Items Selected:
House Made Bread…read moreOctopus warmed over potatoes with first press unfiltered olive oil and Spanish Paprika
Croquetas - Ham, Cod, Mushrooms
Txuletoia Euskal Herriko Label of Distinction with Fries
Cream Cake
Rice Pudding Ice Cream
Located at Calle Colon de Larreategui 1 and failed as a late arriving dinner just forty-five minutes after hopping off the plane Saturday evening when the dining room was overflowed it was with heightened interest that Tuesday 20h00 saw me walk into Nido, the female proprietor who'd expressed regret in turning me away this time there to greet me with open arms.
Narrow but long, the bar leading to the kitchen with a few tables up front and the rest lined behind a divider to the left, it was minutes before opening that parking was allocated and walking inside without reservations the written log was consulted, plenty of room at the bar plus a duo of two-tops not yet spoken for.
Oddly decorated in English Trivial Pursuit questions while music in Spanish chimed overhead, it was after several specials were offered that the menu was presented and although foie gras, ham, cheese, and tomato offerings were indeed tempting one could not ignore other traditional Basque specialties, the portions all enormous and thus explaining mostly large parties as most will need to share.
Proud of their ingredients, a true mom n' pop place with the woman who'd greeted me acting as secretary, hostess, translator, and server when stopping by with warm slices of Octopus atop boiled potatoes topped liberally in salt, olive oil, and spice it was with a small break in her non-stop hustle that the simple preparation was described in great detail, her husband manning the kitchen arriving early each day to clean, tenderize, and marinade the muscular yet supple meat.
Absolutely mesmerized by the opener, potatoes mostly set aside for sake of capacity since house-made bread proved far better for sopping up the paprika speckled oil, round two offered six croquettas that one is advised to to dig straight into due to the temperature, each bite virtually oilless while the fillings of cod, mushrooms, and ham were fortified with cheese and a richness quite profound.
Knowing that I'd likely bit off more than I could chew in ordering a kilogram of beef after a day already filled with food atop an early start, it seemed pointless to visit Nido without a taste of the signature Txuletoia, and with an Euskal Herriko Label of Distinction proudly described by the Chef as meeting or surpassing the region's highest standards each grassy bite melted like butter on the palate with a richness rivaling even the best dry-aged steak back home at a fraction of the cost.
Told that desserts should not be overlooked, all including a dozen ice cream flavors made on site, it was with a few strips of rosy red beef set aside along with a pile of fries that the meal was concluded, the cream cake no different than those served at any panaderia while the frozen rice pudding was a spot on representation of the traditional version right down to the subtle cinnamon and toothsome starchy spots.
