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Thursday, November 16, 2006
Wining & Dining Buenos Aires: Restaurant Recs, Round II (October-November 2006)
As our wine and culinary tour business grows in Argentina, I am increasingly finding myself in Buenos Aires, a city whose pulse, flavor, and movement I absolutely love and thrive on. During October and November, I added some new, old, and revisited restaurants to my repertoire of local eateries. The restaurants reviewed last year in my first round still continue to be favorite haunts like Danzón, Sucre, Lo de Jesús, Social Paraíso, Milión, and other old school cafés like La Giralda for its chocolate and churros. Eating is so integral to getting to know Buenos Aires and porteño’s culture. I recommend dining in joints, chichi restaurants, having medialunas and coffee, stopping for gelato on a walk, enjoy the treat’s of the city. Buenos Aire is utterly delicious.
Lola, Roberto M. Ortiz 1805, b/t Guido and Quintana, Recoleta, 4804-5959
In the area known as “el paseo” in Recoleta, where eateries with high turnover and higher prices reign, Lola is a classic and elegant, sophisticated Buenos Aires. It’s the perfect place to take your future in-laws or top clients to impress with their European-style menu and top notch wines. The combination of creativity and classic technique work well. Try their exquisite carpaccio, raviolis and sorrentinos, and if you want to splurge, their duck is marvelous. On a sunny spring day, the patio is perfect for crowd watching.
Guido’s Bar, República de la India 2843, b/t Cabello and Gutierrez, Palermo, 4802-2391
A pea-sized trattoria where every inch of the walls is covered by posters paying homage to Italy, tango singers, kitsch movies (and stars), and even soft porn in the bathroom. It is as much of a cultural experience and memory of an era as it is an eatery. Here, there is no printed menu and owner Carlos sends out the day’s special in many courses from antipasti to pizza to pasta and finally tiramisu for dessert. The wine and food are rustic but here the ambience and experience rule. It is testament to BA’s Italian heritage and a must if you want a homey, authentic, and up-close-and-local evening.
Lucky Luciano, Cerviño 3943, b/t República de la India & Lafinur, Palermo, 4802-1262
Can’t get a reservation at Guido’s Bar? Head for Lucky Luciano. One of its many reasons for opening was to pick up much of the overflow from Dad Carlos’ bar around the corner. However, much more than a copy, it has found its own colorful identity serving up savory appetizers and perfectly cooked dishes. The menu is more extensive and refined (there is even buffalo!) with an excellent wine list. Don’t skip dessert and do opt for the coffee to keep you awake after all that gorging when the bill arrives. Buon appetito!
MALBA Café, Figeroa Alcorta, Palermo
The MALBA (Modern Art Museum of Buenos Aires, one of the best in Latin America) is well worth a morning or afternoon exploring the temporary expositions and excellent permanent collection (Constantini). The museum’s café is the perfect spot to recharge your batteries. With a stark white and minimalist décor and exquisite sunny terrace with parasol umbrellas in the summer, the fare is bistro-style with steak or roasted chicken or seared tuna, all simple but delicious. Perhaps not a destination restaurant but works well in an itinerary when your museum visit borders lunch time. Recommended.
La Brigada, Estados Unidos 465, b/t Bolívar and Defensa, San Telmo, 4361-4685
Parrillas in San Telmo of the “cheap and cheerful” fashion are rampant in San Telmo, flooded particularly on Sunday’s for the antique market. For a cut above the rest, head for La Brigada. Still faithful to Argentina’s holy trinity (wine, steak, and soccer), the succulent meat is cooked to perfection, the wine list will make you swoon, and service is efficient and with a big smile. The catch? Make a reservation in advance or resign yourself to a long wait and very late lunch. My personal recs: bife de chorizo cooked “jugoso” (perfect pink medium rare), mixed green salad, Provencal fries, and the well appointed wine list: from the trendy Achaval Ferrer to Altavista, or for $50 pesos (US$16), the best choice by far is the Fabre Montmayou Malbec 2003 (or 2004), one of my favorite wineries in Mendoza. It all works so well.
Casa Cruz, Uriarte 1658, b/t El Salvador and Honduras, 4833-1112
For the ultimate experience in dining in BA, you MUST hit Casa Cruz. Better than Narnia, Casa Cruz is a total dining immersion in which time is irrelevant and the only focus is pleasuring your taste buds. Upon entering the 10 foot copper doors (no sign outside, not that it’s neeed), cop a squat on one of the oversized couches or at the sleek oval bar, asking the bartender to serve you up a sublime martini or gimlet. Once at your table in the redwood-panelled, dim-light dining room (with eclectic, well chosen music from Hotel Costes to Sinatra), dive into their creative menu. The flavor combinations may sound out there—they work. We loved the corn tamale with shrimp and poached oysters with cavior and tapioca for appetizers. Main courses that dazzled us were smoked ahi tuna and succulent lamb loin, or for the decadent, white truffle risotto with duck confit and mango chutney. Don’t skip dessert like the Earl Grey Tea soufflé and certainly ask the sommelier for help with their wine bible. Our wine recommendation: Rosell Bohrer sparkling wine (or Eternum ZD if they have it); or for a boutique Malbec with good price-quality ratio, the Enrique Foster Malbec Reserva or Edición Limitada are fantastic. Excellent (silent) service, exquisite cuisine, good drinks and a beautiful crowd will transport you away to another world. Let go and enjoy it. Reservations a must (several days advance notice recommended).*
*I have eaten now at Casa Cruz several time since it opened in late 2004 and although very trendy and fashionable, the quality of the food and service continues to be outstanding. It is one of my personal favorites!
Sudestada, Guatemala 5602, and Fitz Roy, 4776-3777
White, cool, and well located on a picturesque Palermo Viejo corner, Sudestada will send your palate into chili ecstasy. With ingredients and flavors from Vietnam, Thai, Laos, and Burma, Vietnamese chef Tien Duic serves classics like Kaw Moo Daeng (barbecued pork with spicy peanut sauce), Thai beef rice noodles, among others. Try their lemonade marinated with fresh ginger and lemongrass and excellent lunch menu for $17 (US$6). And for dessert, the ubiquitous Vietnamese (sweet) coffee. One of my favorites.
Standard, Fitz Roy 2203, and Guatemala, Palermo Viejo, 4776-3777
Funny name for a restaurant whose cuisine is far from being “Standard”. Located on the corner facing Sudestada (same owners), with large frame glass windows, Standard is a recreation of a 1950s diner—in Argentina: white tablecloths, wooden furniture, red booths, and a large blackboard with the du jour make it feel like an institution (Happy Days?) serving up old school porteño favorites like milanesa napolitana (beef breaded and fried with ham and cheese), raviolis de seso (calves brain and spinach ravioli) in addition large dishes requiring 2 days notice like slow-cooked lamb from Córdoba or suckling pig. Old-fashioned style and delicious food—reinvented for the hipster crowd.
Bengal, Arenales 837, b/t Esmeralda and Suipacha, Retiro, 4314-2926
If you get a random hankering for curry, in BA you could be out of luck, but Bengal certainly dishes up some “spicy” concoctions that could keep those cravings at bay. Skip the first two pages of pastas (for the Argentine crowd that has a deathly fear of anything “picante”) and go to the fiery stuff. It may not be straight from Delhi but in these latitudes, the sauces aren’t too bad. With a couple cocktails, you will be good to go.
Osaka, Soler 5608, b/t Bonpland and Fitz Roy, Palermo Hollywood, 4775-6964 (NO CREDIT CARDS)
With dinner reservations requiring at least 10 days advance notice, it would seem Osaka is on the HOT list at the moment. We ended up going for lunch with many expectations, particularly interested in how its Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine would be. As a public service announcement to all my blog readers, I really must confess that for all the touting in various magazines, I was quite let down. The décor in the restaurant was dominated by Johnny Walker labels everywhere. The food was good (I ordered seared octopus and my fiancé calamari) but a far cry from any sign of Peruvian ingredients on the menu (quinoa, camote, rocoto, red onion, etc.) and the only hint of Japanese was a sushi bar. The sensation? A bluff. And expensive one. Lunch for two with no dessert, shared appetizer, and only beer, came to almost US$45 (tré expensive for BA). Once again fusion cuisine that is confusion.
La Cabrera, Cabrera 5099, and Thames, Palermo Viejo, 4831-7002
Although a traditional parrillada located in Palermo Viejo (which hasn’t yet succumbed to the area’s chichi restaurant scene), La Cabrera has a slightly different take on a very well-known fare: steak. Unconventional twists like grilled goat cheese instead of provolone, and accompaniments with grilled meats like couscous, roasted garlic, eggplant, etc. make it a fun departure. Wine list is basic and the lines can be long. Reserve well ahead, or head for La Cabrera Norte, one block away, the same restaurant (and scene) designed to catch the overflow.
CBC-California Burrito Co. Lavalle 441, b/t San Martin and Reconquista, Microcentro, 4328-3056
This tasty gem located off the pedestrian avenue Lavalle seems to cater to the foreign population, particularly us Americans (who dream of In & Out Burgers and Carne Asada Burritos). CBC is a great lunch haunt (with delivery) offering huge burritos with tasty fixings like beef, chicken, roasted pork, black beans, rice, red peppers and onions, a variety of salsas and guacamole. For a lighter option they have a bed of lettuce; all for $12 (US$4) with a beverage included. Good deal, friendly service, cool American owners. What are you waiting for? Check it out.
Irifune, Paraguay 412, Microcentro, 4312-8787
Finally, I found it. A little Japanese restaurant frequented by the Asian population, respecting tradition. Order in or order out (delivery) but the rice is perfectly cooked with the right balance of seasoning, the rolls are light and fragrant with buttery, fresh fish that melts-in-your-mouth; the miso soup with tofu is soul warming; and their other dishes, like steamed baby spinach with sweet sauce, delicious. Added to the top of my list of ethnic haunts in BA, I was swooning for hours after eating here. Fills up quickly for lunch. Not cheap, but for first rate Japanese (a dime a dozen in this city), worth every peso.
Dashi, Fitz Roy 1613, b/t Gorriti and Honduras, Palermo Hollywood, 4776-3500
Huge glass windows frame a picturesque Palermo corner, where diners can watch the coming-and-going on the street. Chic colors like stone gray and dusty rose make this sushi hunt a favorite with the locals. While the sashimi and rolls were tasty, being a sushi purist, I found their inventive take on them not exactly my tune (tuna salad maki, I’ll pass thanks). The hot dishes (teriyaki, etc.) making the way to the tables neighboring us also smelled good. While decent, my hankering for old school sushi (anguila, tuna, hand rolls, etc.) lingered on well after dinner. Good thing we had a bottle of Baron B bubbly on hand!
Empire Thai, Tres Sargentos 427, b/t San Martín and Reconquista, Retiro/Microcentro, 4312-5706
In a low-lit corner of the itty-bitty street, Tres Sargentos,lurks Empire Thai. Hip, fun, laid back with a bar stocked with 20+ kinds of vodka, you can venture into chili-laden Asian-accented dishes from pad thai-type noodles to curries to sizzling satays. Order up a mixed drink, some aromatic appetizers with SE Asian inspiration (tweaked for the local palate, of course) and chill out in their cool digs. Or if solo, the bartenders make for good conversation and company. Once again, the lunch menu rules for only $20 (US$7).
Cluny, El Salvador 4618/22, b/t Malabia & Armenia, Palermo Viejo, 4833-1112
Open and airy with comfy white couches, high ceilings, and a charming terrace, Cluny is relaxed yet stylish serving up consisntely good food. The menu is heavily French-influenced from its carpaccio and mesclun salad to quiche lorraine or seared steak. Crunchy, toasted sandwiches with homemade gravlax and some interesting wines-by-the-glass from Familia Schroeder in the Patagonia, make Cluny a perfect lunch getaway or romantic, low-key date.
Kansas, Avenida del Libertador 4625, b/t J. Newbery and Matienzo, Palermo, 4776-4100
Okay, okay, I admit it. Even after almost a decade in South America, I still miss some very American dishes—like barbecued ribs. Here at Kansas, an upscale consistently busy eatery, the menu may be varied but the star is no doubt the American-style barbecue, cranked out in humongous portions. The barbeque sauce is ethereal and as the name Kansas implies, may just make you say “there’s no place like home”.
Brasserie Berry, Tucumán 775, b/t Maipú and Esmeralda, 4394-5255
In the heart of bustling Microcentro near Teatro Colón this family-team hailing from Lyon, France, serves up authentic French classics like Quenelle de Lyon, steak tartare, cheese plates, and a great “menu ejecutivo” at lunch time. Get there early as tables go quickly Unstuffy with retro bistro décor and a vintage fire-engine red refrigerator, its friendly atmosphere and excellent du jour make it a favorite.
Brasserie Pettanque, Defensa 596, with Mexico, San Telmo, 4342-7930
Oui, oui. This latest arrival in the San Telmo dining scene is about as bonified French as it gets (even the furniture was made with brasserie specifications). It is tré cute, romantique, picturesque, and offers everything you would want from a French menu, including Kir Royals (white wine or champagne with crème de cassis). Have a go at the Boeuf bourguignon, cassoulet, escargot, or for Sunday brunch, crepes and an omelette, all in an airy space with large frame windows and natural light. Order a Pastis and watch the world go by—and do make reservations if dining at night.
Oviedo, Beruti 2602, and Ecuador, Barrio Norte/Recoleta (4822-5415)
From the motherland, which is Spain (or Italy) in Argentina, comes Oveido, refined alta cocina from the Iberian peninsula. In a city where beef rules, take a break and try their exquisite fish and seafood selections like sole, sea bass, and cod or game meat like rabbit and lamb. One of the best wine lists in the city, an understated atmosphere, and good location in Barrio Norte (near Pueyerredón subte), make it a great resto.
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Hello Liz, What an exhaustive list of restaurants you have compiled! My cousin will be in Buenos Aires next month, and I forwarded him a link to this post for reference. After reading about all of this great food, I have to admit I'm a little jealous that I won't be accompanying him. Someday though!
Posted by: Ben Bicais | Friday, November 17, 2006