Ok ,I give up. What is a Basque restaurant ?
usually it is in or near the hotel where the Basque shepherds stayed when they were in town, either coming to the pastures or going home for the season,. Being extremely active workers, the Basque sheep herders were used to large meals with several courses. Most of the time the meal starts with salad and soup and then 2-3 more courses of beans, pasta and vegetables to the main meal of meat and potatoes, all accompanied with bread and lots of red wine.
In the hotels the meal was served family style, large plates of food put out for everyone to share, with refills on request, and all the shepherds/residents would come down to dinner at one time and fill in the center table.
I haven't seen a first timer at a Basque table not founder themselves on the first courses and take their main meal home in a box. Basque usually isn't spicy food, but it it well prepared, wholesome food, or the restaurant goes out of business. There are regional differences in what you will be served during the preliminary courses, based on the original home-region of the cook.
My advice for first timers is order the 'fixings' or the preliminary courses, rather than order that and a meal, you can always go back...... and try the lamb, it's usually got lots of garlic and it's great !.
