Hi eks,
The "table for two by the window with view of the bay" (or "view of the water") should do it.

Sorry to hear about your surgery! Hope it goes smoothly and that you only have to endure a very few days of hospital food torture!

One more thing:

For the pintxo of your life, the grilled foie ("foie con jalea de manzana") at La Cuchara de San Telmo (31 de agosto 28, Old Quarter) is truly amazing, as are their 15+ other creations.
Just get there when it opens at 12:30 to snag a place at the bar, as the place was a mob scene by 1:30 last week. They removed the picnic tables behind (might have had something to do with the Jazz festival, as venue is close by, or just because of the summer crush). If you have to move outside (inside space is miniscule), there's no place to rest your plates and glasses.

Runners up in my own personal Basque Country grilled foie competition:

Gran Sol (Calle San Pedro, La Marina quarter)
Hondarribia

Bar Iru (Calle San Nicolás 25, Old Quarter)
Pamplona

Thanks, Maribel! Will be booking later today at Akelare. And have duly noted La Cuchara de San Telmo. Apple jelly? Sounds absolutely fabulous. I do adore my liver..oops, I mean the liver on my plate! And the San Martin market will certainly offer hours of pleasure.

Alas, alas....Akelare will be closed from October 1st through the 19th of the month. What to do, Maribel? Suggestions other than Arzak? Awaiting my instructions from you!

You could try Mugaritz (Errenteria-Renteria), an equal to both Arzak and Akelarre. Fagollaga outside of Hernani is also an excellent option for a great dinning experience. Zuberoa is a little more traditional, while Casa Nicolasa serves classic Basque cuisine. Alameda in Hondarribia is well worth the time.

Muchas gracias, Robert. We would like to confine our options on this visit to places within the city, or a brief taxi ride outside Sanse. Knowing this, which would you recommend for our one splash-out dinner?

Dear eks,
Oh no! No dining with that gorgeous bay view! Back to the drawing board.

Yo'u'll just have to "make do" with one of the other 4 gourmet temples, really roughing it, for your splurge!

At "Arzak" I may have been too harsh on our rushed service, close quarters and small portions. (The French gentlemen sitting next to us complained, so they and my husband were offered a second meat course). But we have Basque friends in the travel industry who dine there often for business and feel the same way. But then many American friends have loved the experience, not having a Basque Country basis for comparison. It certainly has the most name recognition and is regarded by many non Spaniards as a "must do".
You may want to book there, as it's a quick taxi ride from the Niza. No views, it's just a simple 2 story building with a slightly formal British décor in the d.r. We have a Donosti born, US based chef friend who's very close to Arzak and was just there cooking with him, and if we had allowed our friend to book for us, our experiences would undoubtedly have been very different.

But if you're up for country dining (maybe a 10 € cab fare)....

My most extraordinary meal (food wise) in the Sanse environs has been at "Mugaritz" (2 M stars, 2 Campsa soles, 9.5 from RGS), housed in a sophisticated (read "rustic chic") but very minimalist, "zen-like" farmstead in a serence setting in the lush green hills outside of Errentería, but 10 km. from Sanse. Some critics rate Andoni Aduriz as the one of the best young chefs in Europe. His cooking is very cerebral though (he's one intense young man-brilliant) and very rich in herbs, spices, bouillons, juices, fruits. Our was a meal of a lifetime experience, enriched, made even more magical by Adoni's giving us a tour of the kitchen (arranged by our mutual chef friend), so perhaps I'm biased. We had impeccable service to boot. His "foie sahumado a la parrilla con cerezas templadas con esencia de piel de lima y consomé translúcido de bonito curado" (I kept my menu) is worth the cab fare. But one needs to allow 2 hrs. minimum for this extraordinary 10 small dish tasting menu. 105€
www.mugaritz.com

"Zuberoa", a 600 yr. old stone farmhouse restaurant around Oiartzun, to us was the least impressive, maybe having to do with a mix up and their not delivering the degustation menu that our chef friend had ordererd for us. It does have beautiful farmhouse decor and a relaxing terrace, but the service, the china, the presentation, the hovering waitresses seemed more in keeping with its origens as an asador. Very nice, but not truly memorable-no fireworks.
www.zuberoa.com

The other farmhouse, actually former cider house in Hernani (1 M star, 2 Campsa soles, 9 from RGS), "Fagollaga" provides a more "exciting" meal for a relative "bargain" price of 70 € for the degustation menu. Isaac Salaberria is a very, very up-and-coming, inventive chef.
For me, the perfect Sunday morning would be an early stroll down La Conha, then a visit to the Chillida Leku outdooor sculpture museum followed by lunch at Fagollaga.
www.fagollaga.com

Then there's Martín Berasategui (3 stars, 9.5 from RGS). His eponymous restaurant looks like a very upscale, modern home and is located in the suburb of Lasarte. But he has many irons in the fire with satellite restaurants in the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Kursaal, the NH Aránzazu hotel (Kukuarri) and his new place (Lasarte) in the Condes de Barcelona hotel, so he may not be at home that Thurs
.
I haven't been to M.B. in a while, but you can sample the M.B. style upstairs at the Kursaal (with very nice views) for 41€ and without the cab fare, or just pintxos at the bar. Just a few blocks from the Niza.

So, to sum up, look at the web pages to see what appeals most to you and your friend.

If I had one splurge meal to book, I'd take a taxi and go out to Mugaritz or Fagollaga (less exp. and slighly closer) for a cutting edge meal in a tranquil, utterly bucolic setting, but that's just me.

Either Mugaritz or Fagollaga it will be, Maribel. I have to laugh..here I am due for major surgery in one hour and here I am debating the merits of Basque restaurants for a dinner in October! (Talk about obsessive!) Must dash off to hospital...(and I do wish I was joking!) but will reserve one of these two once I am back at computer in a week or so. Meanwhile, thanks for everything! You are stupendous!

Dear ekscrunchy,
I shall be thinking about you these next few days, hoping that your surgery goes super, super smoothly and that you're back on your feet in no time, happily planning your Oct. trip.
So sorry you have to be in the hospital, but
you have my very, very best wishes for the quickest of all recoveries.!
Maribel

my best wishes for a quick recovery...hope everything goes as expected

Hi. I'm jumping on this post late but perhaps it will be of use to future fodorites looking to eat at Arzak's or stay at Villa Soro. I did both in the middle of September 2006. I've been fortunate to stay in some really top hotels in the last few years and feel I have a good concept of what constitutes an all round 'good stay' in a hotel. Villa Soro fails. The renovated building was a success but lack any degree of hospitality from the staff. At a whopping €250 per night you would expect a welcoming atmosphere at the very least but we got little of this. Asking one staff member for a glass of wine was like asking him for a loan of 20 euros or a lift into town. Not luxurious or welcoming but cold and sterile. We went to Arzak's on Monday night. We were greeting by two oafs in leather aprons which made me think we had accidentally entered an abatoir instead of a restaurant that was about to relieve me of over €300. If you make a reservation months in advance a sign of a good restaurant would be for the staff to welcome you once they ask for your name and confirm your booking in their list... instead we got frowns, confusion, 'is it defintatly for tonight'? before they found the booking. We were led to our table which was upstairs... past the swish, sofisticated downstairs lounge, and into a mediocre dining area. This is not an intimate restaurant. The lighting is bright, the tables cramped, and the sevice rushed. We had the degustation menu. The head waiter (whose nails were bitten down recommended this). It costs €125 per person. It was lovely but part of the thrill was taken away becasue we could see all the courses being served to the table beside us - they were that close - they were one course ahead of us. We never saw any cooking staff or owners, let alone were greeted at our table by them. All in all the food was spectacular but the experience was like going to see a broadway show that has been running for years, and getting a seat behind a pillar. My advice: If you want an expensive, sterile hotel with no soul stay at Villa Soro. If eating at Arzak, check out the options for sitting downstairs, ask to move tables if it is a little cramped, don't let the staff rush the meal, don't shout 'encore' at the end.

Had the pleasure of dining at Arzak last week. I'm surprised at some of the comments here but perhaps things have change in three years. We had an absolutely spectacular experience, the food was amazing and service impeccable. We didn't want to eat all the food in the regular tasting menu so our waitress gave us a lessor version of it which was wonderful. It is an expensive restaurant but we both thought well worth it. If you are a foodie (or not) and want a remarkable dining experience, head to Arzak. It is easy to reach with the Autobus from downtown San Sebastian.

Arzak's is interesting, but only when Juan Mari is there to handle the chores.