Basque in the glory

ALEX RAIJ • Txikito, La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie

CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine

ALEX RAIJ • co-chef and co-owner • Txikito, La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie
Neighborhood you live in: Lower East Side

It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Weekends were never a thing for us until recently. This weekend, as our kids are older, we’ll be dividing and conquering. I’ll stay at Txikito ‘til later on Friday and Saturday, preparing for a Basque catering on Sunday. My husband (and business partner), Eder, will get ready to go open up a bungalow rental community we share with some other creatives an hour out of town.

Friday includes making lists and large project bid sets to get that seasonal property ready for any reunions or weddings or bar mitzvahs that may want to celebrate there. We generally do full property rentals, but hope to include more amenities one day. We have a barn up there, and we cook on open fire.

Where are you dining this weekend?
This weekend I’ll probably grab a drink with Eder in our ‘hood, the Lower East Side. Either a bottle of wine or we’ll go by the glass at Parcelle or Tolo, or Bacaro if we’re craving a cocktail and frito misto. If we’re pleasing our kids, it’s wine from our fridge and Wu’s Wonton King.

How about a little leisure or culture?
We’ve tried to be better about cultural events and parks over just… food obsession. We got tickets to The Moth last week and Illinoise this week. Getting to Prospect Park for cherry blossoms and magnolias and the Japanese garden is a tradition, too.

Any weekend getaways?
I’m looking forward to re-visiting Lancaster, PA, soon. I particularly love Luca there, and hope to experience Horse Inn. We’re also going to be visiting Montreal for the first time next month. So, naturally, I have a long list of restaurants to visit: Vin mon Lapin, Joe Beef, and Au pied de Cochon are at the top of it. I like to wander and my kids like smoked meat and most Indian cuisines, especially Kashmiri cuisine, so I need to keep researching. I am hoping to stay at Auberge du Vieux Port.

What was your last great vacation?
We had an amazing visit to London with our kids over New Year’s. I really liked the wine list at Mountain — great service, and a nice, fresh space. I also loved breakfast at Dishoom.