In the land of the Basques...

Last night, after hearing interesting reviews from people who travel from all points across the Bay Area to South San Francisco, we headed to San Francisco Basque Cultural Center (http://www.basqueculturalcenter.com/). Besides having three restaurants (that house up to 200-300 ppl each), this enormous building is also home to three floors of pelota courts. I can say I have never have had a dining experience quite like last night....
First off, the WAIT was an experience in itself! We had made reservations the day before for 8pm (we had heard from devotees that they fill up quite quickly). We arrived at 7:45 to the hostess letting us know that it was "absolutely crazy" and that it would be a "25 minute wait" for those who had made reservations at 8pm. Twenty-five minutes turned into an hour and a half- it was 9:30 before we finally sat down. I felt as if I was back in Spain...where a set time to eat is more of a guideline. Instead of complaining or yelling at the hostess (which several of the patrons who had hoped to dine at 8pm did) I sidled up to the bar among a seemingly never-ending line of true vascos. Jolly, bearded old men sharing beers with their fellow pelota players. If you decide to spend an evening (and believe me, plan on spending an entire evening) at the Basque center, go for the ambience. As soon as you enter the doors of the center, it is as if you are stepping into the town center of any given small town in Northern Spain. Families, laughter, drunken debauchery...
Once you actually sit down, the best part of the meal is that you will probably be seated next to huge parties of 15 Spaniards who just know how to have fun. They sit and linger for hours, with no sense of urgency, and although this probably leads to an anxiety attack for the hostess who is trying to turn over tables to prevent being shot by exasperated patrons, it is a welcomed reminder of how a meal should really be enjoyed. As for the food, you can probably tell I was not super impressed by anything. For the most part, the dishes lacked seasoning. We tried the sea bass, sweet breads, veal, and seafood crepe, escargot, country pate...I can't say that I would go on record to say that I'd recommend any of them. Overall, this WAS a pleasurable dining experience- despite the mediocre food. Everything was authentic and wine flowed freely (and cheaply). Next time you find yourself in South San Francisco, make an effort to visit the center.
Viva el pais Vasco!