Europe

"I just returned from Lisbon and only have one thing to say - Belem Pasteis de Nata"

Thanks to a reader for reminding me of what is the can't miss taste of Lisbon. While there are wonderful wines, tasty sausages, perfect cups of espresso and crispy salt cod fritters that all deserve your attention, you haven't truly experienced Lisbon until you have made it through the winding labyrinth of the cafe and bakery, Pasteis de Belem, in a pretty waterfront neighborhood of Lisbon and had a few fresh warm pastries.

It was a Lonely Planet recommendation, but the description made it hard to tell – it was definitely trendy, but would it be good? We arrived, and it was, as promised, a scene. A hungover beautiful and eclectic mix of intellectuals, euro-hipsters, intimidating groups of girls that had ‘fun’ engraved in their shawls, and Turkish men.

I tried to get a look at people’s plates, just to see what the food looked like, but everyone’s plate was empty. Not just empty with the bones and the garnishes still there, but empty like three separate tables of people were currently scooping up the last bit of sauce with their knife and fork and slurping it up. A promising sign.

So we sat down and waited, but nobody came. The place was crowded and it seemed like there were at least 10 waiters, but when I followed their paths each “waiter” sat down with the plate of food they were bussing and started to eat. Which is when I realized it’s a buffet. The kind of place where if you don’t fend for yourself, you’re not going to get anywhere, and you’re certainly not going to get any food.

Dateline 2011:  San Sebastian, Spain – 3 Star Michelin "Arzak"
(Number 8 in the Top Fifty Restaurant's of the World poll)

God may have texted Noah to board the Ark with his family, seven pairs of birds, clean animals, and one pair of the unclean but God told me in a separate vision to board the eponymous restaurante Arzak in the basque country with those same birds, those same animals.  All I got to say is that I hope Noah brought a pastrami and rye because Chef Elena Mari Arzak  took those birds, took those animals and grilled them a la plancha to perfection last night in a meal of Biblical proportions – and obliterated any memory of Ferran Adria' and El Bulli.  God is now on my speed dial.

Most of the time I had no idea what I was eating during the three hour tasting menu but it was fantastic:  Cromlech (with foie gras, coffee, and tea),  Kabraroka (with kataifi) and Patchouli (with prawns). They looked like exhibits at the Dali' museum in Figueres and I'm fairly certain these were all names of food that appeared on the menu.

We took a break from olive picking to hop across the pond to Barcelona to attend the Catalan International Environmental Film Festival. We were invited through our friend, Will Parinnello, who was being honored for his films about this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize honorees.

All of which means that we spent three days — and nights — with some of the greenest people on the planet. It was nice to learn that environmental heroes can eat and drink with the best of them. When you think about it, munching on tapas and slugging down innumerable glasses of Cava is really just another form of re-cycling.

On an earlier trip to Barcelona, Jill and I had lunched at a counter in the Boqueria, the extraordinary market in the center of town. When we mentioned to some locals that we wanted to repeat this experience, they pointed us instead to a little piazza just outside the entrance to the market. There, they told us, is a tapas restaurant that the Barcelonians prefer. It’s called Papitu and it was wonderful, indeed.