An all meat special….
La Nueva Esquina, Carlos Calvo 1999, San Cristobal – More from the “Bald Charlie” steakhouse series (if you have to ask, use the search feature on the blog and find out) – there are only two more left after this. Then I have to figure out what to do with them. Maybe a chapter in my next book? La Nueva Esquina is about as close to a hole-in-the-wall as you can get. It’s a dingy, corner spot, with seating for maybe 15 people at a handful of rickety tables. On the day I’m there, the room is split between a half dozen taxi drivers and a half dozen installation guys from Cablevision. The former spend most of the time I’m there in a voluble discussion over some futbol infraction ostensibly committed by a local team favorite – I never did catch which team it was. At points, tables are shoved, chairs are overturned, and red-faced screaming ensues, though no punches are ever thrown. Eventually the drivers leave and the rest of us get back to the food.
The menu is limited, a few basic cuts of meat off the grill, a sandwich or two, and the day’s special of meatballs in sauce with a side of mash. I ask for a chorizo to start. It’s beautifully grilled, almost to the point of the skin being crispy, and juicy inside. Maybe a little more fat content than I usually like in my chorizo, but really good. The house specialty is the tira de asado, a strip of crosscut beef ribs. For a mere 130 pesos I find myself confronted with a full rack of 12 ribs, once again grilled just right (and they even asked if I wanted them jugoso or bien cocido – rare or well done – they came out more like medium rare, but that’s just fine). Seasoned only with salt, cooked right, and a tasty, buttery mash on the side. And with a bottle of water, and tip, it barely topped $4. It may not be the best steakhouse around, but it’s certainly a deal!
The American Burger, Pres. Roberto M. Ortiz 1865, Recoleta – I’ve reviewed this place before for its burger, when they took over from the Recoleta branch of The Embers. First off, they now have a chef, and second off, they’re back to taking credit cards, so my two biggest negatives about the place have been fixed. I had figured they must have an American style fried chicken on the menu, and indeed they do. And you know what? It’s pretty excellent. It’s breaded in what I assume to be crushed cornflakes, and jalapeño chilies. It’s crunchy and spicy and cooked more or less perfectly. Three pieces – a leg, thigh, and breast, come with fries and coleslaw. The fries are a bit overcooked for my taste – all crunch and almost no soft middle. The coleslaw is more of shaved cabbage with a sort of basic vinaigrette, rather than something creamy. But it’s good. The chicken, I’d happily eat again anytime. It is a little pricey at 300 pesos, almost $9 with tip, and more with something to drink, but it’s well worth it. Recommended.
Rosa’s Delivery, Av. Saenz 481, Boedo – After I wrote my fried chicken special last month, I received a missive from a long time reader, Paola, with a bunch of suggestions for various things, including, what she offered, might be the best fried chicken in the city. She hadn’t tried it, but had met the husband of the couple who own the place – he’s from the U.S., she’s from here – and he asserted that no one does it better. So the place is primarily just a takeout and delivery counter. They do have three barstools off to one side, officially just for waiting for your order, but they’ve got napkins and cutlery and trays, so if you don’t have elsewhere to take the food, they’ll let you eat there.
They sell the fried chicken by the piece at 85 pesos/piece (leg, thigh, breast, or 2-wings), but they also offer a combo special of any two pieces plus a side (fries, mash, or salad), and a soft drink or mineral water – 175 pesos. The chicken is cooked nigh on perfectly. It’s juicy and flavorful on the inside – there’s a hint of salt all through the chicken that implies to me that they’ve brined it before breading and frying, probably for a decent length of time. The crust is delicate, but crispy, and well seasoned with salt and pepper. I don’t know that I’d call it the best American fried chicken in the city, but it’s certainly on the same playing field with NOLA and Chicken Bros. Highly recommended (and they deliver, though, fried chicken delivered is often not a good idea, it gets soggy).
Extrawurst Gastschänke, Trés Sargentos 427, Retiro – I don’t know if this space is simply cursed, or haunted, or what. In the time I’ve been in Buenos Aires it has been Lotus Thai, which was bailed out of bankruptcy by one of their clients, who took it over and created Empire Thai, which on its last legs was sold to one of the managers of the place, and became Kaffir Thai, which went under and was replaced by an English pub, Waterloo Bar, which barely lasted a year before gasping its last breath. Now it’s a new branch of Extrawurst, a small German sausage shop and restaurant in Constitución that I’ve not visited. One of the members of the Roving Ravenous Horde met the owner, gave a try to the original, liked it, and suggested we give the new spot a shot. It wasn’t quite one of our official outings as it got thrown together literally overnight, but hey, it worked out just as well.
Now, to be fair, it just opened Friday, November 2nd, and we visited on Tuesday, the 6th. They weren’t up and running at 100%, it was clear that the waitresses, also acting as bartenders, and the bar back, and even the owner, were really just trying to figure it all out. Service was, let’s say, less than attentive, nor informative, except when the owner himself had a moment to spare. I’m going to assume they’ll get that part straightened out in short order.
The fare is mostly sausages, with more than a dozen types available, along with a few other German specialties. With five of us at the table, we decided on their 3-4 person picada, a selection (house choice) of 14 sausages, plus coleslaw, sauerkraut, pasta salad, potato salad, and paprika coated fries, and also includes 3 pints of beer (1295 pesos, $36). It arrived in two waves, which was good, as the first wave clearly wasn’t going to be enough for all of us – and our waitress didn’t seem to know there was more coming – it was, about 15 minutes in, delivered by one of the cooks. We also ordered a pork wiener schnitzel, just to give it a try (240 pesos, $6.70).
So let’s say – all quite good – who doesn’t love a good sausage? We were maybe a little disappointed in the one chicken sausage, which was a bit dry, but it still had great flavor. I think our favorite around the table were the little pork and garlic ones. The schnitzel, good – we’ve had better, we’ve had worse. Nice selection of draft beers (90 pesos, $2.50, for a pint). Our companion who’d been to the original liked that one better – both for the space (this space is really dark inside), and the service (which hopefully will get fixed up quick). But then, we could have sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine with sausages and beer…. Recommended.
