The Pink Spoon TRAVELS!

Here I am in Mendoza, Argentina, in the middle of a malbec vineyard. I am officially a world eater! But that's getting ahead of myself.

There is so much to say about my last 10 days in Argentina eating, drinking, cooking, eating and drinking that I must start at the beginning and leave nothing out. Allow this post to be the introduction, as I won't be able to download any photos to accompany my posts until this coming Wednesday when my travel companion returns with our shared camera.

However, I did manage to capture a few shots of the first dinner we had at Resto, a little restaurant just north of our hotel we stayed, in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It's considered the French quarter of the city, and is just as charming as anything.

We began the B.A. dining scene after unintentionally filling ourselves on cheese and meats as an evening appetizer along with a glass of wine. So we walked about 20 blocks to Resto, where we had a 9pm reservation. As in Europe, dinner is eaten late, and we were still the early birds.

The menu offers three set dinners, each including a salad, main course, and a dessert. You are able to mix and match to your liking however. Each item looked fantastic, and my two lovely travel companions (Beth and Ginna) and I all agreed to order different plates and switch. Because we had eaten (unfortunately) too much prior, we weren't all able to eat a full three courses.

We enjoyed:

The Ensalada de Ranas -grilled frog legs served on watercress in a light vinaigrette and drizzled with a hazelnut pesto. They were as delicious as they sound, and perfectly cooked. There was a nice, subtle "grill" flavor that gave the meat a char characteristic I have not had on anything grilled before. Perhaps it's the Argentine grill pan/BBQ...who knows. Either way, it's delicious.

The Roasted Chicken Terrine-Beautifully served over watercress with Dijon mustard, roasted tomatoes and a light balsamic vinaigrette. Great flavor, especially the roasted tomatoes.

Pan Roasted White Salmon with olive tapenade, olive oil and lemon pesto, served over french green beans and peas. This was unbelievable. Every bite was balanced and the olive oil lemon pesto was perfect with the white fish, which isn't as fishy tasting as pink salmon.

Dessert was: Basil Mango & Lemon sorbet- Amazing texture and the fruit was excellent; the basil was not overpowering.

Earl Grey Ice Cream topped with fresh blueberries. Very different, not too sweet, but refreshing.






Truly, everything was delicious, and the presentations were lovely. The service was very attentive and friendly given our hacked spanish and many questions about what EVERYTHING was and how the chef did EVERYTHING. (We liked to write down notes so we could make things back in the states, after all...)

The highlight of the meal, however, was the bottle of Rose that was recommended by the sommelier. All three of us admitted to liking a good rose, but that good rose was hard to find or buy on a guess. So you can imagine our absolute delight at the Brumales Classico 2005 Malbec Rose, available at www.adagiowines.ar

It was balanced, dry, crisp with an outstanding finish. A wonderful start to a very delicious two weeks.


RESTO
Sociedad Central de Arquitectos
Montevideo 938
Tel: 4816-6771