AnuvaBlog

Eventually after staying a in city long enough the question arises “Who has the best pizza?”

 

Hungry for the answer we gathered up a group of friends to go on a pizza tour. Av. Corrientes is famous for theaters, old cafes, book stores and pizza. Many of the city’s first and most famous pizzerias are tucked away in this bustling street.

 

We started in Micro center and worked our way past the Obelisk to 4 or 5 pizza joints.

In a traditional set up you can sit or stand. I prefer to belly up with a big slice and a cold beer. (Unfortunately the wine selections tend to be quite limited). During the weekdays you can see all the business men rush in for a quick bite, with plates pilled high of cheesy deliciousness.

 

1^st stop, Palacio de la Pizza. 751 Corrientes. I had been here before. The dough is thick…almost as thick as the cheese. I gave a high score, other members of the panel felt we could do better. I submitted only account on our poor beverage selection. Bruce the sommelier swears by the classic combination of Muscato and pie.  Taking his professional recommendation we committed to an entire bottle: 8 people, $15 pesos, 45 minutes lost attempting to down the sweet viscous fortified wine. 3 stars total (of 5).

 

2^nd Las Cuartetas, Corrientes 838. Had less selection of pizza by the slice than #1. Greasy crust, overly salty cheese and bad service left me leaving a lower score. The group had mixed reviews, in part because the pizza did have a thinner crust than Palacio. I think the ice cold Quilmes helped as well. 2.5 stars total

 

3^rd. Banchero, a classic in the city. Av Corrientes 1300.- I attempted to split a big slice of spinach and white sauce pizza which I liked a lot and wound up not sharing. Other in our posse went for traditional cheese and were not impressed. Once again cold icy beer. 2.5 stars total

 

4^th Guerrin Corrientes 1368- Now there is a reason why Guerrin makes every guide book. It is the best; great pie, great service and environment. We huddled in around the center island and worked to finish our final slices. Full and happy we gave Guerrin 4.5 stars.

 

We opted to quit while we were ahead.  #5 or Los Immortales- Corrientes 1369 is still on the list (and I hear it’s fantastic). Next time I plan to get my pizza to go or “ a llevar”. As a wine lover and a pizza lover I find the wine lists at each of these dinosaurs limited and I wind up getting beer, or in some unfortunate cases cheap Muscato.

 

But for me a good pie deserves a good bottle of wine. Pizza can be a difficult match; I tend to go by the toppings. A pizza with sausage or pepperoni goes great with a fuller body Malbec https://www.anuvawines.com/wine/malbec/naiara-malbec-2007/ or Sangiovese https://www.anuvawines.com/wine/sangiovese/callejon-del-crimen-sangiovese-2006/.  Another great combo is cheese, pineapple and ham (Hawaiian (sans tomato sauce!) with Torrontes.

 

If you visit Buenos Aires be sure to try the pizza. Keep in mind this city oozes Italian heritage and cellars some of the best wine in the world.

Pork bellies are not the most commonly eaten food in America. Mostly because we are not used to eating such a large quantity of fat–obvious fat–on our cuts of meat. We are trained to cut off the fat.

The luscious and aggressive tannins in the Cavagnaro Malbec, though, make it the perfect wine to go with such a fatty meat. The grease of the pork belly, coating your mouth with a succulent swine flavor, washes completely away with the tannin of this Malbec leaving  a slightly smokey aftertaste.

I personally had never been a fat of such fatty cuts of meat before trying this, but it certainly worked for me. I hope that you are all out there experimenting with new food and wine combinations and get lucky like I did. Learn by doing!