Let me state for the record that I am not the world's biggest fan of seafood. For instance, sure, I like sushi. I like tuna, yellowtail, and maybe a little unagi if I'm gettin' crazy. No roe, no eyeballs, no dishes that are still breathing. I avoid most shellfish (raw oysters? ick!) and get the hankering for a nice cooked piece of fish about once every month or two.
So when our friends first offered to take us to a Peruvian restaurant here in Buenos Aires, I was skeptical. After all, ceviche -- essentially raw fish -- is the big Peruvian thing. Ick. Ew. Yuck. And so on. But I decided to be a good sport and go along with things.
In an unexpected twist, I have now become a total ceviche junkie. And I can only blame a little cash-only restaurant in a Buenos Aires back alley with the unmemorable and nearly unpronouceable name of Primavera Trujillana. To get there, take a cab to "Libertador y Monroe, en Belgrano." Then get out and walk the rest of the way. Trust me, if you try to get a cabbie to take you to the exact address he will get lost. (Please do this around 8PM, no later than 9:30PM, or you will wait and wait for a table at this restaurant which does not take reservations. You may even hear, as we did one night not too long ago, the dreaded words: "No mas ceviche.") Look for this unassuming pink restaurant on Roosevelt street.
Once inside, order pisco sours (which combine a liquor called pisco, foamy egg whites, and lime into something that is very margarita-ish but better) and enjoy them with this strange and complimentary little snack that is to corn nuts what popcorn is to corn kernels. Be careful with the sauce, it's insanely spicy (rare in Argentina).
Then order the ceviche mixto (which includes stuff like shrimp and octopus) or just the plain old ceviche. They are both tangy, lemon-y platters of extremely fresh and wonderful raw-ish fish. Please note that ceviche is not a food item the deliciousness of which is easily captured on film.
You might also like to try this mixed fried seafood platter. Jay (the seafood maniac of the family) swears that it's the best fried seafood he's ever had, although I am so bedazzled by ceviche that I can't be bothered.
Time for la cuenta? Here it is.
We are happy. We do not want to leave.
The second we walk out the door, we already want more.
(Primavera Trujillana is located at Roosevelt 1627 in Belgrano, a couple blocks away from Libertador y Monroe.)
It's 9 a.m. and this post makes me want some ceviche right now!
Posted by: Jeanne Johngren | January 06, 2009 at 05:56 AM