Felix Cumpleanos!

For my birthday, the chef below our executive chef (and partner of the restaurant) busted out a bottle of txakoli. Txakoli is made and can only be found in the Basque region. It is a bubbly white wine, similar to champagne, but with softer, more palatable bubbles. He did the traditional pour, which is done from a frighteningly high level to oxygenate the wine once it hits the glass. In fact, the height at which you pour from is so critical and highly respected that competitions are held throughout the Basque region annually. I couldn’t believe that I was given this privilege and allowed to drink with him in the kitchen. It was awesome and came after a very intense, fully booked lunch service.

We had a great time that night. All of our flatmates and kitchen colleagues went to a Cheers-like bar where most of our cooks congregate during the weekends. I feasted on albondigas, my favorite meatballs, calamari, patatas brava, croquettes and tortilla bacalao—the fat kid birthday special. Bottles of txakoli were in no short supply, neither were cervezas. We followed our feast with a spin at Naiban, another local favorite for the kitchen cooks, where the bartender Nai, with bleach blonde and black hair played Born in the USA and my favorite Spanish song in my honor. She also reprimanded me for not showing up on Mondays and Tuesdays for my Spanish lessons.

And due to Mert’s unbelievable hotel rate at the Hotel Maria Christina in San Sebastian, I came home to a beautiful hotel room all to my own for practically nothing. I have a real bed, a shower with pressure and peace and quiet.

Happy birthday to me!