Good morning, fam!
Not gonna lie - I’m throwing this one together the morning of after coming home a little early from our trip due to a family emergency. After three flights in one day (Barcelona → Newark → Chicago → STL), I still don’t know which way is up. Jet lag is no joke.
All in all, we spent three days in London, three days in Ireland, two in San Sebastian, and one in Barcelona, which means we literally ate our way across Europe. This also means this week’s episode will mostly be food-related, because why not?
Put down that Game Boy Color, pick up some Cookie Crisp, and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
Before leaving for our trip, I googled “best books by Spanish authors,” and stumbled across Literature™ by Guillermo Stitch. It’s a quick read about a bookworm named Billy Stringer who lives in a dystopian future where fiction is banned. Hm…sounds familiar.
On the 8-hour flight back from Barcelona, I did what anyone else would do: watched four movies back-to-back. My favorite by far was The Bad Guys, a heist movie from DreamWorks made for kid, grownups, and grown up kids (ahem, me). It’s based on the NY Times best-selling book series, which I just found out five minutes ago.
During our friends’ rehearsal dinner at Bramble Cottage1, I noticed most of the family was gathered around the TV during dessert. Being then Nosey Nancy I am, I sat down and was introduced to my first Hurling match. Imagine Gaelic football + field hockey but with flat sticks. The best part? Each player can only play for their team that represents where they grew up AND they all have day jobs. Can you imagine if American football worked like this?!
While in San Sebastian on our honeymoon, we splurged and tried our first 3-Michelin star restaurant, Akelare, a beautiful restaurant/hotel overlooking the Cantabrian Sea. Throughout this 12-course meal with wine pairing, we kept looking over to each and whispering, “Who the hell let us in here?!” Easily the best food experience of my life.2
After trying more wines than I can count during our lunch at Akelare, one definitely stuck out. Abby’s first red was La Bandida Finca Borraxeiros and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. I could bore you by talking about “tannins” and “legs,” but all you need to know is that it was bold, fruity perfection.
While in Barcelona for one night, we stumbled across an amazing tiki bar named Collage for a nightcap, and holy hell did it not disappoint. After chatting with Julio the bartender for a while, we learned it was loosely based on one of the original tiki bars in Fort Lauderdale but with a Spanish twist.
On the flight back, I learned Doja Cat and Stranger Things have something in common: 100% grass-fed Angus beef…of the social media variety.
Throughout the entire trip, we literally took planes, trains, and every automobile known to humankind. The worst? TAP Air Portugal. The best? United Airlines (by far). Hell, they even have their own app that helps you navigate airports so you can get to your gate faster. Whoever designed it deserves a raise…or first class for life.
Tapas might be the most genius food invention ever. After all, it combines two of my favorite things: sharing food and variety. A close second? Pintxos. Imagine walking around San Sebastian, popping into any restaurant, and perusing counters filled with local snacks on pieces of bread or skewers. It’s like window shopping, but for Spanish food!
Now that we’re back to reality, it’s time to face reality - I put on a ton of vacation weight, which means I’m looking into some tummy-friendly food options. So far, Hungryroot3 is my best bet. If any of you have tried it, I’d love to know what you think!
You made it to the end! Here’s a little somethin’ somethin’.
Cheers,
Billy
Imagine a beautiful Irish cottage on the countryside outside of Tulfarris with it’s own name. Yeah, we were basically in a movie.
I’ll never forget the very first bite of the first course: an anchovy macaron. Sounds gross but it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.
Not a sponsor…yet.