This Tuesday's pintxo is a special one, and not only because it marked a night of birthday celebrations. This pintxo, the gavilla, falls into a magical and coveted spot in Donostia pintxo-dom. It's a riff on a classic that has become so popular that it has coined its own name. Like the tigre and the gilda, the gavilla is now copied across town, but San Marcial is known for having the best. Not that you'd know it...this bar in the shopping district is tucked in an odd-looking crevice with nothing to recommend it, save the constant wave of people going in and out.

san marcial:::la gavilla (a croqueta layered with a piece of jamón, a slice of emmental cheese, and with a chunk of pork tenderloin in the center)