Cuisine & Vins
La revista de la buena vida
June 2007, Page 62
© 2007 Dan Perlman
We
As we move into colder weather,
locals rejoice in the return of favorite winter stews to restaurants. For five
or six months of the year we have the chance to enjoy locro, carbonada,
lentejas, mondongo, and chacarero - dishes that have a tendency to simply
disappear off of menus nearly city-wide during the warm weather months. Like
many culinary treats here in Argentina - pizza, empanadas, pasta, and gelato
being at the top of the list - these dishes engender passionate discussion,
defense, and denigration - whether it’s who makes the best, or my opinion of
your grandmother’s version. Still being an outsider (I’m informed that no one
becomes a porteño until they have an immediate ancestor buried in either
Recoleta or Chacarita cemeteries), I have the advantage of no personal
attachment to these dishes, and enjoy exploring a variety of styles.
Locro is probably the top of the heap for the various stews in Argentina. It’s a
hearty, rich dish, that is based on hulled white corn or hominy. From there, the
variations are endless, and there are meat, chicken, fish, and vegetable
versions. A good percentage include a thickening agent in the form of pureed
cooked squash, some include beans, various vegetables, and the cuts of meat can
vary from high grade steak to “parts is parts” sorts of things that you’re best
off not inquiring about. Carbonada is a beef or veal stew that includes dried
fruit, usually peaches, to create a mildly sweet stew. Lentejas, or lentils,
come in a wide variety, from stews with meat to vegetarian versions - you simply
have to ask. Mondongo is a tripe and potato stew, often with beans or peas
added. And chacarero is a chicken and sausage based stew, usually with some form
of pasta added to it at the last minute. All these, are, of course, subject to
your grandmother’s interpretation.
There’s one spot I recommend time and again to visitors and friends to sample
some of the best Argentine “regional” cuisine. In specific, it’s the region of
San Juan, along the western border of the country, just north of Mendoza. The
restaurant, El Sanjuanino. They have two locales, one in Palermo, and my
preferred one for both ambiance and service, at Posadas 1515 in Recoleta. They
serve up one of the more “variety meat” laden versions of locro, and if that
doesn’t bother you, it’s one of the better ones out there. On request, they’ll
bring a bit of oil laden with chili flakes to spice it up a bit. They also offer
some of the city’s better empanadas - their carne picante version is actually
picante, and their “gran sanjuanino” is a deep-fried version packed with a
filling reminiscent of a delicious homemade sloppy joe. Other dishes worth
checking out, their matambre recoldo, a rolled flank steak packed with peppers,
ham, and cheese and roasted in the coals, is a spectacular dish to share for
two; and for those who are feeling adventurous, they offer stews of antelope and
vizcacha, a sort of large rabbit-ish creature from the mountains.
A classic in any of a dozen tourist guides is often a reason to simply avoid a
place. It means the likelihood of being surrounded by others who are just as
mystified by everything going on around them as you are. Yet, somehow, La
Querencia manages to make visitors feel at home, and still attract a good
following of locals. Located at the corner of Junín and Juncal, this spot offers
up a mix of regional Argentine cuisine with a focus on the Tucumán area in the
far northwest. Here you can sample locro, carbonada, or lentejas, in versions
that are perhaps, suited to a slightly more refined palate - prime cuts of meat
and sausages won’t challenge anyone’s sensibilities as to just exactly what part
of the cow has been set in front of them. They also offer many other local
specialties, including a great pastel de papas - more or less a shepherd’s pie;
and revuelto gramajo - a fascinating scrambled egg, ham, potato, and (depending
on whom you’re talking to) pea platter that’s served not just for breakfast, but
lunch and dinner as well. La Querencia offers up some interesting empanadas that
you won’t find in most other places, including several special vegetarian ones -
the eggplant and mint ones are outstanding; a bacon and plum version; and the
“del tambo” - a blend of seven different cheeses that’ll have you asking for
another.
The last place I’d recommend is a personal favorite for locro alone. In fact,
all they offer are empanadas and locro, and for most of the year, not the locro.
But when they have it, the stew at la cocina, Pueyrredón 1508, right off of
Avenida Santa Fe, is the best I’ve had. It mixes up a bit of the best of all the
rest - sliced steak and sausages, a few bits of “other”, it’s simply packed with
sweet white corn, beans, and squash, and is offered in picante and non-picante
versions, the former using a fiery homemade chili oil, and with or without
cheese melted into the mix. Their empanadas are pretty outstanding as well, with
kudos going to the amusingly named “pikachu”- a caramelized onion and cheese
empanada that’s absolutely delicious.
With stews like this, you want to go either with a simple carafe of whatever the
house wine is, and just not worry about swirling and sipping - drink away and
don’t worry; or, a big, bold, spicy red. I’m quite fond of a relatively new
Syrah from Xumek, the 2004 of which shows off easy drinking flavors of
blackberries, black pepper, and a host of other spices. It’s inexpensive and a
great value. Easily my favorite Argentine Syrah is from Tempus Alba, a version
that reminds me of a good quality Rhône Valley Syrah with flavors of red plums,
smoke, and bacon fat. The 2003 is available right now and is drinking
beautifully. It’s a bit pricier, but still shouldn’t top more than 35 pesos in
stores and maybe 50 in restaurants.