Basque cuisine, known for its bold flavors and refined preparation, is wildly popular in cities across Europe, but has been slower to appear in the United States. However, Boston has just added its first Basque restaurant.

Located at 26 Charles St., amid the stylish boutiques at the foot of Beacon Hill, ZURiTO fills this former gap in Boston’s dining scene. Its intimate, lively atmosphere reminded us of our first experience with Basque cuisine, in the pintxos bars of San Sebastian, the culinary epicenter of Spain’s Basque region.

© Brian Samuels Photography

As we browsed ZURiTO’s extensive menu, we ordered glasses of Isastegi Sagardo Naturala cider, the region’s traditional drink, and were delighted to watch our server pour it from arm’s length above the glass, the proper Basque technique. Reading the menu took some time, with descriptions of 13 pintxos; six choices of jamon, the region’s famous cured Iberian pork; five cheeses; and 19 other dishes including grilled octopus, sardines from Gallicia, sea urchin toast, chorizo and piquillo pepper tortilla, grilled Iberian pork, and seared foie gras.

Pintxos are the Basque version of tapas served elsewhere in Spain, and ZURiTO’s menu is designed so diners can sample small servings of several different dishes. And we did with wild abandon, passing plates back and forth to share.

© Brian Samuels Photography

After making some tough choices, we sampled eight different dishes. Following a generous serving of Idiazabelle, a Basque sheep’s milk cheese, I chose the seared foie gras, served with honeycrisp apple and Marcona almonds. It melted on my tongue, as foie gras should, and the tart apple and crunchy Marconas provided variety to the texture and flavor.

To refresh my tastebuds, I chose Pimientos Fritos (shishito peppers fried in olive oil), before indulging in braised beef cheek with potato purée. The melt-in-the-mouth texture and deep beefy flavor were just what I’d envisioned. Not given to culinary restraint, I topped off my dinner with Gambas Plantxa (shrimp sizzled in Pimentón chili oil with garlic and threads of chili peppers).

© Brian Samuels Photography

All the while I was sampling my partner’s selections, beginning with Cana De Cabra, goat cheese on a mini baguette with tomato honey and Marcona almonds. Lomo Ibérico De Bellota includes paper-thin slices of a delicate cured loin of acorn-fed Iberian pork grilled with a savory curry. I demurred on his Pulpo Plantxa, as I have never met an octopus I liked.

The service at ZURiTO was equal to the cuisine. Wait staff was able to fill in details on ingredients and flavors to help us choose dishes, and our multiple sections arrived at the table in the right order, carefully timed for an evening of leisurely fine dining.

ZURiTO

26 Charles St.
Boston, MA 02114
tel 857 305 3177