Asparagus Cheesecake or Olive Ice Cream, Anyone?
As my husband and I eat our way across South America, I’ve been working on my food photography skills so that my meals don’t come out all looking like dog food in pictures.
And this is the best way I know how to remember how well I’ve eaten these past 12 days. I’ve gotten progressively better as the trip has bore on, and to prove it I’d share these delectables from last night, during a meal at a restaurant called Azafrán, almacén de exquisiteces y vinos (“store of delicacies and wines”), in Mendoza, Argentina.
It was one of the most inventive menus I’ve ever come across — asparagus cheesecake or olive ice cream, anyone? — and some of the most beautifully presented food to boot. And if you’re in the midst of planning your next vacation, foodies can take heart that Argentina will feed you very well at a fraction of the cost of what such exquisite meals would cost you in other cities.
The cheese board was the house specialty, a selection of cured meats and cheeses featuring soppressata sausage, sheets of prosciutto wrapped like a down comforter around locally grown olives, a dense salami, thinly sliced pancetta, and smoked salmon next to sheep’s milk Camembert, double cream brie, and a smoky slab of Gouda. We ordered the portion for one and it nearly knocked out our appetites — Argentines really like their meat and dairy, and we can’t keep up.
We’ve been eating nonstop steak since we arrived in Argentina a week ago so last night we decided to give other meats a chance to wind up on our plates. My husand went with two generous cuts of roasted lamb in a tangy blueberry sauce, accompanied by mushrooms and onions stuffed in a puff pastry. My dish came highly recommended by our waiter: wedges of rare tuna and grilled shrimp over a tower of sushi rice and grilled scallions, topped with a soy sauce reduction.
We washed it down with a local Sauvignon Blanc and a lager from the nearby Jerome brewery. Unfortunately, the overwhelming portions came at the expense of our desire for dessert, so we’ll have to save the asparagus cheesecake for our return visit.
Every dish was surprisingly and delightful, but the most pleasant surprise might have been the bill: dinner and drinks for two at one of the best restaurants in town for 210 pesos, or $55. We have two dinners left to plan in Mendoza, but I’m not sure how they could possibly compete with our experience at Azafrán.
Azafrán Restaurante
Sarmiento 765
Mendoza
Argentina
(0)261 429 4200
Web site
Mains 45 to 60 pesos ($11 to $16)
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By MJ Prest
MJ Prest is the editor-in-chief of EthicalStyle.com, an online magazine that covers ethical issues in fashion. She taught herself how to cook properly after eating spaghetti and frozen meatballs for a year after graduating from Williams College, and her grocery bills have never quite recovered. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is perpetually amazed by the produce selection.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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SuperSonic
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