Tag Archive: Travel

Wine and dine

Dan P.Friday, February 8, 20080

Time Out
Buenos Aires for Visitors
Summer/Autumn 2008
Page 68

Wine and dine
Where can apprentice oenologists sample great glasses? Dan Perlman goes in search of great bars.

Although getting a decent glass of wine in a bar or restaurant is far easier here than getting a decent cocktail, but then ‘decent’is a relative term. Most places offer up no more than a couple of regular wines by the glass, and if you’re lucky the bartender may even know the name of what they’re pouring into your glass. So if you’re more into quaffing the grape than you are downing a martini, where should you go for a large selection with knowledgeable and friendly service?

The ‘gran-daddy’of the local wine bar scene is Gran Bar Danzón. Low tables, lots of gleaming chrome, and the constant beat of house music give you a sense of the style of the place. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is some spot for brightly colored cocktails (although they offer a good number of those), they also offer constantly changing wine lists of over 200 selections, many available by the glass. Not surprising given that the owners also stand behind top restaurants Sucre and Bar Uriarte, both known for their wines. Danzón also has a well-staffed kitchen that churns out creative sushi and twists on local fare. Expect to shell out a fair amount for a visit, but the quality makes it all worthwhile.

A true newcomer on the scene, Portezuelo (Vicente López 2160, 4806 9462, www. portezeueloweb.com.ar) is the hotspot for wine in the trendy, if a bit touristy, Village Recoleta. Still, after stopping to lay flowers at Evita’s tomb or wandering the Recoleta artisan fair, you may find yourself in need of refreshment. Here you can pop yourself down in a faux old-time pub, livened by pumping hip hop and electonica. They may be into partying, but they’re also deadly serious about their beverage offerings with a regularly changing list of 15-20 wines by the cuartino (quarter liter carafe). While the wines tend to come from the major players, the variety is good, and it’s a great intro to Argentinian wines. The food is mainly of the steak and chips bent, but a perfectly reasonable proposition.

If you’re into the modern art scene, you’ll no doubt find yourself at some point visiting the MALBA. Or perhaps you’ll find yourself across the street at Renault’s Museum of Art, Science and Technology, catering to your inner nerd. Either way, Club Museo (Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3399, 4802 9626, www.museorenault.com.ar) is a must. Offering up creative international cuisine and sushi, it is a nice way to attract museum clientele, but the real draw here is the wide ranging wine choice that doesn’t stick to the usual suspects. Top that off with more than two dozen selections by the glass (AR$9-23) from a changing selection from lesser known lines as well as the major producers, and you’ve got a winning combination.

Quite possibly the most serious of wine bars is the nearly hidden Epicureos (Soldado de la Independencia 851, 4772 8108, www.epicureos.com). This casual restaurant – deck furniture and directors’chairs, and a beautiful little garden in the rear – also doubles up as a wine shop. It has two major things going for it: a truly great kitchen turning out creative, interesting and delicious food, and access to a well-stocked and well-thought out winery. [Note: I swear, my original copy said ‘wine cellar’.] A regularly changing roster of more than 20 wines by the glass, truly covering the range of varietals and regions of the country, mostly from real, boutique level producers not the commercial biggies. With prices starting at AR$5, it’s a better bargain than any other wine bar in the city.

And finally, for a touch of true elegance, it would be impossible to pass up the stunning Park Hyatt Hotel. Home of several restaurants and bars, wine aficionados ust hund down the wine and cheese bar. It stocks a major collection of international wines, with a good selection offered by the glass. Thankfully a sommelier is always in attendance to guide your tastes. They also offer regular tastings where you can work your way through a particular winery, or style, with the expert assistance of the hotel’s wine director. The bar also has its own cheese ageing room, and is one of the few spots in town where you can sample the best of Argentina’s and other countries’ cheeses along with a glass of the grape. Can you imagine anything better?

In mid-2006, I started writing for Time Out Buenos Aires. With changes in their way of conducting business, I decided to part company with them after my last article and set of reviews in mid-2009.

Magazine articles, Time Out Buenos Aires

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Restaurants, Travel, Wine

Melting pots

Dan P.Friday, February 8, 20080

Time Out
Buenos Aires for Visitors
Summer/Autumn 2008
Page 20

Melting pots
Dan Perlman takes a tour through the gastronomic delights of Argentina’s far flung provinces without leaving city limits.

Argentina is 3,800 km (2,360 miles) north to south and 1,420 km (884 miles) east to west. That’s just less than 30 percent of the size of the United States; the eastern states of Canada and all of the UK would sit quite comfortably inside the province of Buenos Aires alone. In short, Argentina is a very big country indeed.

No surprise then that food culture varies markedly throughout the country. Fortunately, BA is pretty much the focal point of the country, so you don’t need to leave the capital city to get a chance to stab your fork into these tasty regional dishes.

Food from the north-west area of the country is well represented. What might be called Argentina’s rustic simply styled ‘mountain cuisin’, is featured in Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca and Santiago del Estero. Their rich hearty meals for example, locro (corn, potato, squash and meat stew), carbonada (stew of meat, vegetable and occasionally fruit), and mondongo (tripe stew) are often left in a pot simmering over the fire all day, ingredients being added over the course of one or more dinners. Many of these dishes share influences throughout the Altiplano, a region that extends into northern Chile, southern Peru and Bolivia.

Spots to sample this cuisine tend to be casual, almost lunch counter affairs usually starting with empanadas (turnovers), tamales or humitas (stuffed cornmeal dough steamed in corn husks) followed by a stew. The menus often offer little else, maybe a simple house wine and a flan casero (home-made flan) for dessert. Among our favorites are the two branches of La Cocina (Pueyrredón 1508, 4825 3171; Florida 142, 4326 7892). They focus on the reasonably spicy cooking of Catamarca. Their locro is easily one of the best in town, and offered with a choice of chilli sauce with various cheesy add-ons.

The cooking of Tucumán and Salta is probably best represented by the always popular La Querencia (Junin y Juncal, 4821 1888). Here the empanadas arrive with cracker like crusts and are stuffed with a variety of interesting fillings, but spicing tends to be more muted in comparison to other north-western regions. For the somewhat more picante cooking of Santiago del Estero, the empanadas at La Familia (Chile 984) in San Telmo are delicious if you don’t mind takeout only.

The north-east, strangely, is not well represented – the provinces of Formos, Chaco, Missiones, and Corrientes ahve a cuisine that’s heavily influenced by neighboring Paraguay. Often there is a stall at the weekend Mataderos gaucho fair that serves up excellent food from Paraguay and the north-east, well worth the trek if you’re a foodie.

For the specialty fish of the Paraná river that weaves through Santa Fé and Entre Rios, Jangada (Bonpland 1670, 4773 0411) in Palermo serves simple, perfectly grilled fish straight off the parrilla with just a touch of herbs, oil, and lemon.

Off to the west, Mendoza and San Juan are etter showcased. In a spot combining Mendozan art with the cuisine, Pan y Teatro (Las Casas 4095, 4924 6920, www.panyteatro.com.ar) in Boedo has superb pastel mendocino (potatoes flavored with a cinnamon and sugar mixture) and rabbit stewed in white wine. San Juan as the ‘don’t miss’, truly ‘don’t miss’, outposts of El Sanjuanino (Posadas 1515, 4804 2909; Sanchez de Bustamante 1788, 4822 8080; Pedro Goyena 700, 4924 0888, www.elsanjuanino.com) in Palermo, Recoleta and Caballito respectively, serving up divine empanadas and tamales.

Moving on south, the multi-province region – generally known as Patagonia, is easily the best covered part of the country. You could spend weeks just trying out all the little, and not so little, eateries that cover the rich culinary heritage of the forests, mountains, and coastline. Game, fish, and shellfish are strongly represented and interesting fruits, especially berries, figure in much of the cuisine. It’s also, in some ways, a more contemporary culinary experience, with many of the more creative chefs in the city featuring Patagonian ingredients with modern twists on classic cooking. The most famous is probably Patagonia Sur in La Boca, where star chef Francis Mallmann offers up high end dining at a high end price. Easier on the wallet is Aires de Patagonia, in Puerto Madero, which turns out beautifully elegant cuisine. Likewise the San Telmo and Palermo Hollywood locales of Divina Patagonia serve delicious modern versions of dishes such as venison with chocolate sauce, wild boar with raspberries, the famed Patagonian lamb in a variety of ways, and some wonderful seafood dishes that are equally creative.

For a more simple approach, it’s hard to miss San Telmo’s Mitico Sur. You can order from a alarge number of regional wines, paired with a variety of tablas – platters loaded with Patagonian specialities such as locally made cheeses, cured meats, smoked fish, pickled vegetables, and plenty of lamb – and nibble away to your heart’s content.

In mid-2006, I started writing for Time Out Buenos Aires. With changes in their way of conducting business, I decided to part company with them after my last article and set of reviews in mid-2009.

Magazine articles, Time Out Buenos Aires

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Restaurants, Stews and soups, Travel

Libro Trio

Dan P.Friday, December 14, 20070

“I never read a book before reviewing it – it prejudices a man so.”

Sydney Smith, Essayist, Clergyman

Buenos Aires – In the last couple of weeks a trio, or is it a quartet, or quintet, of books has come across my desk. They didn’t get there by themselves, I went to book launching parties and was given copies of them, which is a delightful way to acquire books, especially when there’s free food and drink, the chance to ferret out the three people at the party actually worth talking to, and no requests to do any work – i.e.,, no one asked me to review the books, they were gratis without strings. The 3/4/5 thing we’ll get to momentarily.

The 2008 edition of Viñas, Bodegas & Vinos was amongst them. Long time readers might hazily recall that I’ve reviewed the last two editions, and that I was a member of the tasting panels for the 2007 edition. Likewise this one. My thoughts from last year pretty much stand – I’m still disappointed that the book is being offered these days in Spanish only, and that it only covers Argentina now – I can’t vouch for the marketing and finances and what went into the decision last year to drop the side-by-side English translation and the rest of the continent, but I can tell you I’ve heard from at least a couple of dozen people over the last year asking if there was an English edition now because all they could find was the Spanish, and the 2006 and previous editions are simply out of date. There’s a market out there for a South American wine guide in English, believe me, and if it wasn’t the massive undertaking that it is, I’d be all over that. Beyond being an update, the book is very slightly expanded this year, with an increase in the number of wineries and wines covered. One fun little addition at the back, being the fifth edition, the editor/publisher had saved up bottles of the top wines from the first edition in the cellar, and we had a separate tasting of those to see how they had held up over the last 4-5 years. Some well, some not so well, but it was an interesting exercise that’s included in this year’s edition. The event, by the way, was held at the Museo Evita, which is worth a visit in and of itself, has a nice little restaurant on the property, and a beautiful courtyard. The top 60 wines were all arrayed for our tasting – one in particular truly stood out for me, the Valle Las Acequias “Rosedal” Malbec 2003, quite possibly the most elegant, delightful Malbec I’ve had the opportunity to taste.

Austral Rumbo guides 2008 Apparently several years in the making, and perhaps another part of the reason why the wine guide has been cut back, editor Diego Bigongiari has been hard at work on a duo of Buenos Aires guides… Now, I realize we need more travel guides to Buenos Aires like we need another newspaper article extolling the amazing and wildly exaggerated cheapness and ease of moving to and living in this city, and it’s also hard to be critical of a couple of books written by someone I’ve spent the last two years working with and also consider a friend. Nor do I object that he included a mention of Casa SaltShaker at the bottom of page 146… Thankfully, I don’t have to be particularly critical, as I think he very smartly approached the guides in a different manner from many of them out there. The guides, first of all, are in Spanish only, and second of all, they come together as a set – tall and narrow and inserted into a plastic cover which is useful for packaging and marketing and protecting the books from dust on your shelves, but completely useless when you’re ready to use them. However, with no manual skills at all you can easily slip them out of the cover and use them separately – which you should. The first book, in big bold letters titled BUE, states it is a traveler’s guide to Buenos Aires and surrounds, from rumbo-austral, rumbo meaing “to get one’s bearings”, and austral being the publishing company. Coming in at 335 pages, it’s packed with ‘hood by ‘hood tips on things to do and see – and it goes well beyond the usual three or four barrios that most tourist guides bother to cover, gives detailed information on how to do things like navigate the bus and subway systems, and covers everything from where to get good coffee to where to find transvestite prostitutes. The maps are well thought out, there are lots of sketches to illustrate various monuments and buildings, and it’s well written. Each entry has a color coded bar along the margin placing it in a category such as “eating and drinking”, “architecture”, or “night and sex” – which would be truly annoying and useless given that color key is in the introduction to the book and includes eight different categories, except they very smartly didn’t just put the color bar, but also the category name in each bar, so you really don’t even need the key upfront after all.

The second book is more for the armchair traveler, or perhaps while you’re sitting in your hotel room, or whiling away an hour or two at a local café. It covers the same neighborhoods, in the same order, one by one, but instead of being a guide, this one is labeled in big bold letters BUE… oh wait, it’s the same, but in small print says it’s the traveler’s book, rather than guide… it’s designed for simply reading. Perhaps the best way to think of it would be as if you had a tour guide sitting right there telling you stories about this building or that monument, or an event that happened here, or one of those great anecdotes that make having a good tour guide a gem to find. While you have to read this rather than listen to it, you do have the priceless advantage of not having to listen to the identically dressed in tracksuits never set a foot on a track middle aged couple from Home on the Range Middle America complain about no one here speaking English and why don’t they learn it and why can’t they eat at 6 p.m. like regular people and do we really have to get off the bus and walk it’s just as easy to take a picture through the window as we pass by. My British readers will recognize the same couple as being from Outer Peasbody on the Marsh, but the rest of the details remain the same.

Mixology in Argentina Now, lest you think I spent all my time at one party at the Evita Museum sipping high end wines and snagging delicious little hors d’oeuvres off passing trays, let me assure you that’s not the case. I also found myself inside a jam packed soirée at OchoSieteOcho, the “secret” speakeasy that’s not secret anymore, a faceless bar at 878 Thames with a guy in a suit out front deciding whether or not to unlock the door behind him and let you in. He pretty much let’s everyone in, at least when it’s a private event and you have enough wits about you to say “I’m here for the private event.” Here, the focus, at least in the free drinking and dining realm, was well made cocktails offset by iffy hors d’oeuvres that might have been thrown together by someone who’d just dropped into the kitchen and thought they’d “give it a whirl”. The event this time, the dual release of the Spanish and English language editions of Coctelería Argentina and Mixology in Argentina, by Rodolfo Reich, a local food and wine writer and editor. Though I don’t know Rodolfo, I do know his English translator, Brian Byrnes, the person who invited me to the event and reserved an English copy for me. I haven’t read through the Spanish language version, but I trust that Brian stayed true to the original. The book is by parts a history of the world of cocktails in Argentina – at one time a big part of the drinking scene here, not so much these days when everyone is into wine and micro-brewed beers – an introduction to some of the “top” bartenders in the country, and a cocktail recipe book. It’s beautifully laid out and photographed, and it’s well written, at least the English prose. The history part was intriguing and fun to read, no question. The recipes, a mix of classics, reinterpreted classics, and outright inventions, useful if not particularly exciting to read – but recipes rarely are. The introduction to the bartenders, for me, was a trifle odd… not that it wasn’t interesting, it was, but there is, perhaps, a conceit, not uncommon to someone in their early 30s, that the true innovators, masters, etc., are in their own age bracket. Of the twenty bartenders profiled, all but one, at least based on their photos and resumes, are not more than a few years out of college (their birthdates are given, and range from 1971 to 1982, with one from 1963) – and are, for the most part, the bartenders at trendy venues frequented by the club set. Now, not being someone who hangs out at bars, and these days I don’t drink many cocktails, perhaps there are very few over 35 bartenders here plying their trade and proving that they know how to mix a drink, and innovating – but if my experience in other cities around the world holds true, that’s unlikely to be the case, and it was notable that they weren’t included. The best part for me was a single page devoted to a local aperitif called Hesperidina, something that’s uniquely Argentine, though it’s a shame he didn’t spend a little time on others, like Pineral, Legui, or Hierro Quina. For cocktail aficionados, the book is a nice addition to the bar library shelf, and worth the investment.

Books (Reviews)

Buenos Aires, Cocktails, Travel, Wine

More tea, padre?

Dan P.Tuesday, August 7, 20070

Time Out
Buenos Aires for Visitors
Winter/Spring 2007
Page 70

More tea, padre?
You heard us. Hip porteños are getting into… afternoon tea. Dan Perlman reports.

It’s a regular refrain we hear from visitors, “I just assumed with the Italian influence that I could get a good espresso here… so where can I find one?” It’s a good question. Make no mistake, porteños have the raw materials – quality coffee beans and equipment are readily available in BA. But strangely enough, it’s actually easier to find a good cup of tea.

We’re not talking about your basic orange pekoe in a bag. Yes, many, if not most places, use teabags, but there are some great local producers of teas and tea blends, including well known brands like Inti-Zen, Cachamai, Evy, and Gold Beginning. Higher-end restaurants often offer a selection, ranging from basic black or green, on up to various fruit and herbal blends.

Anyone can enjoy the simple but sublime pleasure of a cup of tea, the true tea aficionado, however, will appreciate the services of our own local tea guru, Inés Berton In addition to running her world class tea blending company, Tealosophy, she’s also the force behind Inti-Zen, and the soon-to-be-introduced Chamán herbal blends.

Ms. Berton is a returned porteña who grew up in BA and initially trained as a perfume blender; she later switched gears to pursue her passion for tea. She has worked in Paris, London, and New York, blending teas for some of the top importers, and notably, she’s served as personal blender to the King and Queen of Spain, as well as to the Dalai Lama. She’s a tireless world traveler who goes straight to the source, standing in the tea fields in southern China supervising the picking of only the best leaves, herbs from southern France, and vanilla from Madagascar. Most recently, a month working with herb-picking shamans in the highlands of Perú. It’s impossible to sit down with her and not come away passionate about drinking tea – her enthusiasm is infectious, and her shop, at No. 37 in the promenade alongside the Hotel Alvear, along with it’s attached tea salon, is a scented heaven.

Working with virtually every top hotel, and many of the best restaurants in the city, Berton creates custom blends for each customer, working with the venue’s chef to come up with flavors that fit the tenor of the cuisine. As one of only 11 acknowledged “tea blenders” in the world, she’s much in demand.

So where does Ms. Berton recommend “taking tea”? She advocates the elegant experience of a full afternoon tea at hotels like the Alvear, the Cesar Park, and the Park Hyatt – where, come 5pm, the salons fill with the dedicated chamomile-swillers. After a brief tour of hotel-hosted teas, we’d tout the amazing experience of taking tea at the Alvear in particular – the house blended almond tea is a true eye-opener, and if you think you know what Earl Grey is all about, think again.

Looking for something more low key? For more casual venues, Ms. Berton has some suggestions too. She’s particularly fond of Tea Connection (corner of Uriburu and Pacheco de Melo), where more than a dozen blends of teas stack up well against the kitchen’s wonderful selection of fresh sandwiches, tarts, scones, and salads. Mark’s Deli (El Salvador 4701 in Palermo Viejo) is another of her favorites along with i Fresh Market in Puerto Madero.

In mid-2006, I started writing for Time Out Buenos Aires. With changes in their way of conducting business, I decided to part company with them after my last article and set of reviews in mid-2009.

Magazine articles, Time Out Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Tea and Coffee, Travel

Red Hot Chilli Pepper

Dan P.Tuesday, August 7, 20070

Time Out
Buenos Aires for Visitors
Winter/Spring 2007
Page 16

Red Hot Chilli Pepper
It’s impossible to get good spicy food in Buenos Aires, grumble most of the guidebooks. Wrong. You may have to chase a little harder for your chilli, but as Dan Perlman explains, it’s out there.

“Dull, tasteless, and bland” Those were the words out of the mouth of an ex-pat who has lived here for many years, in reference to local cuisine. I beg to differ. I really do. I’m not going to say that if you frequent your same corner café or parrilla all the time that you aren’t going to find that it isn’t the finest or best seasoned cuisine on the planet, but the same could be said of the same sort of spot anywhere in the world. For those of us who live here and love to have food that hits the high notes of spice, a bit, or a lot, of picante on a regular basis, it’s a common supposition that we simply have nowhere to go eat. I’m here to claim that that’s balderdash, a load of hooey, complete nonsense. You will have to seek places out more than you might in some major cities in the world, but if you stop taking the words of folks who simply haven’t made the effort, it’s really not that hard to find good, spicy cuisine in Buenos Aires.

Let’s start with some of the obvious suspects – the southeast Asian cuisines. While it’s true that there’s a limited number of good spots that offer up reasonably authentic fare, they are here. You want a good, spicy green curry? Right in the heart of Microcentro is the well known Empire Thai, at Tres Sargentos 427, where you can happily slurp away at a bowl filled with broth that’ll make your scalp sweat. They also offer up a fiery mixed saté that will have you reaching for the closest cold beer, even if it’s not yours. Equally well known, out in Las Cañitas, is Lotus Thai, Ortega y Gasset 1782, where an array of curries and other dishes are just waiting to sizzle your taste-buds. In a similar vein, the new kid on the block is Sudestada, Guatemala 5602, out in Palermo Viejo, where a blend of Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian “inspired” cuisine comes flying out of the trendy kitchen – their rice stir-fries are noted for their chili-laden qualities.

Moving north, on the globe, is the world of Korean cuisine. I’d venture to guess that not only most tourists, but a large number of long time residents, are unaware that Buenos Aires has a Korea-town, out in Flores along Carabobo street, where a variety of venues from small lunch counters to elegant dining rooms turn out food that could be an endurance test for some – it can sometimes be difficult to gain entry to some of these spots, as the local Korean community is somewhat insular, but friendly smiles and banter will generally get you through the door – finding any spot by name, unless you read Korean, is an impossibility – just follow your nose. For much more accessible Korean food, Bi Won, at Junín 548 just off the west edge of Recoleta, is a great spot to drop in when you’re craving a bi-bim-bop, rife with hot bean paste. If you really want to put yourself to a test, order their spicy squid stew.

On the Chinese front, while the vast majority of local restaurants are Taiwanese in style, there are a few that offer up the spicier cuisines of Szechuan and Hunan provinces. Among the best, Shi Yuan, Tagle 2531, in the heart of Barrio Norte for their great rendition of Kung Pao Chicken, and Dragon Porteño, Arribeños 2137, where you can order up a fiery Eggplant Yu-Xiang (they’ll even make it extra spicy on request).

Moving to the southwest, there’s of course, Indian cuisine, and the local set was long dominated by primarily watered down versions – but, in the last couple of years, some spots that don’t stint on the spice have sprung up – the strangely mixed Italian and Indian spot called Bengal, at Arenales 837, in Retiro, where they offer up probably the best Indian chicken curry in the city, the “Brick Lane Curry House” style pub found at Bangalore, Humboldt 1416, in Palermo Viejo, where they offer some interesting dishes not seen in many spots – including a great Tuna Jafrezi, seasoned with chilies, cumin, and coriander. The newly opened Tandoor, at Laprida 1293 in Barrio Norte is still a bit of an unknown entity, but promises to deliver some much desired hot versions of Indian regional cuisine.

Leaving Asia aside, it’s not hard to find Cuban restaurants here – there’s an entire strip of them along Salta in Centro, as well as scattered other spots. Easily accessible and in a popular spot for visitors, El Tocororo, at Alicia Moreau de Justo 1050 Dock 7 in Puerto Madero offers up great ropa vieja and masitas de puerco, arriving already fairly well down picante lane, and with side offerings of fiery habanero sauce.

Possibly the easiest spots to find are the Peruvian restaurants, and also a few scattered Bolivian restaurants (a higher concentration of the latter can be found out in the commercial center of Liniers, a short train ride away, for those feeling adventurous). At the top of the heap for Peruvian cuisine is easily Moche, at Nicaragua 5901, on the far reaches of Palermo near to Belgrano, where the former Peruvian embassy chef turns out beautifully creative authentic and spicy fare. For more home-style cooking from the heart of Peru is the wildly popular Contigo Perú, located behind the Barrancas del Belgrano train station at Echeverría 1627, where you can dine on anything from spicy ceviches to steaming platters of chili, onion, garlic, and ginger laden fish, chicken, and meat dishes. There are also many Peruvian restaurants in Once, the best of which is probably Sabor Norteño, La Rioja 186, with the extra added fun of summer weekend live music from local Peruvian musicians. On the Bolivian front, if you’re not headed for the far suburbs, your best bet is simply stopping in for the classic fiery Bolivian empanadas, or salteñas, and stews at La Paceña, Echeverria 2570, in Belgrano.

In mid-2006, I started writing for Time Out Buenos Aires. With changes in their way of conducting business, I decided to part company with them after my last article and set of reviews in mid-2009.

Magazine articles, Time Out Buenos Aires

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Restaurants, Travel

Restaurants

Dan P.Tuesday, August 7, 20070

Time Out
Buenos Aires for Visitors
Winter/Spring 2007

Restaurants

Eight reviews for the current issue.

Brasserie Berry

Tucumán 775, entre Maipú y Esmeralda, Microcentro (4394-5255). Subte C/Lavalle/29, 39, 100 bus.

Open 9am-4pm Mon-Wed; 9am-4pm, 7:30pm-12:30am Thur-Fri. Main Courses AR$22-35. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.

In France, your typical brasserie is a place where a wide range of locals come together under one roof to drink and eat. By definition, a casual café where beer, wine, and liqueurs are served – no place for fancy mixed cocktails – along with simple, tasty one dish meals – a place to meet and greet, have a quick bite, and move on about your business. Brasserie Berry’s Lyonnaise owners have got the formula down right. At lunchtime, when the spot is at its best, local business-people (usually men) stream in the door, plunking down at a table, and fire off an order for a quickly grilled steak, a piece of properly roasted chicken, or a fillet of fish, accompanied by a simple green salad or potatoes, a glass of wine or beer, and back out the door. While the atmosphere is boisterous and casual, with greetings between regular patrons being shouted across the room, regulars being pecked on the cheek by one staff member after another, it’s not a place where people linger over coffee and dessert, nor conversation. Still, the food is well prepared, and faithful to the home cooking of the south of France. Dinner time brings around a few more classic dishes, such as salmon in a white wine and butter sauce, and lomo in a rosemary and red wine jus, but still keeps with a simple theme – no elaborate multi-course menus, no frills – just good hearty food.

Cluny

El Salvador 4618, entre Malabia y Armenia (4831-7176/www.cluny.com.ar).Bus 15, 39, 55..

Open from noon Mon-Sat. Main Courses AR$30-45. Credit AmEx, MC, V.

Named after the Cluny Museum in Paris, Cluny is a paean to the museum’s star exhibit, the famed Lady with Unicorn tapestries that celebrate six senses – taste, smell, touch, sight, hearing, and understanding. With that goal in mind, you might think you were in for some sort of overwhelming temple of haute cuisine, instead, it’s a fashionable, relaxed spot, with a regular crowd that likes to see and be seen, but also likes to enjoy excellent food. It’s a pretty room, with lots of mixed textures, colors, different surfaces – very fitting. Service is, amazingly for the neighborhood, completely attentive, friendly, and helpful. The kitchen turns out one dish after another that combines simple ideas with delicious touches – a spectacular salmon tartare with delicate fresh herbs, a veal risotto tinged with mushrooms and flavored oil, a beautifully roasted chicken breast encompassing a surprise hidden filling of roasted tomatoes. While the wine list leans towards the usual suspects, it’s also got some breadth to it, and while you may recognize nearly every name, there are a good number of names to choose from.

Freud y Fahler

Gurruchaga 1750, entre El Salvador y Costa Rica (4833-2153). Bus 39. 55.

Open Noon-3:30pm, 8:30-midnight Mon-Fri; 12:30pm-4pm, 8:30pm-1am Sat. Main Courses AR$20-60. Credit AmEx, V.

When a local psychiatrist decides to open a restaurant, and put his own name up in collaboration with his distant mentor, the best thing to do is just ignore the name and hope that your dinner doesn’t come with a character analysis. The Rorschach test based decor does little to ease your mind, but the food and service, thankfully, are not as unfamiliar as all that presages them. In fact, the staff are there to answer rather than ask questions, just the way a restaurant ought to be, and the food is downright homey. Sure it’s creative, in the sense that there are interesting little touches of color and design on your plate, but the food is simple and direct, with no frills – spaghetti in butter sauce with vegetables, cheese ravioli, veal milanesas, hearty tomato or squash soups, deep fried chicken fingers served atop some herbed quinoa are about as outre as it gets. Here and there a dish is offered up with two different preparations of the same ingredient on a plate, but neither will challenge your senses. The wine list is pretty basic, though there are a couple of gems that step outside the usual world of Malbec and Cabernet that are worth exploring. Sometimes eating dinner is just eating dinner…

El Manto

Costa Rica 5801, esquina Carranza (4774-2409/www.elmanto.com), Bus 34, 55, 93, 108, 111.

Open 8pm-1:30am daily. Main Courses AR$26-35. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.

There is a slightly pervading air of secret fantasy in dining at El Manto. Not that the place is shrouded in the mists, in fact it sits prominently on a street corner. No, it’s the feel of the place – high concrete and brick walls and ceilings, dark colors of burgundy and black, mystical music playing softly in the background, and friendly but very silent waiters who move stealthily among the tables. Maybe it’s the fortune teller over in the corner waiting to read the dregs of your thick Armenian coffee at the finish of your meal. Maybe it’s the claim of nearly two millennia of history since the unnamed village from which the owners claim to come became the first bastion of Christianity in Armenia. Regardless, it’s definitely the spot for those who love this cuisine to come and set themselves down – it’s arguably one of the best. You’ll find all your favorites here – hummus, kibbe, kefte, kebabs, pilaf, tabouleh, and many more – and you’ll find them each prepared in a subtly different way than you’re probably used to. El Manto claims to be using traditional recipes that go back before all the modern shortcuts and substitute ingredients came into play – an insinuation on their part that others out there, perhaps, are not. Whether true or no, the food is definitely different, and served on a higher plane – read, more attractively – than the average Armenian joint in town. There’s an upstairs terrace and lounge that’s great for relaxing in, perhaps to contemplate the news delivered to you by the coffee clairvoyant, or perhaps just to kick back and enjoy one of the many selections from the short but well thought out and fairly priced wine list that includes a mix of well and lesser known producers.

Bereber

Armenia 1880, entre Nicaragua y Costa Rica (4833-5662). Bus 39, 55.

Open from 8:30pm daily; 12:30-4pm Thur-Sun. Main Courses $20-35. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.

When you’re the only kid on the block with a ball, you’re the one everyone wants to hang out with. Bereber has the same advantage with the only offering in town of Moroccan cuisine. Luckily, they like to share, and what they offer up is as good as you’ll find in most food capitals outside of Morocco itself. The space is light and airy, with a lounge section where you can plop your backside on a cushion on the floor and eat or take tea, or for those who prefer to dine at a regular table, there’s both a good sized dining room and a rooftop terrace that’s open in nice weather. Service is charming and friendly, perhaps a bit too far on the laid back side at times, there are moments when you may be convinced that the staff have secretly slipped out a back exit and gone home. But it’s all worth it when the food arrives – properly fluffy steamed couscous dishes with vegetable broth and fiery hot, traditional harissa chili paste served on the side to adjust to your own liking, a rich olive and chicken tagine, a sweet and savory layered pastella, and lots of fresh lavash flatbread to keep you happily munching away. The cocoa dusted bakhlava is one of the best out there and worth taking with a cup of strong coffee or a mint tea. At lunchtime Bereber offers up a couple of daily fixed price menu options, a short array of “wraps” – vegetable, chicken, beef, or lamb, and one selected dish from their evening menu that varies from day to day. The bar serves up a nice array of cocktails, the wine list and beer selection are a bit on the sparse side.

Green Bamboo

Costa Rica 5802, esquina Carranza (4775-7050/www.green-bamboo.com.ar). Bus 34, 55, 93, 108, 111.

Open from 8:30pm daily Main Courses AR$25-35. Credit AmEx, MC, V.

It could easily be said that Vietnamese culture offers up a fascinating contrast between resonance and dissonance. The food – some of the most harmonious of the Asian cuisines – with a unique balance between sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and spiciness. The visuals of daily life – clanging, clamoring, busy, and conflicted. Green Bamboo has this contrast in spades. Visually arresting – with deep reds and shiny gold surfaces, black lacquered serving trays, and a decor that looks like a knick-knack factory exploded just the other side of the bar, hip-hop and hard rock music blaring at high volume, and a young, hip crowd jamming in for a cocktail or a table. We should also mention the food, elegant, balanced, delicious – in fact, it just keeps getting better as the kitchen has come to the awareness that there are folks out there who really do like spicy food, and now offers up each dish at a heat level from standard porteño bland to levels one through three, the last actually reaching a level that might almost start a sweat. (You can kick that up a notch with a spoonful from a bowl of freshly crushed chilies on request.) Green Bamboo offers up some of the best fried calamari you’ll ever have, tentacles, not rings – with a trio of dipping sauces, a great five-spice pork, orange lacquered chicken, spot-on curries. There’s a bit of a Trader Vic’s feel at moments, with dishes being served up in pineapple or coconut shells, but look past that and just enjoy. The bar mixes a great cocktail, from classic to creative, and the wine list has a great range, and a selection that isn’t just Malbec, Malbec, Malbec. Someone here is paying attention, as the place has steadily improved with each visit.

Bar Uriarte

Uriarte 1572, entre Honduras y Gorriti (4834-6004/www.baruriarte.com.ar). Bus 39, 55, 111, 166.

Open noon-2:30am daily. Main Courses AR$30-40 Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.

The newer kid on the block from the folks who brought us Sucre and Gran Bar Danzon, Bar Uriarte looks like a redesigned low-height version of Sucre – that same modern industrial aesthetic, touched off with some touches of dark wood – sort of the slinky, sexy sibling. Staying in form, your senses are drawn to the open kitchen that takes up one entire side of the restaurant from front to back, with tables arranged along the opposing wall. Lounge on a sofa up front, grab one of the tables near to the wood burning oven, or head back to the patio at the rear – part indoor, part outdoor, depending on weather. Bar Uriarte’s kitchen turns out food that could simply be termed classic. Not classical, in the sense of something that feels old or stuffy, but classic in the sense of well done tradition. Superb pizzas come right out of that oven, great pastas from another station along the line – don’t miss their housemade gnocchi, for those in the mood for meat, perfectly cooked sweetbreads, and delicious steaks off the grill are hard to beat, particularly when accompanied by a big bowl of crispy golden fries. The wine list is long and excellent, not surprising given the pedigree, and the bar turns out a nice selection of cocktails.

Sucre

Sucre 676, entre Figueroa Alcorat y Castañeda (4782-9082/www.sucrerestaurant.com.ar) Train to Scalabrini Ortiz/37, 130 bus.

Open Noon-4pm, 8pm-2am daily. Main Courses AR$27-40 Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V

“Modern industrial” doesn’t begin to capture the atmosphere at this cavernous space. Visually, your attention is drawn to any of three competing elements, rather like being surrounded by a trio of dominatrices – a huge concrete and glass wine cellar sitting squarely in the center of the space, a floor to three-story high ceiling bar lined with colorful bottles along the entire right hand wall, and a gleaming copper and steel kitchen that fills the entire backfield. If you keep your head down you’ll make it safely to your table – whether it’s a low mesa ratón in the front lounge, a heavy wooden block in the central dining area, or a high perch on one of the stools overlooking the kitchen. Once safely seated, order anything, seriously, anything, off the nuevo-pan-Latino menu and you’ll be happy – make sure with your server that they got your order, they have a tendency to suffer from the same visual whiplash as guests, and time after time we find their attention wandering. However, the kitchen turns out plate after plate of delicious modern interpretations of ceviche, risotto, grilled salmon, slow braised pork bondiola, and others that will keep your tastebuds tingling. The star chef, Fernando Trocca, has a penchant for touches of “molecular gastronomy”, so expect a foam or gel or powder here and there, but he’s smart enough and talented enough to use them as touches, not as dishes. That wine cellar and the bar are not just pretty faces – Sucre offers up one of the most extensive and best selected wine lists in the city, and a range of cocktails that rivals the top bars in town.

The following reviews were submitted on request, but not included in the final edition.

Eliot Resto & otras pasiones

Honduras 5237, entre Uriarte y Godoy Cruz (4831-1112/www.eliot.restaurant.com.ar). Bus 39, 55, 111, 166.

Open 4pm-midnight Mon, 10am-midnight Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun. Main Courses AR$22-35 Credit AmEx, MC, V.

With a huge glass front, Eliot is nothing if not light and airy. The decor is minimal, tending towards randomly placed works of art with a vaguely indigenous quality to them – not indigenous necessarily to here, but indigenous to… somewhere. The tables are likewise scattered about, not quite arrayed in any set pattern, and not too close to each other – which, depending on your personal tastes, leaves you feeling like you have some privacy to chat with your companions without neighbors listening in, or feeling a certain lack of intimacy and warmth. We swear there’s a faint echo. But you’ll have little time to note those elements, as the servers here are quick on the draw and friendly to boot. They know the food, they’re happy to make recommendations, and fitting the space in which they work, they take advantage of it and come by and check up on you regularly. The food is lightly creative – classic local dishes of pastas, risottos, grilled fish and meats, leaning a little towards the Italian side of things, but each with interesting touches that set them apart from the ordinary – squash soup seasoned with cardamom seeds, beet juice tinged risotto with blue cheese, pork loin wrapped in prosciuto with an arugula pesto are just some of the better examples. This is creativity with restraint, and it works. The wine list is excellent, the bar turns out decent cocktails, and a lunch, they offer up an under 20 peso fixed price menu. We never did find out what the otras pasiones were…

José Luis

Av. Quintana 456, entre Ayacucho y Callao (4807-0606). Bus 10, 59, 60, 95, 101.

Open 12pm-3pm, 8:30pm-midnight Mon-Sat. Main Courses AR$25-45 Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.

Buenos Aires is not noted for its seafood restaurants, and many of them are indeed questionable. But there’s no question here – José Luis is easily one of the top spots for denizens of the oceans to be dined upon. The style is Spanish, leaning towards Basque, and while there’s a small selection of red meat for those who simply can’t give up their daily steak, the vast part of the menu is fish. Here, they serve up fish as it was meant to be – simply grilled, a touch of olive oil and herbs, perhaps a little lemon. There are some more elaborate preparations that are worth checking out – their lenguado (flounder) roasted in creamed spinach is simply amazing. In truth, anything you select off the lists of fish, the different preparations, and at a variety of price levels (José Luis’ menu is interesting in that it seems to have items for every budget – from main courses that run under 20 pesos to those that get close to three figures), will be a delight. Service is fairly formal, and the dining room, especially at dinner time, is elegant – while there’s no dress code, you may feel like you ought to self-impose one. Don’t miss out on the traditional Spanish desserts mixed in with the local favorites. This is definitely a wine spot, and they offer up an excellent wine list, with good breadth of selection, albeit a bit on the pricey side.

In mid-2006, I started writing for Time Out Buenos Aires. With changes in their way of conducting business, I decided to part company with them after my last article and set of reviews in mid-2009.

Magazine articles, Time Out Buenos Aires

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Restaurants, Travel

Getting Your Greens

Dan P.Saturday, January 6, 20070

Time Out
Buenos Aires for Visitors
Summer/Autumn 2007
Page 34

Getting Your Greens
If you can’t stand the meat get out of the parrilla. Dan Perlman goes foraging.

I’m a vegetarian, and…

Look, it’s not easy being green here. A simple admission that one “doesn’t eat much red meat” brings on a range of responses from abject criticism, to concern for your well-being, to an all pervading suspicion that something’s just not quite right about you. A flat out statement that you don’t eat any meat at all is tantamount to a request to be put in a psych ward for a 72-hour suicide watch.

All I hear about is beef, there must be something else to eat?

There’s a bizarre conception here that the mere elimination of beef from the diet somehow automatically makes you a vegetarian – no consideration will be given to your consumption of lamb, pork, fowl or fish. So, those who want to dine green find themselves in a quandary. What many restaurants consider vegetarian cuisine here contains chicken or beef stocks, bits of panceta “for flavor”, eggs, fish, shrimp, and anything else that someone who doesn’t understand your world thinks they can slip onto your plate.

So how do I avoid that without long discussions with waiters?

I almost hate to recommend it, but the simplest way is to stick with things that are overly basic. Virtually every restaurant here offers fresh salads, many of them with some great combinations. They’re fresh, they’re cheap, and you can pretty much guarantee nothing from the animal kingdom. Pastas are extremely popular in Buenos Aires, and the standard fileto is a basic tomato sauce, no meat, the blanco, which is a bechamel sauce, contains dairy, the scarparo is an onion, garlic, and tomato sauce, and pesto is common, though a pale imitation of it’s Italian roots, here generally being a basic puree of basil and olive oil, mixed with chunks of garlic.

Okay, but I’m not going to live on salads and pasta, what else?

Interestingly, even at the most hard-core bastions of red meat there are often offerings of a parrilla de verduras – a grilled vegetable platter, of course keeping in mind that it comes off the same grill as your neighbor’s steak. Many places have a milanesa de soja, which is the tofu or tempeh, or sometimes seitan, version of a milanesa – Argentina’s version of a weiner schnitzel. Most of these aren’t all that exciting, but then, generally neither are the meat versions. Pizza is also quite good in Argentina, in fact easily the best in Latin America, and in some places as good as anything you’d get in Italy, and it’s quite easy to get an individual sized pie at many places, topped with just the things you want.

Alright, so there are some possibilities when I go out with friends to the places they want to eat, what about when it’s their turn to tag along?

Here’s where it starts to get interesting. There are surprisingly quite a few possibilities. The most common are the Chinese vegetarian buffets. Most ubiquitous are the tenedor libres (all-you-can-eat), which are often good bargains, with unlimited trips to the salad bar, hot food tables, and dessert trays, for under AR$10. That said, most of them offer the sort of food you might expect for the style and price – decent salad bars, lots of fried foods that keep well on a hot tray, vegetable tarts, and stir-fries. The best of these is probably Los Sabios (Corrientes 3733, 4864-4407) in Almagro. (Take the subway “B” line and get off at Medrano.)

And that’s it? Chinese-Argentinian all-you-can-eat buffets?

There are also a small number of non-Chinese spots of this sort. Without question the best of these is Granix (Florida 165, 4760-0307) on the first floor of the Galería Güemes which has the added advantage of being central. This place is run by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but there’s no preaching happening, just really high quality food and drink for a flat AR$18.

How about non-buffets?

There are the better quality setups where you pay for what you order, more cafeteria style – often with a more intriguing and appetizing selection. These are a little less common, and for some reason lean towards the world of macrobiotics. The best known is La Esquina de las Flores, but it’s neighbor, Lotos, Córdoba 1577, in the Centro area, 4814-4552, is far and away a better option, with an incredible salad selection, a wide variety of hot dishes, and some great tofu based desserts.

Okay, there’s got to be something that’s more of a traditional restaurant, yes?

There are the better quality setups where you pay for what you order, more cafeteria style – often with a more intriguing and appetizing selection. These are a little less common, and for some reason lean towards the world of macrobiotics. The best known is La Esquina de Flores, but its neighbor, Lotos (Córdoba 1577, Microcentro 4814-4552) is far and away the better option, with its incredible salad selection, a wide variety of tasty hot dishes, and some great tofu based desserts.

Okay, there’s got to be something that’s more like a traditional restaurant, yes?

Possibly our two favorite vegetarian spots are in the more creative, eclectic vein. Bio (Humboldt 2199, 4774-3880) in the heart of Palermo Viejo, serves up some amazingly creative macrobiotic cuisine based on whole grains and vegetables. They’re not big on the tofu score which is a nice change of pace. They also make some great fresh juice drinks (here known as licuados). Across town in San Telmo there’s Flor de Lino, (Pasaje San Lorenzo 356, 4362-0128), a vegetarian catering company has opened up a dining room offering truly inventive, delicious pizzas, pastas, and other main dishes, along with an extensive wine list and full bar.

Are there any options for going more upscale or elegant?

As of right now, just two. The first is Artemisia (Cabrera 3877, 4863-4242), where they offer up beautiful presentations of some wonderfully creative vegetarian dishes in an elegant white-tablecloth setting. There’s also the advantage, if you want to take non-vegetarian friends along, that they offer a small selection of fish dishes. The second option is verdellama (Dorrego 1588, 4778-1889), a new venture from well-known chef Diego Castro, who for the last year or so ran a one night a week in-home raw food vegan restaurant. By popular demand he’s closed up the in-home version and renovate a nearby building top open a full restaurant serving the same kind of food.

In mid-2006, I started writing for Time Out Buenos Aires. With changes in their way of conducting business, I decided to part company with them after my last article and set of reviews in mid-2009.

Magazine articles, Time Out Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Restaurants, Travel, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Porteño Food Heritage: Fact or Fiction? An Investigation…

Dan P.Tuesday, December 19, 20060

What’s Up Buenos Aires
NEWS
December 19, 2006

Porteño Food Heritage: Fact or Fiction? An Investigation…

I’m coming late to the party by posting on this topic, but it’s been simmering in the back of my mind for a week or two. In amazingly typical fashion, the local Heritage Commission has declared a new range of food items that are considered “emblematic” of porteño culture. Those of us who live here in our adopted country have become used to outlandish claims in casual and animated conversation by many a local that one plate or another is Argentine in origin. Often, these dishes are ones that anyone who travels the globe or explores the world of food knows existed elsewhere in the world long before Argentina had anything but a native, indigenous cuisine. This time, however, it’s not random conversation with a new friend over drinks, but the government itself stepping in to stake the porteño claims.

The one that seems to have generated the most controversy is the milanesa a la napolitana, that ubiquitous local version of a weiner schnitzel topped with ham, cheese, and a bit of tomato sauce – most of the controversy coming from the juxtaposition of “milanesa” (from Milan) and “napolitana” (from Naples). The milanesa part is easy, pounded thin, breaded and fried slices of beef or veal are called cotoletta alla milanesa in Italy, or, a Milan style cutlet, since before the first Italian set foot on South American soil. While the name “a la Napolitana” is both claimed locally to come from the idea of Neapolitan pizza or from a restaurant called El Napolitano that existed in the 1940s here over by Luna Park; at best, this is simply a renaming of the classic Neapolitan saltimbocca alla Sorrentina – pounded thin, floured or breaded, fried slices of veal topped with Parma ham, mozzarella, and a fresh tomato sauce. The dish has been around since long before anyone from Sorrento headed to Argentina. One can even look at things like schnitzel “cordon bleu”, a dish dating back to some unknown time in the history of L’Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint Esprit, the organization of knights famed for their luxurious banquets since 1578… this dish a breaded cutlet topped with a thin slice of ham and melted cheese – only missing that bit of tomato sauce.

Better to have claimed the matambre a la pizza – while matambre may merely be an adaptation of cima a la genovese from Liguria, the idea of topping it with those same pizza ingredients has got to be uniquely porteño… though, I haven’t researched that one thoroughly.

I might also have to give them pizza a la faina – while both pizza and faina exist in other places and cultures, since before Buenos Aires was founded, the use of the faina, or chickpea bread slice, as a top crust while eating a pizza does seem to be uniquely porteño.

Beyond that, the Commission has added in such things as vermú, or vermouth – not, thankfully, claiming that it was invented by Argentines, but claiming the tradition of drinking it as integral to local custom. I’m not sure how that differs from their Italian forefathers and mothers, but it’s now official.

Of course, this all follows on 2003’s claims by the same Commission to empanadas, asado, y dulce de leche – hmmm… empanadas, beyond existing in one form or another in every culture that produces pastry, are a pretty clear Spanish import, even if they’ve evolved to an art form here; the asado, a big part Spanish influence on the gaucho culture here – but is it anymore elaborate or a part of the culture than, say, the norteamericano weekend barbecue, or the still extent Spanish version of the same? The last, a claim that’s been up for grabs and dispute for a long period of time. Though I couldn’t prove it one way or the other, I’d be hard pressed to accede to a claim that dulce de leche was invented either here or in Uruguay – the idea that no one was caramelizing milk and sugar back in Europe before local colonization is, to my mind, unlikely, though I’d be willing to be proved wrong on that.

Other dishes that are apparently up for consideration include sorrentinos – round, plump, large ravioli. True, elsewhere in the world no one calls them sorrentinos, but there’s nothing unique about them other than the name – which apparently also comes from a local restaurant called Sorrento that was located on Av. Corrientes here – though this is also up for dispute, I’ve seen more than one claim that the name comes from a restaurant called Sorrento that was located in Mar del Plata – still here in the province of Buenos Aires.

I’ve seen one proposed idea for a bife a caballo – a steak topped with a fried egg. I’ve even seen discussions in different forums about the whole a caballo “phenomenon”, claiming that it’s extraordinarily common here. Okay, I’ve seen it offered on steaks, I’ve seen it on lomo sandwiches and hamburgers. But it’s not exactly ubiquitous, and it’s certainly not uniquely Argentine. I can get a fried egg atop a piece of beef at any diner in the U.S., and probably throughout most of Europe. Even the a caballo, or “on horseback”, has been called a cheval, with the same meaning, in France for centuries.

On the dessert front – the vigilante – a deceivingly simple plate of queso blanco served accompanied by a thick slice of dulce de batata or dulce de membrillo – sweet potato or quince jelly is a common dessert here. While certainly more common than in many other places, I’m not sure I’d call it unique – I’ve had the same in Mexico, I’ve had the same in France. The name, once again, is as far as I know, unique to Argentina. The tarantela – more or less a classic charlotte with a caramelized coating and an apple and custard filling. The torta rogel or milhojas – interleaved pastry with dulce de leche and/or chocolate. The budín de pan – basically a sweet loaf of bread, or even a steamed bread pudding.

All this is not to take away from Argentine or porteño culture and cuisine. As has been said in many a cooking forum, and by many a chef throughout the world, “there’s nothing really new in the cooking world, it’s all been done by someone, somewhere, before.” What is unique to the culture here is the blending of these various imports, along with what remains of the indigenous cuisine, and imports from other parts of both the country (locro, carbonada…) and Latin America. Rather than picking out individual dishes and claiming them as unique, or even integral to only this culture, especially when such claims are easily disproved, what Argentines could easily celebrate is the amazingly rich melting pot of these varied dishes. There is probably nowhere else on the planet where this particular melding of ideas, techniques, and recipes, both classic and modern, come together in such a seamless blend. That’s something to be truly proud of.

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