa sending me their plates. I had 3 😝. And I was at natural emotional peak the whole time while having these kokotxa and cod tripes.
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It was one of the best dishes in my life so far. Just Unforgettable

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#littlemeg_best2019
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#littlemeg_spain #littlemeg_bilbao #girona #bilbao
#littlemeg_sansebastian #sansebastian #littlemeg_asadoretxebarri #asadoretxebarri #littlemeg_steak #etxebarri #food #foodstagram #foodies #foodpics #lefooding @lefooding #instafood #theartofplating @theartofplating #gastronogram @gastronogram #gastroart @gastroart #instagramers #gourmet #iphonesia #picoftheday #photooftheday #bestoftheday #igdaily #goumeffe @gourmeffe #kokotxa #pilpil Less

Aswell as the amazing food at #asadoretxebarri we also had a couple of glasses of wine🙄
Lots of incredible wines from @steveplotnicki ‘s birth year 🍷 .

Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD list - 3
W50Best- 3
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #sansebastian #spanishfoodie #oadtop100 #etxebarri Less

Just when I thought this food trip to Spain couldn’t possibly get any better...... Asador Etxebarri. Another lunch here that I will remember for ever. So lucky with the weather again, it was just a perfect way to end this leg of the trip before heading to Madrid. Steve Plotnicki you know how to throw a party and I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to celebrate your birthday here, you are a true gent.
Etxebarri is currently number 3 on Worlds 50 Best restaurant list and also 3rd on OAD’s best European restaurant list and for good reason. Has anyone noticed how a lot of chefs and restaurants these days are cooking over open fire? Well it is arguably true that this originates with one man...Victor Arguinzoniz in this small village in the Basque country. This quiet, humble cook is actually one of the most influential chefs on the planet. I really struggle to think of a meal that I have enjoyed more than any of the three I have had at Etxebarri. This is the answer to the question ‘if I could only visit one restaurant again in my life, which would it be?’
Thanks again Steve and thanks for the wonderful company Beth Lang, Margaret Lam, Michael Price, Linda Plotnicki, Alejandro Alki, Stella Alikov, John Bruno Scherrer and everyone else who shared this fabulous meal. Less