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Red Hot Chilli Pepper

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

timeout0708spicy

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.

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Restaurants

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.

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Miranda, Moshi-Moshi, Wine Marketing, Rodas Colleción

Cuisine & Vins
August 2007, page 58

cuisine insider tips
Argentina for beginners

It may seem cliche, but let’s face it, younger travelers, e.g., those in their early 20s, are an under-appreciated market by most of the wine and restaurant world. It’s not that there’s not food and drink out there for them, nor that they’re not treated well, but that the focus of most of the hospitality industry’s public relations is aimed at either business travelers, retired travelers, or successful couples from their late 30s to early 50s. It’s just the way of the world, and a reality based look at where the money is.

It’s also, perhaps, that the younger generation, as a stereotype, tend towards a more limited palate when it comes to food and wine – burgers, pizza, and these days, sushi; and inexpensive wines that are fruity and easy to drink. That’s not to say there’s not a good sized group of “gen-x-ers” who aren’t out to try anything and everything, they’re just not the norm, and it’s one of the reasons they stand out.

There have been attempts in various places to market directly to this untapped market – the most famous, and unfortunately now passed on to other pastures, the magazine Wine-X. But the real spot to get to this market is, as might be intuitively sensed, the internet. The most common are blogs – and there are a lot of them when it comes to wine, and quite a few oriented towards the youth market. Almost every expat or traveling blogger in Buenos Aires writes at some point about the wines that they try, but there’s not a dedicated wine blog here, regardless of the age of its readers – a wide open market for someone who’s up for the task.

The newest use of the internet, however, is the world of videocasting, and for younger wine drinkers, the guru of that world is Gary Vaynerchuk and his Wine Library TV (tv.winelibrary.com), where he uses casual street slang, lots of energy, gadgets, and a “hey, I’m one of you” approach to educating younger consumers about just exactly what wine is all about. Having talked with some local wine experts here, his marketing skills are held up in awe, and I’d think it won’t be long before Argentina offers up its own version of this sort of online marketing.


These two reviews were left off the page, inadvertently, when an art editor left the bottom half of the page blank, and no one caught it.

Miranda
So, assuming you’re one of the folks I’m talking about, where do you go to find yourself surrounded by locals, or even expats, but those “in the know” when it comes to food and wine. First off, we know, part of the reason you’re here is the steak. But the last thing you want to do is go hang out at a smoke filled parrilla packed with families with screaming kids, guidebook toting tourists who haven’t quite figured out they’re not in a country where English is the primary language, or surrounded by couples who’ve been coming in and having the same meal at the same place for the last thirty years. You want hip, hot, and happening, and you want good steak and good wine. Not surprisingly, head yourself out to Palermo Hollywood, and grab a table at Miranda, Costa Rica 5602, where the music rocks, the decor is casual, modern industrial, the staff speak your language (no matter what your native tongue is), the portions are decent, and the prices are fair. You can eat at the bar and chat with your neighbors, grab a low couch in the lounge, or hit that table right up by the open kitchen and make friends with the guy cooking your steak.


Moshi-Moshi - sushi
Now, if you’re here for any length of time, we know you’re going to want your sushi fix. Buenos Aires isn’t known for its sushi – there’s plenty of it here, and it’s decent quality, if a bit heavy on combinations with cream cheese. But, it tends to be limited to salmon, and possibly salmon. Yes, you’ll get the occasional white fish, or a shrimp, or canned tuna, but there’s simply nowhere here offering the variety of sushi that folks from most other food capitals are used to. However, for a decent variety, and a room with a trendy vibe, good cocktails, an actual selection of sakes and wines, and service with just the right dose of attitude, head out to the new restaurant district in Las Cañitas and pop upstairs to Moshi-Moshi, Ortega y Gasset 1707. You’ll shell out a few extra pesos over what you might spend at most sushi bars in the city, but the quality, variety, and the chance to find yourself in a crowd of local twenty-somethings makes it worth every centavo.


RodasOn the wine front, one of the most common things I get asked, is how to learn the differences between different grapes. Beyond the old adage of just try, try, try, until you get it, which can cost a fortune, is the opportunity to find someone producing wines that are designed with just this in mind. Well known producer Bodegas Esmeralda produces a line of wines called Rodas Colección 12 – a dozen different individual varietals, white, pink, and red, made without oak aging, so they emphasize the pure flavors of the individual grapes. Best of the lot, their Petite Verdot, but they’re all a great way to educate your palate.


In October 2006, I started writing for this Spanish language magazine, covering their English language section for travellers. I wrote for them for about two years. The copy editor, apparently not fluent in English, used to put each paragraph in its own text box on a two column page, in what often seemed to be random order, making the thread of the column difficult to follow. I’ve restored the paragraphs to their original order.

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Mr. R

fredrogers“They felt so entitled,” he recalls, “and it just hit me. We can blame Mr. Rogers.”

doctorevilApparently, Fred Rogers was evil incarnate. According to the theory, no… make that the spoutings off of a finance professor named Don Chance, at Louisiana State University, it suddenly occured to him one day that the self centered-ness of the current college generation was symptomatic of the attitude instilled in them by growing up with Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, the amazingly long lived – 33 years of sheer boredom – show that told kids they were special just the way they were. Thankfully, I guess, I grew up on Bob Keeshan of Captain Kangaroo, who for 29 years of silly stories, hijinks, and cartoons, just simply entertained us. One can’t quite count Romper Room, as I was initially tempted to do, only to find out that not only over its 41 years did it have three different hostesses, Miss Nancy, Miss Sally, and, good golly, Miss Molly, but that was only on the national version – local stations were free to franchise the show and refilm their own versions with their own hostesses as long as they stuck to a reasonably similar format, which several did – including New York and Chicago.
This, by the way, is not to say there’s not some food for thought in the idea that kids today do seem to be a little bit too me-centric – but perhaps it’s a phenomenon more serious than making flippant remarks on camera?

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New and Improved

The dictionary is back, for those of you who’ve been asking – it’s finally been published in soft-cover version and is available. It is, as best I’ve been able to determine, the only dictionary of its kind – not just a short glossary or traveler’s guide, but a 5,000 entry dictionary that includes common dishes, alternate meanings (including advisories where words are sometimes used in non-food related contexts), and, to boot – a great piece of cover art from my friend and colleague Frank Rocca.

Order away, rate it highly, hey, give me a hand here! SaltShaker Spanish – English – Spanish Food & Wine Dictionary (Bilingual) (English and Spanish Edition)

dictionaryfirstedition

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El Sanjuanino, La Querencia, Syrah

Cuisine & Vins
June 2007, page 62

cuisine insider tips
Argentina for beginners

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.


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.


El Sanjuanino - locro
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.


La Querencia - locro
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.


La Cocina - locro
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.


xumek syahWith 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 tmb_2003 SyrahTempus TEMPUS _botellaSyrah 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.


In October 2006, I started writing for this Spanish language magazine, covering their English language section for travellers. I wrote for them for about two years. The copy editor, apparently not fluent in English, used to put each paragraph in its own text box on a two column page, in what often seemed to be random order, making the thread of the column difficult to follow. I’ve restored the paragraphs to their original order.

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Shoeless Joe’s Alamo, Big Mamma’s, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

Cuisine & Vins
May 2007, page 92

cuisine insider tips
Argentina for beginners

We know you came to the Gran Manzana for some slabs of beef, pizza, and the café culture. If you’d have wanted a bagel with a schmear, you’d have headed to the Big Apple. But then, some of you are from the latter, and believe me, bagels are amongst the topics that expats here talk about missing more than almost any other foodstuff. You might just find yourself wandering around and thinking – “please, not one more milanesa a la napolitana, just give me a deli sandwich…”.

So for those of you looking for a taste of home norteamericano style, we’ve searched out and sampled what Buenos Aires has to offer. Leaving aside the fast food joints, there are, of course, the reliable staple chain places, like the Hard Rock Café, TGIF’s, or even a new Hooters (where, according to friends who scoped the place out, the food isn’t bad but they missed the raison d’etre that it exists when hiring the staff).


Alamo - club sandwich
There’s the next step up that evolutionary chain as well – Kansas, which is a knockoff of the Houston’s chain (right down to menus that list “Houston’s Barbecue Ribs”), and Tucson, more of an Outback Steakhouse imposter (you can get a Bloomin’ Onion, should you desire) – both good in their own right, but I wanted something a little more specialized. The first spot is one that nearly every ex-patriot norteamericano male in Buenos Aires who is interested in the world of sports knows about. It’s a spot that when you walk into it, you could be in any bar in the East Village (or, come to think of it, the equivalent in any city in the U.S.)… Shoeless Joe’s Remember The Alamo, more commonly referred to here, as simply, Alamo, located at Uruguay 1175, in Recoleta. It’s the ur-bar – wood wainscotting, mirrors on the walls, a long bar, beer on tap, television screens showing football (not futbol), basketball, baseball, hockey, you name it, if it’s in season up north of the equator, it’s on display at Alamo – 24 hours a day. And, you can eat the food that goes with sports – a quite tasty hamburger, reasonably spicy buffalo wings, steak sandwiches, fries, onion rings, nachos, or for those with a bit more elegant taste in mind, club sandwiches, or even a steak or grilled chicken breast, and even a wine list that has some nice choices on it. Then, of course, just like any pub doing that “we’re not just your average bar” thing – they offer a couple of pastas and a couple of Thai dishes. Just to be different. Me? I’ll just take a platter of wings with extra hot sauce, a beer, and a Wolverine’s versus Buckeye’s game and enjoy the afternoon.


Big Mamma's bagel
You can find bagels in Buenos Aires at nearly any café. I mean, a bagel is just a bread roll shaped in the form of a ring, right? Not. We all know the disappointment of one after another spot that seems to think that if they get the shape right, more or less, that’s all it takes. We want the texture, we want… the chew. So, we head out to Belgrano, to Big Mamma’s, at Juramento 2156, where, while no re-creation of the Second Avenue Deli, we can get a bagel that could actually pass for the real thing in, say, Chelsea, if not the Lower East Side. We can get it with lox (okay, smoked salmon, but they’re in the ballpark) and cream cheese. We can get a pastrami sandwich on house-made rye bread, with all the works – deli mustard, cole slaw – they even went for the names – The Big Fresser’s Hot Pastrami on Rye, it makes your mouth water just to think about it. We can get chopped liver, liverwurst, chicken soup, borscht… It may not be quite like back home, but it’s at least a reminder. Now, let’s face it, all of the above places pretty much cry out for a mug of beer, frosty cold, and on tap. And, that’d be my choice at any of the above.


This section was cut from the published page to stick in an advertisement.

La Celica reserve Cabernet sauvignonAt the same time, I wanted to think about what sorts of wines would remind me of “back home”. The obvious choice would be something like Zinfandel, and there are one or two producers experimenting with the grape, but not with impressive results yet. While not unique, by any stretch, to the U.S., in fact, pretty much scattered all over the globe, I’d have to say that a really good, big, bold, Cabernet Sauvignon would have to go at the top of my list. chakana reserve cabernet sauvignonThere are some truly outstanding Cabernets available here. For a style that’s very elegant, structured, and with a wide depth and breadth of flavor – or as some might put it, layers – I’d have to opt for La Celia’s Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s barrique aged for one year, in French oak, and comes out supple and velvety. Harder to find, and worth seeking out, I think my true favorite is probably the Chakana Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. Bold, rich, and simply packed with intense flavors, it’s a delight to find it on a wine list here. Both of these are on the expensive side, but worth every centavo.


In October 2006, I started writing for this Spanish language magazine, covering their English language section for travellers. I wrote for them for about two years. The copy editor, apparently not fluent in English, used to put each paragraph in its own text box on a two column page, in what often seemed to be random order, making the thread of the column difficult to follow. I’ve restored the paragraphs to their original order.

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