NYTimes applauds Bilbao's culinary revolution

In its latest visit to the Basque Country, the New York Times Travel Section wrote in praise of Bilbao''s transformation from "industrial blight to tourist attraction".

The article, published on October 6th, makes reference to the Biscay capital''s 15-year regeneration (for which it recently received the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize) driven in great part by its investment in the arts, in particular the Guggenheim.

This phenomenon, says the paper, has become known as the "Bilbao effect".

Paralleling the city''s newly-acquired status as a tourist attraction, says the Times, are the "inroads" being made in its cuisine.

"We''re not there yet," chef at the Guggenheim restaurant, Josean Martínez told the paper, "But just wait a couple of years," he said, when asked whether Bilbao''s cuisine could surpass that of San Sebastian, currently considered the mecca of fine cuisine.

The article also alludes to Bilbao''s Slow Food chapter which, it says, is the most active in Spain.

The piece goes on to review four of the city''s restaurants which include the Restaurante Guggenheim as well as Azurmendi, Mina and Bascook.