Vineria de Gualterio isn't just a restaurant, it's an experience. There are only a handful of tables in this tiny restaurant in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and only one thing you can order (a 9-course tasting menu for 130 pesos). Dinner starts between 9 and 10pm and lasts 3 hours; your service is more personalized if you show up earlier before it gets crowded. The small size makes it feel like your really awesome chef friend is cooking dinner just for you and a few other friends.
Here are the 9 courses we had:
Course 1: Various appetizers
These came with strict instructions to eat them from left to right, with one bite each. The first was a cracker sort of thing filled with a hot gravy. The second was a crunchy ball filled with melted hot cheese. The third was an apple slice with caramel slabs poked into it. The fourth was a tomato "ravioli". The fifth was foie gras. They were really fun to eat.
Course 2: Salad with 30 items
This salad was delicious if somewhat bitter (due to the dressing), with 30-odd different cooked and raw things in it including flowers. Quite large and nutritious.
Course 3: 50-minute egg
This was a perfectly soft-boiled egg but it was cooked for nearly an hour at a very low temperature. Served with a cheese foam and lamb broth. Heaven, heaven, heaven.
Course 4: Surf and turf.
Okay, they called it the more elegant "mar y montana". Whatever you call it, it was delicious. Tiny scallops that packed as much flavor as larger ones typically do, plus perfectly-cooked lamb. This, along with the egg, was the highlight for me.
Course 5: Octopus
This was the only one that I didn't love. Chewy octopus with tomato foam on top. At least I tried it. Jay finished it.
Course 6: Salmon in broth
The salmon was cooked so as to be raw in the middle (like sushi) and seared on the outside; it was delicious. The broth was also good if a little mild. I was very excited that I guessed its ingredients correctly based on the waiter's hint of "A fruit, a root and a vegetable" (melon, celery and ginger).
Course 7: Suckling pig with warm peaches
This, I believe, is an example of the chef customizing a dish for us based on the fact that I don't like mushrooms, as other tables had a big pile of mushrooms on this plate. Not us. (He asked us at the beginning of the meal if there were things we were allergic to, or wouldn't eat for various reasons.) The pig was perfectly cooked and the peaches delish.
Course 8: Beef with french fries
This was a really fun dish, especially given that "bife con papas fritas" is a staple of most Argentine restaurants. The beef did not seem like the best cut of meat, but was cooked nicely. It had a chimichurri foam on top, which is the most delicious way I've ever had that flavor (also typical here, but usually a little salsa you put on your meat). The "french fries" were a potato foam in a potato chip cup, also very fun. Unfortunately by this time I was too full to really enjoy the dish!
Course 9: Dessert
This had another foam, this time of goat cheese. Plus a chocolate mousse and a sort of biscotti-tasting soft cake. Plus various things like nuts and caramel to mix in.
We also had the "wine flight," where the waiter brought us a glass of wine paired to each course. That ended up more than doubling our bill (eek). Our final tally was 600 pesos, or $200 US. Not cheap but definitely worth it for the experience. If you go, be sure to make reservations in advance because of the size, and don't dress up too much (e.g. jeans and nice shirt is fine).
(Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar is located at Bolivar 865, between Independencia and Estados Unidos.)
Comments