Basking in Basque Country

My nearly monthlong blog sabbatical has come to an end. It wasn't supposed to be this long, but between vacation and packing both the office and test kitchen for a move, the days slipped away from me.

I suppose time flies when you're eating well.

Ryan and I traveled to Basque Country in Spain and France, plus a side trip to Bordeaux, for my 30th birthday. We decided on the area for its rich culinary heritage because, for us, a vacation is all about the food. The small town of San Sebastian, Spain, where we stayed for 4 days, has three restaurants with three Michelin stars (apparently there's more multi-starred restaurants per capita there than anywhere else in the world). The food certainly lived up to its reputation.

We hit up two of the three-starred joints in less than 24 hours (a birthday dinner at Arzak, followed by lunch the next day at Akelarre). Our stomachs (and wallets) were feeling it. Both were totally worth it, though—like nothing I'd ever eaten. While the pintxos (Basque for tapas) joints didn't have the molecular gastronomy show-stopping elements, they were amazing as well.

In French Basque Country, the food was (no surprises here) also phenomenal. If you're Basque, good cooking must be in your blood. It's interesting to me, though, how just crossing a country's border changes things. Case in point: While seafood remained a constant, sauces seemed to appear out of nowhere in France.

There's no doubt we'll return to Basque Country—of course for the food but also for the people. Until then, I'll be on the search for equally good chorizo, Iberico ham, foie gras, anchovies, pigeon and so on...

Return of the M.A.K.

Thought I wasn't coming back?

Just because I completed culinary school doesn't mean I'm calling it quits on The Chopping Block. Obviously the blog's format will be a bit different than the first six months, but the concept will remain the same. The way I see it, the culinary arts is a never-ending educational opportunity; there's always some new knowledge to acquire. I plan to continue learning through recipe testing, restaurant hopping, book reading—and then relaying it all to you.

One of my goals is to amp up the recipe coverage. I'm always experimenting with new techniques, ingredients and flavor combinations, so why keep it all to myself? If you trust my palate, you won't have to do the dirty work. Friends and followers are always asking me to share recipes, so it's about time I get to it.

My immediate mission, however, is to land a full-time job. That's where I've been directing most of my energy. But it hasn't been all work and no play—I returned yesterday from an amazing 10-day vacation in Costa Rica with Ryan. It was well needed (and deserved, I might add). We did a lot of hiking, sunning and, of course, eating.

Now I'm back in bitter cold Manhattan, but I can't complain. As nice as it's been to have someone serve me for a week straight, I'm ready to return to cooking. Plus, I could do with something other than arroz y frijoles. My shoebox-size kitchen and miniature stove await.

New York, I've bean missing you.