Etxanobe

Frommer's Review

In the gleaming Palacio Euskalduna, this postmodern restaurant is the hottest dining ticket in Bilbao today. Part of the far-reaching waterfront development project, this bastion of grand cuisine is a showcase for the culinary talents of Fernando Canales. One Bilbao gourmet, whose tastes we respect, says he literally "swoons over" the innovative, tasty dishes emerging from the Canales kitchen. We didn't swoon, but on our visit we enjoyed a rich, bountiful cuisine made from only the freshest of ingredients and handled with precision and skill by the kitchen staff. Just remembering the carpaccio of slightly unctuous crayfish (called cigalas locally), swirled with a robust bacon vinaigrette, makes us want to get back on the plane to Spain right away. The oxtail crépinette (a small, slightly flattened sausage) is so richly brown and succulently tasty, it's been compared to eating chocolate. Skate emerges from piping-hot ovens cooked just right and covered with a porcini ravioli to die for. From the terrace is a view of the Guggenheim.

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