On our last night in BA, Will and I left Samuel with a sitter at the
hotel (he was in heaven as he got pizza before we went out and was
gobbling up all the fresh fruit on the hotel platter delivered to our
room!) and headed around the corner in Recoleta to FERVOR Brasas de
Campo y Mar (Posadas 1519 y Callao - Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Tel: 4804-4944), easily one of the better dining spots around for meat
or fish as noted in the name. In South America, Campo refers to the
land outside town where the cattle are raised, Mar of course is sea.
Our big tummies decided to split a starter and take in one fish and
one meat course. We did not know that each portion was bigger than
anything Morton's could ever think of....OOPS!
We started with a delish bottle of LUIGI BOSCA 2008 MALBEC RISERVA
which is better than Bosca's regular Malbec, but not as good as the DV
Catena we had the previous night. It had a bit more spice, less oak
and finish. We thought this would work better with the fish, but not
necessarily with the meat, although the spice did do well in that
department.
A triple amuse arrived of Pulpo (octopus) tender and tasty, Mozzarella
with Sun Dried Tomato and Jamon. It was a nice treat and made us feel
special and a bit more formal. The spot is well appointed with a
mezzanine overhanging the large main room and utensil made chandeliers
that I loved! The breads were sublime as well as two salsas that came
with lemon and lime on the side for seasoning.
Our starter was Rueda de ACHURAS or Grilled Offal Platter. The menu
indicated it came with those yummy MOLLEJOs we had in Uruguay which we
now know are sweetbreads as well as (rinon) kidney and
(chinchulin)veal chitlings, which I have never had. The HUGE hot grill
plate came to the table sizzling and loaded with sweetbreads, kidneys,
hearts and sausage! While I can handle just about anything, I have to
say the chitlings (intestines) were rubbery and totally inedible. The
sweetbreads, kidneys, sausage, heart and all were divine.
We had ordered the 1/2 grilled parrillada de mar (seafood grill) and
our waiter came by and asked if we still wanted it as he began to
serve the other main course, the smallest portion on the menu of OJO
DE BIFE or RIBEYE Steak weighing in at 400grams or just under a pound
(for like $20--eat your heart out Smith & Wollensky!). We quickly
asked if we could cancel the seafood and he was most gracious. Any
other place might have taken advantage ans simply sent it all out
while we looked in awe knowing what fools we had been. He earned a big
tip and our thanks!
The meat was the best we had in Argentina, but still not a revelation.
We ordered it with the GRILLED VEGETABLES, a superb combinations of
mushrooms, Eggplant, Zucchini, Onion & Sweet Potato.
We waived dessert and enjoyed a delish cappuccino along with some
little dulce de leche cookies and others....another good move as we
headed off to our tango show. Luckily, we were just watching and not
dancing!
