Strategy at Bar Sport ...

... it's important to set the tone at the first pintxo stop of the night - it's so tempting to go wild on the delicious spread of pre-made pintxos sitting out on the bar, but in fact, these are the lowest-quality ones available (even though they still rock). Our strategy was to stick to one pre-made pintxo each, to tide us over until the made-to-order platter was available - in this case, it was the most succulent calamari with just the right amount of salt, drizzled in a balsamic glaze and splashed with some red wine vinegar. Perfectly caramelized and crispy on the outside, calamari juices dripped out of it when you bit into it - I'm fact, it was so warm and cozy that I climbed inside of it and had a nap, dreaming of a previous lifetime when I was a beautiful butterfly, emerging from a warm, cozy cocoon. It was far more comfortable than my crab crepe (pictured in the foreground), which was more like a sleeping bag than a warm calamari cocoon.