After settling in to our apartment we checked out several beer places and landed on Wesley Brewery as they had a good variety of options. I got the Belgian Strong Ale and Eric had the Scottish. We also split a provoleta, a melted cheese appetizer that was like a DIY pizza without the tomato sauce – Eric appreciated the copious amount of oregano! Service was a bit spotty but friendly when you did get someone’s attention. The temperature was pleasant so we sat outside in the courtyard.
After dinner we walked to a wine shop, Patagonia Wine Store, looking for a bottle of white or rosé for Eric. After discussing some options, we landed on the Uno from Antigal Winery for about $12USD, which we enjoyed back at the room while planning our day for tomorrow.
After our Circuito Chico drive, we wanted to grab a snack before our later fancy dinner and Belek fit the bill. Eric got the APA (fine, not memorable) and I got the milkstout (a bit sweet but smooth). The available empanadas were chorizo beef and lamb. They had good flavor and texture but were quite greasy – messy to eat with only a knife and napkins provided. We noted that the wifi here was 10x faster than at our nearby apartment!
The most recommended place on our trip, Änima only takes reservations via Whatsapp and you have to preorder your meal ahead of time from a set menu – choosing 3, 4, or 5 courses. We were on the books several weeks prior for a three-course meal ($70K) each and communication was fine.
However, the arrival experience did not set a good tone for the rest of the evening. We arrived a few minutes early for a 7:45pm reservation to an empty restaurant. The waiter seemed confused when we gave him our name and then disappeared for a few minutes to the kitchen. We spotted 2 two-person tables set up by windows, but we were told we could either sit at the bar or at a table of four in a corner by the bathroom AND we would need to leave by 9:30pm. Since you can only dine here via reservation, I did not expect this level of disorganization.
Our waiter seemed flustered, and when our first wine choice was unavailable the recommendation was $5k more and not that great. At this point we started to worry about the remainder of the meal. Several groups arrived within 15 minutes and it got quite loud inside. Courses came out with little explanation and we didn’t see our original waiter again after the aperitivo. Additionally, no one asked us about after-dinner drink either before or after dessert, a first at a ‘fancy’ restaurant. We presume this was because they needed the table back? We took a Cabify/Uber ride there and back so all it was ~$215 USD. Our fanciest dinner of the trip and, ultimately, quite underwhelming.
Overall the food was good but we couldn’t shake the feeling that this place is overrated and not worth the expense.
My three courses were a starter + app + main: pork rilette, trout omelette, and squid gnocchi. The pork was a mix between a pate and rillette, I liked the roasted hazelnuts on top but the brown thin crackers were meh.
The trout omelette was very good. Lovely smoked flavor and tender egg.
My squid was good as well, including a crispy element that added nice texture and the round gnocchi were tender.
Eric’s three courses were an app + main + dessert: coco mallorquina, cannelloni with chicken, chocolate Parmesan pie. The coco mallorquina was good – crust was like a crunchy croissant, and topping was nice.
The cannelloni was fine – rich, a little sweet, but ultimately not memorable.
The chocolate parmesan tart had a rich chocolate interior and a parmesan crust. He liked it but wouldn’t necessarily get it again. I thought the ice cream it came with was too salty.
On our last night, we opted for take out empanadas and wine back at our place. On the way to Oveja Negro Centro, I spotted a similarly named place that was much closer to our apartment. Eric did a quick check of the menu and it’s another branch that wasn’t in google maps yet! We placed our order, two jamon & quesos and a bacon, dried plum and cheese for Eric and a mix of three specialty ones for me: flank steak and provolone, grilled sausage and provolone, and black sausage, roquefort, apple and walnut. Baked fresh, they were still hot when we got back to the apartment!
We enjoyed them with a bottle of Mumm Brut we had picked up two days prior (and liked better than the extra brut). Sat outside for a while on the patio, then packed up our suitcases for an early morning departure.