Flotsam, jetsam, lagan, and derelict… the opening salvo of 2023’s Bite Marks, a bit of this, a bit of that, some of it washed up, some of it not. One man’s cast-offs are another’s treasures and pleasures. Perhaps seven spots are a little overdoing it, but I wanted to get this in before heading out on a week-long vacation to São Paulo.
Norte, Talcahuano 953, Retiro. This goes back to the beginning of December and my search for the best chori a la pomarola in or near town. Someone told me they had one here. They don’t, and never have, other than perhaps as a daily special some time in the past. But, my mouth already anticipating yummy sausages, I took the waiter’s recommendation (after he agreed that they ought to have a pomarola on the menu, because it’s the best thing ever to do with a chorizo) and got a couple of grilled ones with some mashed potatoes. Really good chorizos, perfectly cooked, and a mash that actually contained a decent amount of butter and was well seasoned. I don’t know why I haven’t gone to this place before – it’s popular with all sorts of folk I know – and fits in the whole checking out bodegones bent.
Pizza Data, Julián Álvarez 2489, Palermo. This one popped up because various people whom I pay attention to asserted that it was something new and different in the pizza world. The approach, pizzas, but not with the usual suspect toppings, instead, pizzas topped with other classic street food toppings. Many raved about the kebab pizza, with grilled lamb, and a citrus and herb green sauce. There’s a lot more going on than just that. It’s really good crust, slow fermented and flavorful. The kebab toppings are delicious, though I found the acidity of the citrus to be a little more prominent than I’d have liked. Data’s slogan is “It’s not pizza, it’s data”, which makes little sense, but at the same time, yeah, it’s not pizza. It was good, I finished it all, but honestly I’d have rathered have the kebab ingredients in a wrap than on a pizza. Still, the crust was good enough that I’ll probably order one of their more “normal” pizzas (they do offer at least a couple of the usual suspects like plain mozzarella and napolitana) somewhere down the line.
Gusto, Olazaábal 1679, Belgrano. In the heart of Chinatown, this is just a rebranding of Lucumma, which I first reviewed back in 2009 and then revisited a couple of years later. It was good, but not good enough to draw us back. Not knowing if it was an entirely new place or just a rename, I gave it a shot one day recently for lunch. The decor hasn’t changed, the walls still painted the color of lucumma fruit, and the menu seemed to be more or less the same, but then, it’s been over a decade. Talking to the waitress, she said it was really two things – they renamed the place, and brought in a new chef who revamped the menu to be more traditional, rather than fussy as it had been. I’m not sure, looking back at that earlier review, that I’d have called the food fussy, it was just not very generous in terms of portion size, compared to most casual Peruvian spots, and it leaned a bit bland.
Those have both been remedied. The leche de tigre was excellent, packed with flavor, and even reasonably picante, though I still stirred in a spoon or two of the fiery rocoto puree. And likewise, the anticuchos (compare this plate to the one in the original review!) come with three whopping skewers of flavorful beef heart, grilled perfectly. The accompanying papas a la huancaina were good, though the sauce was a little too toned down for me, again, remedied with a bit of rocoto splashed over the top.
Awfully quiet for a weekday lunch – no one else came in the entire time I was there. Service was friendly. I’d definitely go back.
Dashimaki, Ruperto Godoy 770, Floresta. I headed out one day recently to my favorite little alleyway in Koreatown 2, to find that much has changed over the last couple of years. Not surprising, I suppose. Barcode is gone and Maum which was down the block, has taken the large corner space, Chung appears to be gone and replaced by something called Bulmat, Azit Chicken is still there, but was closed – I think they now only open at night, and a few other changes. The only things open were Maum, a convenience store, and this place, a new sushi bar. Despite the name, it’s no relation to the Dashi chain of sushi bars in town, nor to La Causa Nikkei, the restaurant moniker on the chefs’ jackets – though they apparently used to work there. I don’t know, I think I’d take the logo of a former employer off my chef’s jacket when I went to work at a new, unrelated spot. Or get a new one.
Ordered up an onigiri filled with salmon. Really good, but huge. Double the thickness of the typical onigiri that I’ve ever had, but not backed up by extra filling, just more rice. And, a selection of nigiri, which specifies the ten pieces you’re going to get – two white fish, two salmon, two tataki (lightly torched, not specified what kind of fish), 1 octopus, 1 prawn, 1 soy marinated prawn, and 1 chef’s choice. Instead of a second tataki and the chef’s choice nigiri, I got two slices off a couple of rolls he was making for someone else, which is not just a bit of a cheat all around, but I wanted the nigiri, not a couple of cream cheese laden rolls. It was all good, but I keep thinking about those last two pieces….
Maum, Felipe Vallese 3135, Floresta. And, a return a few days later to check out the new digs for this spot, a long time favorite. It’s big, and like the old spot, multi-level. We found a table in a corner of the rooftop garden, in the shade with some fans, because it was a scorcher of a day. Service was overwhelmed, pretty much every table was taken and they could have used at least another 2-3 waiters to keep up with orders and food delivery, especially as the latter needs to be carted up from the ground level. We ordered a prawn kimbap to share, as good as always, though it would have been nice to have some soy sauce or something for dipping (something we’ve gotten on past visits to the old location) – but trying to get a waiter’s attention was futile. And, we both ordered the bibim naengmyeon, chilled buckwheat noodles, spicy style (with both gochujang and hot mustard), and grilled, barbecued pork on the side to mix in or alternate bites. Delicious! And great for a hot summer’s day, especially accompanied by one of their house lemonades (unsweetened, yay!) with your choice of different fruits mixed in – we got ours with pink grapefruit, fresh squeezed and some chopped segments.
Gontran Cherrier, Pres. Roberto M. Ortiz 1815, Recoleta. One of four branches recently opened of this Paris based patisserie chain. It’s new, it’s gleaming. The staff are friendly and welcoming. I feel a little sorry for them, they’re all carting around what look to be oversized childrens wifi tablets to place orders with. I went simple – a long time favorite “tart”, a pissaladiere, topped with caramelized onions, anchovies, and black olives. Quite good. Not as good as mine. Just an opinion.
Followed up with a paris brest pastry and some coffee. All the flavors were right, but I have the feeling that this wasn’t the freshest of the pastries on display (it was the last paris brest they had). The choux paste bun had sort of collapses and was dense and a bit gummy, and the pastry cream was dry on the surface and sort of chalky throughout. As a guess, at least a day or two old.
Still, I enjoyed, and being just a few blocks from home, I’ll be back.
D’Oro Italian Bar, Perú 159, Monserrat. Was headed elsewhere, a place that turned out to be closed for summer vacation weeks, and this was nearby and on my list, so, why not? Long and narrow, industrial chic, and, it appears, a bit of a tourist magnet. I think I was the only non-tourist in the place, even when it filled up over lunch. To the point where even though I was speaking Spanish to the staff, one of them kept replying in broken English. When I asked her why, she just turned red, around, and sort of ran away. Wasn’t my intent, but I both dislike it when someone assumes I’m a tourist and treats me like one, particularly in regard to conversation in a language I’m quite comfortable in.
There’s a lot of carbs in this meal. I probably wouldn’t have ordered the ‘nduja bruschetta if I’d have known I was going to get a basket with four different breads, two pieces of each, plus a small antipasto plate. I’d have just gone for the pasta directly. That said, the bruschetta was good, albeit not remotely as interesting as I’d hoped it might be.
And then, I waited. For an hour after I’d finished the bruschetta. It’s not like everything in the place was slow. Four different parties nearby, that came in after me had already gotten both appetizers and main courses, and were on dessert or leaving. I have the feeling they simply forgot the order, and when I asked my waiter, repeatedly, about it, he didn’t actually go back and check on it. I was actually at the point of just paying for what I’d eaten and walking out when one of the waiters came running up to the table with my plate. I considered sending it back, but I was hungry. And, to make it worse, the pasta wasn’t worth waiting for. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t all that good. The paccheri were undercooked (after that wait at least they should have been overcooked) and just barely warm. The gorgonzola sauce wasn’t thickened, it was just like a pool of flavored milk. The mushrooms were a nice mix of different ones and cooked well. Not a plate I’d order again.
Overall… meh.
Not bad this time around – all but one get a thumbs up!
