Expensive Food

Eating out in Argentina is a fool’s game for the most part. Prices are extraordinary and dinner for two in a sit down restaurant is unlikely to be less than $60. We are tourists in US pensions do we could but as value for money goes it’s not worth it. Most Argentines can’t afford those prices and we’re lucky Layne likes to cook and we have the facilities on board.

We had dinner at the hotel the other night and at $18 each for steak and salad, an empanada to start and a mousse for dessert it was, by Argentine standards a bargain. The hotel’s own Malbec cost us $13. We ate at eight pm, the earliest seating and too early for Argentina so we had the place to ourselves. 

We indulged ourselves as middle class Americans might. On the road that morning we had another kind of meal when we stopped for a breakfast roadside of a one dollar sandwich and it was superb. 

A round very slightly sweet bun with three thick slices of the meat you see above, a kind of capocollo. Nothing else, no mayo lettuce or pickles. I had my tea so I didn’t even need coffee so it cost almost nothing ant one dollar  and powered me through some necessary shopping before lunch which was a blow out sit down affair. 

Seven courses with wineglasses to match. Layne found Zonda, a one Michelin star restaurant on Trip Advisor and it was a fascinating meal. Years ago we went to one of the top three restaurants in the world, Osteria Francescana in Modena on a trip to Italy and this place, half the cost with double the wine was more memorable to me. 

Rusty got his vineyard walk followed by a rest aboard as usual. I don’t much like taking him to dog friendly restaurants as to me it distracts from the good especially when other lesser trained dogs are present. He enjoys his rest and knows GANNET2 is his home. And besides this was not a dog friendly place obviously. 

Here too we took the first seating at 12:30 and at first we were alone. A short while later three loud American men sat next to us and had their own private business drama dusting their business lunch. Luckily they liked to smoke so they didn’t lots of time sitting on the patio fulminating about their business partners. Me? I’m a retired civil servant, no loose ends in my life. Other than losing my social security, half our income. 

Michelin quality mise en place above and one of the first wines we tried, a Chardonnay called “Sister Project” from a nearby winery owned by two… sisters. At $40 we passed on taking one home with us, though we did check. 

Let’s see if I can keep this lot in mind…crispy rice puff with cheese mousse inside, a tiny delicate tamale of sweet potato and carrot cream, and a melon and pear jelly. 

The best and weirdest course was white garlic soup with melon balls and melon sorbet. It sounds grotesque but I could have eaten just this and been happy. I’ve never been more surprised by such a bizarre pairing. 

Tomato paste inside an heirloom tomato with crisp tomato skin interesting but not strongly flavored. 

And they kept the wine flowing..

Blue cheese,  sweet pickled figs and pickled peaches with grilled flatbread. Layne asked about the source of the cheese and we ended up meeting him later. 

The sides for the main course, truffle butter for the bread, sweet potato squares, lightly caramelized (not enough in my opinion) onions and of course dress it yourself salad:

To accompany the grossly under cooked steak. Layne was about to ask for some extra cooking and apparently many diners do but I suggested we try it first. This was the other great revelation. It was delicate and tender and tasted perfectly cooked. Never in my life would I have believed it possible as I don’t like rare meat. I thought I didn’t at least. 

Roast potatoes in a spicy Peruvian aji sauce, and we were familiar with that yellow stuff served everywhere in Peru. Excellent. 

Followed by flank steak also more rare than I thought I liked but it was also properly rested. 

Dessert was a circular lotus root biscuit which tasted like shortbread and a quenelle of orange sorbet over a slightly tart lemon verbena sauce.  

And there’s always that little extra when you pay hundreds of dollars for lunch. Chocolate alfajores with caramel (dulce de leche) cream inside. Alfajores are a sort of cookie sandwich, think a thick soft oreo with cream or jam or paste in between: 

With coffee sweet enough no sugar or milk required. Refills are included! 

Two hours of self indulgence. We have been living so deeply under budget wild camping, eating at home and not driving much we could permit it. 

Back to austerity.