The gourmet's guide to Europe

The principal clubs are the Circulo Equestre, Circulo del Liceo, Circulo de Cazadores, and Ateneo. The Circulo Equestre is in the Plaza Cataluna, and has dressing-rooms, bath-rooms, and a restaurant, which last is under the charge of the proprietors of the Maison Doree. The Circulo del Liceo is next the Opera House, and calls for no especial comment. The Circulo de Cazadores is comparatively new, chiefly frequented by the younger men of means. The Ateneo is not so select as the above three, but much more serious. It has a very good library and a good supply of papers, periodicals, &c., both Spanish and foreign. Of course gambling goes on in all the clubs more or less. There are besides various political clubs of no interest to a visitor. Port Bou There is a little restaurant at Port Bou, kept by Francisco Jaque, where you are likely, if you are making a stay to see the Pyrenees, to be better looked after than at the station on the French side of the frontier. There are rooms to be hired there. San Sebastian There are two restaurants attached to hotels in San Sebastian where really good cookery is assured. One is the restaurant of the Hotel du Palais on the Avenida de la Libertad, which is under the same direction as the Regina Hotel at Biarritz, and the other is the restaurant of the Hotel Continental, Continental, which faces the bay. Some of the breakfast dishes at the Continental are celebrated. The chef’s Beignets de filets de sole 282 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe (fillets of sole fried in batter) are excellent, and some of his egg dishes, notably his CEufs Poches au Gratin , are revelations to the Englishman, who believes that eggs can only be boiled, or poached in water, or fried. The restaurant of the Casino, I am told, is sometimes a pleasant place with good cookery. This Casino depends upon what play is in progress in the gaming - rooms. When the Court is at San Sebastian the gaming is of a mild description. When there is no chance of offending the puritanism of Court circles, the “ maximums ” are raised to Monte Carlo limits, and the gamblers, who give no thought to the total of their bills, come to play at the most amusing town of the north of Spain. I, most unfortunately, ate a dinner at the Casino during one of the “off” periods, and I have never had sufficient pluck to experiment there again. On the occasion of my experiment I had been warned that I should not be well served, but I thought that the view of the town and the garden, with its picturesque crowd, would make amends for any dilatoriness. This was the menu of the dinner that I partook of, and, though wine was included in the repast, to conciliate the haughty Spaniard in dress-clothes who came and looked at me as though I were an “ earth-man,” I ordered a pint of Diamante : — Hors-d’oeuvre. Potages. Creme de volaille. Consomme Riche. Poisson. Langouste. Sauce Tartare. Entree. Salmis de Perdreaux au Jerez. Legumes, Tomates farcies Proven9ale. Ron. Filet de Eceuf Pique Broche. Salade. Entremets. Arlequin. Dessert