AnuvaBlog

In the interest of keeping the restaurant review theme going, I have a triplet of restaurants, all with the same theme and owners that I would like to recommend.These restaurants are NOT fine dining establishments. You will not find extensive wine lists, or cloth napkins, or waiters with bow ties.

What you will find is plentiful, delicious food for very little money.

Lourdes and I always get the “parrillada completa” when we go to one of these three restaurants. This is the traditional Argentine fair for meat: organ meats and many different kinds of steak and chicken in a quantity for 4 people for only 55 pesos! It also comes with fries! Now if you’re not into morcilla (blood sausage), or rinon (kidney), or molleja (sweet breads), then maybe the parrillada completa is not for you. But it’s an incredible value and I recommend trying it even if it does give you a little “asco” (grosses you out).

This is actually one of the only meat places in Argentina that has good vegetarian options that are not pasta. They have tamales (corn husks with meat or cheese inside), humitas (corn paste/polenta with cheese and corn inside), locro (traditional argentine stew), empanadas from Salta (with all sorts of different options for fillings), all cooked in a ceramic oven.

For wine here I recommend getting the house wine (vino de la casa) which is only about 15 pesos a bottle at the restaurant. They  do have some better bottles but they do not have wine glasses so in my opinion it’s better to enjoy vino on the cheap.

I recommend this for value as even with beer or wine you can get out of there for well under 50 pesos per person.

www.anuvawines.com

As far as we know, this has never been done: we at Anuva Wines applied the concept of a blind wine tasting to medialunas. For those who don’t know, medialunas (literally “half-moons”) are the Argentinian version of a croissant. Flaky, buttery, sweet and joyous. Well, usually…This side by side medialuna comparison was prompted by a visit to the ever popular and widely acclaimed Cafe Tortoni. While truly aesthetically gorgeous and historic, both the coffee and the medialunas at this establishment are extremely sub par. I ate there last week while meeting some people and the medialunas were dry, day-old and an effort to eat. If I hadn’t been hungry, I would have thrown them away.

Yesterday, however, to celebrate the new year, we had several friends over to sample medialunas from several of the cities top bakeries and cafes. Each medialuna was sampled without knowing where it came from and was judged on the following criteria: appearance, aroma, flavor and texture.

1. The winner by a nose was Maru Botana (www.marubotana.com). Although criticized by some for their “daring appearance”, Maru’s medialunas on the whole encompassed the desired qualities of the ideal medialuna: a nice golden brown color, flaky-crunchy outside crust, soft chewy interior, and a butteriness that would make even the French say “Oh la la.”

2. Just coming in second were the La Imprenta cafe. With the traditional moon shaped appearance, these lovely pastries stood out more for their sweet glaze and doughy interiors.

3. Still a close 3rd were the larger, Piegari medialunas with a commanding presence and lovely crunch corners. Not too buttery though.

4. Las Cortaderas were small but of good quality, texture and shape. The size in comparison to the others leaves one wondering, however.

5. In a distant 5th are the Bel Aria medialunas. Bel Aria is a chain bakery found in every neighborhood in the city and although I would never not eat a medialuna placed in front of me from them, after this tasting I will never seek them out again.Enjoy!

www.anuvawines.com

Thus begins a new series here on the Anuva Blog and that is reviews of the top restaurants (according to certain publications) in Buenos Aires. This came about from me noticing that nearly all of the visitors to Buenos Aires ended up going to the same restaurants: the one’s who spend a lot of money getting reviews in U.S. publications.

So Lourdes and I went to Cabana Las Lilas, an extremely well known steak house last night for dinner. It’s on the dikes in Puerto Madero, which is prestigious real estate, but the prices were extremely overboard. I am thinking about the fact that they have their own ranch where they breed their own cattle…

Now, we knew what we were getting into, but paying about 4 times (yes 4x) what we normally pay for the same meal of the same quality was breathtaking. And the place is packed!! I really don’t understand why.

We narrowed down the difference between our meal at Cabana Las Lila and what the exact same meal at our other favorite steak houses would have cost/consisted of. Here are the similarities and differences:

1. Similarity: the quality of the meat. Exactly the same. The meat you get at Cabana Las Lilas is no better than any other good steak house in Buenos Aires.

2. Similarity: the overall menu. Nearly the same. Save a few fish dishes, Cabana Las Lilas has nothing different on the menu.

3. Difference: the service. This was a notable quality. The service was impeccable. This cannot be denied. But does it justify paying 4x as much?

4. Difference: the breads/bread selection. Fantastic bread and bread selection. Bread costs about 1 peso per table. Again, a notable difference but one that does not justify the cost.

5. Difference: the wine menu. Extremely extensive. For a wine guy I found their wine menu to be one of the most impressive in the city comparable to any other restaurant. There are so many choices I doubt even the sommelier get’s tired of making suggestions.I want you all to know that this is just our personal opinion of this restaurant after having lived in Buenos Aires for over 5 years. See my other blog on where I recommend you eat steak in Buenos Aires.

www.anuvawines.com

Ok, so the food wasn’t great, but that’s not the reason we went. They kept my glass full of wine (something cheap but there was a lot)! And plenty of other drinks during the show.

In this 90 minute spectacle, it starts with a brief history of the Viejo Almacén (the “Corner Store”) that shows how the place actually used to be a corner store before it became a tango show.

Then several acts follow: first there is a singer with an accordion with a good voice, then 3 couples dancing traditional tango as opposed to more modern theatrical versions that would involve more lifts and jumps. There was a bit of modern dramatic tango worked in, as it makes for some variety.

The thing that really captured my attention and stood out was the venture into musica folklórica (loosely translated as folkloric music) which consists of miniature pipe organs, guitar and light drums. There was no dancing in this part, but it was very interesting to me to see this very prominent part of the history of Argentina displayed on stage.

El Viejo Almacén was named a Place of Cultural Interest in Argentina by the government, fyi.

The ratings: Here in this first of several tango show reviews to come we will use the following rating system…

Food/dinner: 7

Costumes: 6

Music/singing: 8.5

Dancing: 9

Total: 30.5 out of 40. Let’s see how this stacks up in the weeks to come.

www.anuvawines.com

Torrontés: the Next Malbec

                Since 2004 no other country has seen the meteoric rise in volume, value and market share figures that Argentina has in the import segment of fine wine to the U.S. Over the last two years while all other segments of imported wine are down in both value and volume—except for Argentina’s across the Andes rival—Argentina has seen value increase in 2008 by 26.6% (U$ 500m) and volume by 15.6% (18.1m 9L cases), and through 3Q 09 value is up 8.8% and volume 8.9%. (It’s important to note that over 50% of all wine sales in the U.S. are done in 4Q of any year due to the Holidays)

                The majority of the reason for this growth during a recessed world economy is due to the great value that is Malbec. But of recent, Argentina’s ace in the hole has been its little known white wine called Torrontés (pronounced tohr-own-TAYS).  Torrontés, a grape variety of Spanish origin has found a home in the arid high altitudes of Salta, La Rioja and San Juan. The dryness and altitude factors enable Torrontés to achieve its best expression while maintaining its acidity, something that it loses at lower altitudes and with too much rain. When achieving its fullest personality a Salteño (from Salta) Torrontés—widely considered to be the best region—such as one from Carinae Vinos, will have an exuberant nose of honeyed orange blossom, jasmine and citrus while the mouth remains dry and crisp with flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, apricot and tropical fruits. This Salteño version is contrasted only slightly by its Riojano (see Aguijón de Abeja) and San Juanino (see Serrera Torrontés) counterparts that exhibit more delicacy and elegance. All Torrontés pair extremely well with light pastas, fishes and salads. For specific pairings try a nice apricot or fig jam over triple cream brie; prosciutto wrapped honey dew or cantaloupe; or peach, raspberry or mango sorbet with lightly flavored biscotti.  

It is this humble author’s opinion that this unique flavor profile of Torrontés combined with the newness factor that will ultimately be responsible for its growth in the U.S. and world markets over the next decade. Compared with the overly ubiquitous (yes, I just used those two words together) Chardonnay that has led to an ABC (“Anything But Chardonnay”) philosophy amongst many an aficionado, slightly fatty Viognier or off-dry Gewurztraminer—the three varieties that Torrontés is most often likened to—Torrontés has the sweet floral nose of the latter two that Chard lacks, better acidity that Viognier, and is dryer and more food friendly than Gerwurztraminar while generally being a better bang for your buck than any of the three.  This flavor profile and price point translate to sales potential.

 In the first nine months of 2009, exports for this varietal have grown 42% in value and 40% in volume.  At Anuva’s own wine tastings in the U.S. and here in Buenos Aires our wines that most frequently get a “I’ve never tried anything like that” response is Torrontés. Interestingly, the next most likely wine to get a response like that is our Bonardas.

What is Bonarda? Where Malbec is peaking and Torrontés is on its way up, Bonarda is still completely off the map. Think a nice smokey-chocolate nose with hints of raisin and fig. In the mouth, juicy blueberries and hints of pepper with an aggressive mouthfeel. This is the varietal that most often gets “wows” from wine professionals at our wine tastings. It blows away the normal flavor profile of a deep colored, full bodied red. Mairena Bonarda has been one that gets great reviews from critics and neophytes alike. Look for Bonarda to start selling well in the next 2-3 years.  

Upon returning to Buenos Aires, I am always shocked as to the difference in the quality of the dairy products here vs. the United States. For lack of a better term, I shall call this the “creaminess factor”. The problem, though, is that this does not accurately sum up the difference in flavor and quality between milk, yogurt, cheese (not variety… quality), and ice cream in Argentina vs. the U.S. I had my first cup of coffee with a splash of milk yesterday and there is richness and fullness to the flavor that is unmistakable. It’s the same type of quality that you get in Europe.

And this of course translates to ice cream.

I would argue that Argentina has the best ice cream in the world. First, because of the quality of the cream. Mostly free range cows who make better milk followed by the fact that that milk goes through less processing. The only other country that comes close is Italy, but they use egg yolk in their gelatto so it is not a fair comparison.

The best places to go get ice cream in Buenos Aires are:

1. Persicco. What a wondrous and jovial place! What great uniforms! Oh my God, dulce de leche con brownie, mascarpone con frutos del bosque, bacciola, chocolate amargo!! That first flavor is dulce de leche ice cream with real artesenal dulce de leche mixed in with big chunks of chewy brownie. Give me my insulin shot now!

The second flavor is akin to strawberry cheesecake but 10x better. It has the hints of the flavor of mascarpone cheese with a rich raspberry/blackberry swirl mixed in.

Bacciola is basically Nutella flavored ice cream with chunks of hazelnut. Chocolate amargo is dark chocolate, but the richest most chocolately dark chocolate you’ve ever had.

2. Freddo. All over the place and with as much selection as Persicco, just a little more expensive.

3. Cremolatti. What you can be happy about here is the Mantecol flavored ice cream. Mantecol is a sort of brittle, peanut buttery candy bar here in Argentina that they have turned into an ice cream. Jump on the treadmill first.

4. Heladería Venezia. Located in Palermo just off of Av. Santa Fe on the 4500 block of calle Berutti, this is one of the only places where you can actually see the process of making ice cream. They have 3 small vats in the back where they put their creams, flavors and sugars to make you some of the most joyous chilly mouthfuls you have ever experienced.

5. Cabaña Tuyu. These guys have a flavor called Banadita Dolca. This is also a candy that is native to Argentina (discovered by the Mapuche?? :)) that is basically a banana nougat  covered in chocolate. Tuyu has converted this into a concentrated banana/chocolate ice cream that I used to order weekly (read: daily).

Que disfruten!

www.anuvawines.com

What I want to know is why doesn’t Cavagnaro Reserve Malbec 2004 have about 99 points from Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, Steven Tanzer and the rest.

It is hands down one of the top Malbecs made in Argentina yet no one knows about it.We opened a bottle for a tasting 3 days ago and decided to finish the bottle tonight. What lusciousness and wonder! It’s like a carnivorous, smoke filled, overripe black cherry with the richness of a cheesecake and an aroma of a country kitchen where pies are being baked.

Put that with a rich pork tenderloin (especially when it’s from Argentina) and some baked sweet potatoes on oil and my welcome party back to Buenos Aires was a hit. For my palate at least.

www.anuvawines.com

Just thought I would plug us for a little bit: http://alternativelatininvestor.com/wine2.phpYay!

http://austin10.cityspur.com/2009/10/28/global-cost-of-living-ranking-1-april-2009/

That link there shows you the top 300 or so cities in the world in descending order from most expensive. Buenos Aires comes in at number 252 on the list meaning that it is incredibly cheap to live here.

The irony, however, is that although rent, transportation and food are quite inexpensive when compared to the rest of the world, clothing, electronics, “exotic foods” (like sushi) and actually wine as well are all as expensive or more so than the United States.

Just look at prices for the ipod: twice as expensive in Argentina vs. the U.S.

Look at Levi’s, Old Navy or other “normal” brand clothing: also twice as expensive in Argentina.

Look at Alamos wines (from Catena) or Norton, Trapiche, Las Perdices, Mairena, or Mevi: all of these wines are comparitively 3 times as expensive in Argentina as in the U.S.Why is this? Well, in the case of electronics and clothing it is due to extremely high import duties as well as increased shipping costs. Don’t be fooled though, it is the import duties that account for 99% of the difference where shipping only accounts for maybe 1%.

So why is domestically produced wine (the only wine in Argentina) so much more expensive in Argentina than in the U.S. Keep in mind that I am comparing the same brands. There are many brands that exist in Argentina that you can get for less than a dollar. But none of those are sold in the U.S.

The reasons, according to my friends in wine circles, that wine in Argentina costs the same if not more in Argentina than in the U.S. comes down to three things: greed, import duties, and value added tax. Again, don’t be fooled, it is greed that accounts for 90% of this equation. But not just on the part of the wineries and distributors: greed of the government. A 21% V.A.T. is added to all goods. And in Argentina it’s added 3 times: once when the winery sells to a distributor, once when the distributor sells to the retailer, and once when the retailer sells to the public. This accounts for a 77% increase in the price of the wine due to taxes.

But that’s not all. Why is it that you cannot find any imported wine in Argentina? Literally I can count on my hand the number of restaurants and wine shops that offer something from outside Argentina. And I’m including Chile, which is their next door neighbor. A huge import duty (50% at times) exist on all imported wine as a protectionist measure. Could you imagine what wine would cost in Argentina if this duty was reduced to say 5%? The market would become much more competitive and local producers would have to reduce prices to compete. Right now that huge import duty allows them to inflate prices without consequences.

It’s high time that Anuva Wines start recommending some wineries to visit in Mendoza, since this is a request we get a lot. Keep in mind that there are around 800 wineries in Mendoza in the 4 main regions of Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, Valle de Uco and San Rafael. Many large ones are very commercial, touristy and museum-like with fancy restaurants and artwork. This list here represents our favorites, in no particular order, and spans the range of quaint, small and family to large, commercial, Disneyland-for-wine type establishments.

1. Carinae Vinos. Owned by Philippe and Brigitte Subra, a lovely couple from France, this boutique winery has lovely vines, a nice little tasting room and plenty of personality. Great if you want to get to know the owners and winery personally. They also have fantastic Torrontés and a high end blend called Prestige which Michael Rolland consults on.

2. Carmello Patti. What a character. Will talk your ear off and let you taste whatever you want. Best Cabernet-Sauvignon in Argentina and widely distributed in the U.S.

3. Andeluna Cellars. Absolutely gorgeous grounds and tasting room with intricately carved tables and chairs. Great Reserve Chardonnay.

4. Salentein. Here is a museum (literally) in Mendoza with a gorgeous restaurant with a view of vines and the Andes. Their tour is also beautiful with their vast array of barrels and ins and outs.

5. Weinart. This is a non-traditional choice but I put it on here because of the history of the cellar. It is one of the only wineries in Mendoza that has oak casks (of 2500L up to 10,000L!!) that they are actually still using and experimenting with. They also have vintages of Malbec back into the 60s and 70s so if you happen to run into Peter Weinart, make him an offer and maybe he’ll let you have a bottle.

www.anuvawines.com