Built in 1897 in a residential area among the hills overlooking San Sebastián, one of the city’s best gourmet experiences occupies a large house featuring a bar, two contemporary dining rooms and an impressive wine cellar. Awarded a third Michelin star in 1989, which it has kept continuously, Arzak counts among the world’s top 50 restaurants, a ranking it has kept since 2006. In 2008, Arzak's owner and chef, Juan Mari Arzak, was awarded the Universal Basque award for "adapting gastronomy, one of the most important traditions of the Basque Country, to the new times and making of it one of the most innovative of the world." Arzak’s extensive offerings include multiple tasting menus and an à la carte menu, with specialties such as the Red Space Egg with a skin of red peppers, pig trotters and mushrooms, and sea bass served on top of a tablet computer with moving images of the sea. Many of the dishes emphasize the crunchy element, such as the Big Chocolate Truffle with candy floss, carob, cacao and chocolate.

See Andy's blog post: http://tinyurl.com/hhhc6a6 .