ARREA! (*) The noma of Basque Country that does not get the attention it deserves

I made my booking solely for the intrigue of a fine dining establishment located in a small Basque village; the entirety of the journey turned out to be mesmerizing.

The first course of the day was the eye candy offered by the 90-minute drive to the village. It was hard for me not to romanticize these gorgeous mountains that made me feel like I was in a road trip movie.

Then nature surprised me with its plot twist: it started snowing on my way back. From lush to pale, within the same afternoon.

The menu began by hitting me with gaminess through a variety of cured meats made mostly from wild boar. The pâté, resembling an expressionist painting, was my early favorite; it tasted exactly as it looked: earthy, rich, and full of textures.

Chef Edorta Lamo has studied the expansive ways of transforming nature's offerings over time. The sunflowers harvested last summer blossomed this winter instead, in the form of confit. I never thought sunflowers could taste so rich yet humble.

Noma is my favorite restaurant in the entire world for its magic of making me feel like a kid: the experience of tasting something you've never had before. ARREA! pretty much does exactly that with its similar naturalist philosophy and impressive ability to condense mountains into small plates. The food mirrors the journey: it's spacious, wild, and capricious.