Yum.

Veal cheeks in red wine reduction

Sheep cheese risotto with a pesto drizzle

Foie gras and duck confit crepe

Grilled garlic shrimp 

Sweetbread and leek ravioli in lemongrass sauce

Goat cheese crostini with plum jam

Crispy pistachio and béchamel croquette

No, this is not the menu at a fancy restaurant. It’s just some of the tapas we ate in one night out in San Sebastian. This place is food-freaking-crazy. Little known fact: They have more Michelin stars per square mile than anyplace else in the world (16, to be exact). And the tapas bars craft their bites with as much love and attention as the exclusive restaurant chefs. It's a culture of serious eating and drinking after my own heart.

I’ve always loved the small plates concept. Why eat ONE thing for dinner when you can try five? Here, they take it a step further. Why eat dinner at just ONE restaurant, when you can hop around town trying the best each place has to offer?? And hop around town they do. The streets are jam packed with fellow winers and diners. About half a dozen bars on every block with patrons spilling out onto the pedestrian streets. Stop by, spend a few Euros on a their signature dish, compliment it with the perfect glass of wine, move on.

While at first glance, I imagined I’d gain a thousand pounds if I lived here, I actually think you consume less than you would back home. Each delectable serving is small. You are on your feet all night. And there is enough time between each delicious experience to actually register when you are full. Not that that’s gonna stop me or anything.