This Might Be The Greatest Bar Snack of All Time
My first restaurant experiences and discovering one of my favorite cuisines
In 2018, I wrote a cold email to a chef-owner in New York.
I was working at BuzzFeed, producing video content for their food vertical. The job was all-encompassing: ideating concepts, shooting and editing videos, and, when necessary, developing and cooking through recipes. Although my food values didn’t always align with much of the content I had to create, I found myself constantly surrounded by cooking.
Quickly, I became captivated by it and started cooking daily, both at work and at home. I began hosting themed dinners for friends, which I called “suppa”. Looking back, I can only laugh at the menus I created and the food I served. Fortunately, I had very supportive friends who eagerly dined in my makeshift restaurant in the middle of my shared 5-bedroom apartment.
After a few months of culinary obsession, dinner parties, and backyard pop-ups, I became infatuated with the idea of opening my own restaurant someday. Still inexperienced in the workings of the industry, I knew I needed professional exposure. I began researching restaurants around the city that inspired me, searching for emails and sending countless messages to inquire about opportunities.
Through my time at BuzzFeed, I met the owners of Jeepney and Maharlika, two Filipino restaurants (RIP) in the city. I had produced a video with them featuring a pancit recipe, and we hit it off. I reached out to Miguel, the chef, to see if he would be open to letting me stage at one of the restaurants for a day. He graciously accepted, and one Saturday morning, I headed to Maharlika to work a brunch shift.
Clocking In
I started in their basement, which had ceilings that couldn’t have been more than 6 feet high. I remember having to turn my head sideways and bend my knees just to walk through there. A hundred shrimp lay in front of me, ready to be cleaned and peeled. It took me at least an hour, and I somehow ended up with scratches all over my hands from removing their shells and claws
Later, I moved upstairs. Miguel quickly walked me through 4-5 brunch pickups, mainly revolving around the flat top. He watched me for about 10 minutes as I slowly got the hang of it; frying eggs and searing Longganisa (filipino sausage) to serve alongside a generous amount of garlic rice and cucumber relish. Then all of the sudden he left. He left and did not come back the whole service.
I was overwhelmed and riddled with anxiety. How could he just leave me here? I didn’t know what I was doing. This was my first time in a restaurant kitchen. The other cook didn’t speak any English, and I didn't speak any Spanish. But slowly, after some charades and nods of approval, I found a groove and really started to enjoy it. The remaining 2 and a half hours of the brunch shift went by in no time, and Miguel returned. After chatting with the other cook for a bit, he came over and asked how it was. I told him I had a blast and learned so much. He asked me if I had ever cooked anywhere before this, and I told him no. “I’ve never seen someone pick it up this fast.” I’m not sure of the truth behind those words but they stayed with me for years. Miguel threw me into the fire and I’m forever grateful.
Still riding high from my experience at Maharlika, I continued reaching out to other restaurants. Finally, one got back to me. Huertas; a Spanish restaurant with a focus on Basque-inspired dishes in the East Village. I had visited the spot a few months prior with some friends and instantly fell in love with the place. It was the type of restaurant I wished there were more of in New York – a perfect spot to grab a drink and some quick snacks. Crowded, but never too busy. Guests as diverse as the city. An intriguing wine list and the perfect space for private parties. I may be biased, but I think they had the best happy hour in the city.
In my initial email, I shared a bit about my experience dining there and talked about my dad’s love of sardines. Luckily, Jonah, the chef-owner, found it somewhat endearing, and he responded. The following week, I was invited to come stage. Despite lacking skill (which was a lot), I made up for it in eagerness. I was excited to do just about anything. By no means was I ready for the line cook position but Alex, the CDC, graciously allowed me to continue coming in sporadically over the next 6 months. I would head there after BuzzFeed or on weekends to chop onions, tackle various prep tasks, and slowly build a simple understanding of how a restaurant operates. I eventually quit BuzzFeed to work at Huertas full time for a few months, but that's a story for another time.
It was at Huertas where I was first introduced to the dishes of Spanish and Basque cuisine. This experience acquainted me with some of my favorite ingredients and what I consider to be the greatest bar food of all time: pintxos.
The Gilda
Recently, I shared a video all about the gilda, one of the Basque region's most popular pintxos. It’s a skewer of queen olives, guindilla peppers, and anchovies. The story goes that the bar owner of Casa Vallés created the Gilda (pronounced Hilda) in the 1940s. He was looking for a sexy name for the new snack and decided to name it after Rita Hayworth’s character in the film Gilda.
Traditionally, there are two types of gildas: black anchovy (salt-cured) or white anchovy (vinegar-cured). But now, when crawling around various bars in San Sebastian, you can find an array of gilda-inspired skewers.
These skewers are truly so easy to make, keep for at least a week in the fridge (if using preserved products), and are simple to prep ahead of time.
If you want a crowd-pleasing platter for your next party, please consider the gilda. Below are a few of my favorite skewer combos along with a recipe for my favorite martini (which naturally includes a gilda) and some pintxo bars to hit in the city.
Traditional Gildas:
Queen Olives
Guindilla Peppers
Anchovies (Black or White)
Gilda Variations:
1.
Castelvetrano Olives
Pickled Hot Peppers
Boquerones (White Anchovy)
2.
Cocktail Onion
Salt-cured Anchovy
Guindilla Peppers
3.
Queen Olives
Quail Eggs
Salt-cured Anchovy
Guindilla Pepper
4.
Queen Olives
Manchego
Salt-cured Anchovy
Guindilla Pepper
Vegan Gilda Variations:
1.
Jarred Artichokes
Piquillo Peppers
Guindilla Peppers
2.
Castelvetrano Olives
White Asparagus
Piquillo Peppers
3.
Cornichon
Cocktail Onion
Sun-dried Tomato
Guindilla Peppers
4.
Queen Olives
Marinated Mushrooms
Piquillo Peppers
My Perfect Martini:
2 oz Gin (Recently I love Christian Drouin Le Gin or Bombay Dry)
½ oz Dry Vermouth (Martini is classic, I also like Dolin)
1 Gilda Garnish
1 Lemon Twist Garnish
❤️❤️ we’ll be adding this to the aperitif for suuuure