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Etxebarri
The highly anticipated first book on the Etxebarri restaurant, considered one of the best grills in the world.
Bittor Arginzoniz has achieved world fame as a grill genius with his restaurant Etxebarri, located in the farming community of Axpe, a tiny village nestled beneath mountains an hour’s drive southeast of Bilbao. When he bought the restaurant building in the centre of the village more than twenty-five years ago, he and his family rebuilt it entirely themselves. He is self-taught and has only ever worked in one kitchen – his own – where he designed and built his famous adjustable-height grills. With no other reference than the oldest culinary technique in the world ̶ fire ̶ he grills using utensils designed by himself, uses specific woods and has an obsessive search for the best product, Arginzoniz has revolutionized the way people roast meat, fish or vegetables. He cooks everything over a grill ̶ even dessert ̶ so everything has a unique taste to it. Michelin awarded Asador Etxebarri a Michelin star in 2010, describing the food as ‘an unadulterated pleasure for lovers of simply grilled and roasted dishes…’ and he is ranked number 6 in the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017.
He rarely leaves the restaurant except to tend to his farm animals, which supply many of the raw ingredients for his tasting menu. This book describes the man, his kitchen and his recipes in words and stunning photography.
The best place to eat barbecue, in a tiny village in Spain, one man has turned the humble grill into a work of culinary art. His secret? No charcoal
Jay Rayner, The Observer
Bittor Arginzoniz has achieved world fame as a grill genius with his restaurant Etxebarri, located in the farming community of Axpe, a tiny village nestled beneath mountains an hour’s drive southeast of Bilbao. When he bought the restaurant building in the centre of the village more than twenty-five years ago, he and his family rebuilt it entirely themselves. He is self-taught and has only ever worked in one kitchen – his own – where he designed and built his famous adjustable-height grills. With no other reference than the oldest culinary technique in the world ̶ fire ̶ he grills using utensils designed by himself, uses specific woods and has an obsessive search for the best product, Arginzoniz has revolutionized the way people roast meat, fish or vegetables. He cooks everything over a grill ̶ even dessert ̶ so everything has a unique taste to it. Michelin awarded Asador Etxebarri a Michelin star in 2010, describing the food as ‘an unadulterated pleasure for lovers of simply grilled and roasted dishes…’ and he is ranked number 6 in the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017.
He rarely leaves the restaurant except to tend to his farm animals, which supply many of the raw ingredients for his tasting menu. This book describes the man, his kitchen and his recipes in words and stunning photography.
The best place to eat barbecue, in a tiny village in Spain, one man has turned the humble grill into a work of culinary art. His secret? No charcoal
Jay Rayner, The Observer
- GenresCookbooks
356 pages, Hardcover
Published November 5, 2018
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 7, 2021
Amazon Review
James M 2/5
Overly indulgent and lazily vague!
I bought this as I wanted to be able to elevate my grilling skills and I was excited to see Etxebarri had a recipe book. However, it immediately became apparent that the book follows the same template as many Michelin starred chef's books (looking at you, Heston!) and is rather indulgent with over 200 pages outlining the man himself, his methodologies, kitchen mindset and more. However, as it is all written by two other authors, it is written with such a sense of awe and reverence, it is a bit off-putting. The description of him grilling an egg could easily have be mistaken for discovering the cure for cancer.
Still, all could be forgiven if the recipes are great and the techniques are explained for the home cook.
Unfortunately, neither of these things are true. Short of continuously praising Bittor, nothing is done to translate his incredibly impressive and totally bespoke setup into the home. Secondly, the recipes fluctuate from containing ridiculous over-specificity to being infuriatingly vague. For example, several recipes call for "mussels, caught just south of the Mont Saint Michel" or hilariously, eggs laid on Bittor's own farm. Now this can be forgiven as an eccentric look at how the chef himself creates these dishes, but it doesn't help the reader understand WHY, so that they can source decent alternatives.
What is unforgiveable is the vagueness. One recipe, "Green Peppers in Tempura Batter" has one ingredient listed. "Green peppers" and three steps: cuts the peppers, dredge in tempura batter and fry. Now, I've spent a lot of time in Japan, so I know tempura batter, and there is a definite ratio, technique and trick to getting it right. To not even list the ingredients or preparation is insulting to the reader.
So is this book a total write-off? No. It has some stunning photography throughout, both of the farm, the personalities and the food itself. It also undoubtedly inspiring -- in the UK, a grill is something you fire up 4 times a year when the sun actually shines and incinerate some sub-standard piece of meat to within an inch of its life. This book shows what practice, finesse and culinary creativity can do to elevate it to a true art form. It has absolutely inspired me to try certain seafoods and more wood-fired grilling this summer.
But ultimately, this book feels like it was written BY Michelin star grill chefs FOR Michelin star grill chefs! It tells us WHAT you can do but wildly and lazily misses the mark on HOW to do it. Aspirational but not particularly useful. One for diehard Etxebarri fans only.
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Chaco 3/5
this is an odd one
I'm not really sure if this is a cookbook or not.
On the one hand, yes, it does have recipes, though whether they are actually approachable by a cook lacking laser-cut custom grill pans and a wood-burning custom grill is doubtful. Someone will buy it and go all-in on the attempt, and all I can say to that guy is, shine on you crazy diamond.
But fundamentally, this is a beautifully shot, essay-heavy souvenir for someone who has made the trek to Axpe and actually eaten at Etxebarri and met Bittor. The overheated prose is spiked with classical allusions and intense, adoring hero-worship of the chef and his cuisine and his vision, and presents a deeply thorough history and description of Etxebarri. Unfortunately, as someone who has been to northern Spain but not to this restaurant, even my keen interest in live-fire cooking just wasn't enough. Getting through the first hundred pages of essays is quite a trek. You'll hear about the dude's favorite hike, for crying out loud.
Ultimately, this is a souvenir, a coffee table book for the kind of foodie who racks up restaurant visits like they're counting coup and can tell you learnedly whether Noma has a better amuse bouche than Central. If you're just into Spanish cooking and like to grill - i.e. like me - this is probably a great landing at the wrong airport. There's a really phenomenal book about the grilling of the Iberian peninsula or even just the Basque country out there, yet to be written, but this ain't it.
James M 2/5
Overly indulgent and lazily vague!
I bought this as I wanted to be able to elevate my grilling skills and I was excited to see Etxebarri had a recipe book. However, it immediately became apparent that the book follows the same template as many Michelin starred chef's books (looking at you, Heston!) and is rather indulgent with over 200 pages outlining the man himself, his methodologies, kitchen mindset and more. However, as it is all written by two other authors, it is written with such a sense of awe and reverence, it is a bit off-putting. The description of him grilling an egg could easily have be mistaken for discovering the cure for cancer.
Still, all could be forgiven if the recipes are great and the techniques are explained for the home cook.
Unfortunately, neither of these things are true. Short of continuously praising Bittor, nothing is done to translate his incredibly impressive and totally bespoke setup into the home. Secondly, the recipes fluctuate from containing ridiculous over-specificity to being infuriatingly vague. For example, several recipes call for "mussels, caught just south of the Mont Saint Michel" or hilariously, eggs laid on Bittor's own farm. Now this can be forgiven as an eccentric look at how the chef himself creates these dishes, but it doesn't help the reader understand WHY, so that they can source decent alternatives.
What is unforgiveable is the vagueness. One recipe, "Green Peppers in Tempura Batter" has one ingredient listed. "Green peppers" and three steps: cuts the peppers, dredge in tempura batter and fry. Now, I've spent a lot of time in Japan, so I know tempura batter, and there is a definite ratio, technique and trick to getting it right. To not even list the ingredients or preparation is insulting to the reader.
So is this book a total write-off? No. It has some stunning photography throughout, both of the farm, the personalities and the food itself. It also undoubtedly inspiring -- in the UK, a grill is something you fire up 4 times a year when the sun actually shines and incinerate some sub-standard piece of meat to within an inch of its life. This book shows what practice, finesse and culinary creativity can do to elevate it to a true art form. It has absolutely inspired me to try certain seafoods and more wood-fired grilling this summer.
But ultimately, this book feels like it was written BY Michelin star grill chefs FOR Michelin star grill chefs! It tells us WHAT you can do but wildly and lazily misses the mark on HOW to do it. Aspirational but not particularly useful. One for diehard Etxebarri fans only.
---
Chaco 3/5
this is an odd one
I'm not really sure if this is a cookbook or not.
On the one hand, yes, it does have recipes, though whether they are actually approachable by a cook lacking laser-cut custom grill pans and a wood-burning custom grill is doubtful. Someone will buy it and go all-in on the attempt, and all I can say to that guy is, shine on you crazy diamond.
But fundamentally, this is a beautifully shot, essay-heavy souvenir for someone who has made the trek to Axpe and actually eaten at Etxebarri and met Bittor. The overheated prose is spiked with classical allusions and intense, adoring hero-worship of the chef and his cuisine and his vision, and presents a deeply thorough history and description of Etxebarri. Unfortunately, as someone who has been to northern Spain but not to this restaurant, even my keen interest in live-fire cooking just wasn't enough. Getting through the first hundred pages of essays is quite a trek. You'll hear about the dude's favorite hike, for crying out loud.
Ultimately, this is a souvenir, a coffee table book for the kind of foodie who racks up restaurant visits like they're counting coup and can tell you learnedly whether Noma has a better amuse bouche than Central. If you're just into Spanish cooking and like to grill - i.e. like me - this is probably a great landing at the wrong airport. There's a really phenomenal book about the grilling of the Iberian peninsula or even just the Basque country out there, yet to be written, but this ain't it.
January 29, 2021
Authentic, honest, and beautiful.
These are the best words to describe Bittor Arginzoniz, his restaurant Etxebarri, and the book that documents them.
These are the best words to describe Bittor Arginzoniz, his restaurant Etxebarri, and the book that documents them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews