Blissful Bites
of Basque
90 South Bay Accent
REVIEW B y S u s a n H a t h a w a y
Pintxos—those luscious bites
found in Spain’s Basque region—
are to tapas what porterhouse
steak is to beef. At
least, that’s what any visitor to
the incredible foodie capital of San Sebastián
on the Atlantic near the French border
would tell you. This thriving Basque city
has Michelin stars like other towns have
gas stations, and the top activity seems to
be devouring mind-blowing mouthfuls
in the city’s hundred-plus pintxos bars.
But South Bay residents don’t have to go
nearly that far to munch on outrageously
tasty pintxos in a friendly environment.
Just cruise to the quiet end of downtown
Los Gatos’s restaurant row and grab
a tall metal chair at Pintxos Pote–pronounced
PEEN-cho PO-tay and
roughly meaning “happy hour”
in Basque–and prepare to feast.
This handsome sliver of a restaurant
used to be Donostia, the
Basque name for San Sebastián,
and has retained the high level
of food quality as well as many
of the dishes previously served
at this elegant little pintxos spot.
Now owned by former engineer
Hector Figueroa, Pintxos Pote is
a labor of love where Figueroa
and his wife aim to get guests
as excited about Basque food
and delectable Spanish wines as
they are.
Spanish tapas and Basque
pintxos involve many of the
same dishes—meatballs, olives,
cheese and charcuterie
along with lots of yummy fried
items—but there’s something
extra-tasty about the Basque
version, as seen in the 30-plus
choices on Figueroa’s menu,
which focuses on high-quality ingredients.
And don’t miss the outstanding paella,
which requires advance notice but is
worth the effort.
Divided into cold and hot dishes, meat
and cheese platters, mini-omelets—called
tortillas in Spain—and house seafood
specialties, the small plates are great to
share, justifying the ordering of several
items per person. By all means begin with
indurain, a skewer of rich bonito tuna,
anchovy, mild pickled pepper and a green
olive meant to be consumed in a single
bite. The combination of textures and
flavors is mouth poetry.
Next up should be one of the croquette
plates, preferably the codfish version,
which is crispy outside and creamy in-
T h e D i s h o n H o t L o c a l E a t e r i e s
COURTESY OF PINTXO POTE
Los Gatos spot dishes up
regional small plates loaded
with exquisite flavor.