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!
tom frost | 05-Jan-10 at 5:30 pm | Permalink
I have not tried all on your list. My current favorite medialuna is at Lucio at Scalabrini Ortiz y Guemes.
Second favorite is at Calcio at Federico Lacroze y 3 De Febrero.
Unfortunately neither are terribly consistent.
One of the keys to a good medialuna experience is to ask the waiter to warm them for you.
Thanks for the tips, will get out and do some tasting!
Daniel | 05-Jan-10 at 5:32 pm | Permalink
Thanks for the comment Tom! I have to say that medialuna tasting is quite a bit more difficult than wine tasting because you don’t spit.