cia – Page 65 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Where to eat in Buenos Aires, Argentina: La Cabrera

The mostly American crowd waiting outside made me question the reviews I read before coming, but it was our last night together with G. and he really wanted to share our last meal at La Cabrera. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; I was just wondering where the locals were. It was a warm but cool night. Even when some people in the crowd got demanding–we witnessed someone hand a AR$20 bill–the maitre d’ kept her cool and distributed cold glasses of champagne and small bites of hot sausages to everyone waiting outside. We jumped off our seats when, an hour and a half later, she called the Dr.’s name. We were still seated before the $20-guy and his pouting girlfriend.

Fellow German tourists said it best when we talked about the food we’ve been eating in Argentina: There are two flavors in this country: dulce de leche and unsalted beef. Because the country is considered to have the best beef in the world, no seasoning is ever added to all the cuts you order. This is, of course, okay if the beef is not overcooked; but the problem in a country of parillas, or grills, is that the meat hangs and cooks by the fire for hours at a time, resulting in the driest and blandest meat I’ve also tasted in my life. When the meat comes out this way, I need all the salt I can get.

At La Cabrera, they’re smart enough to cater to the particular tourist who might like their meat medium-rare even if it’s not the traditional way of cooking in Argentina. We ordered a medium-rare cut of rib-eye steak and it came out, well, perfectly. We knew not to order two steaks for the three of us, but we did order the sausage to complete our meal. An array of gravy and sauces came with our order and our waiter was nice enough to let us know we wouldn’t be needing any more food.

The service is brisk because they are very busy, but our waiter was attentive enough to take group photos for the table behind us and entertain my request to get a copy of the pig diagram hanging on the wall. (His answer? No, it’s not for sale.)

Anyone who has researched places to eat in Buenos Aires has surely come across La Cabrera. It’s highly reputed and it is indeed the place where I got the perfect steak in Argentina–and that was after two weeks of eating a lot of beef.

La Cabrera is on Cabrera 5099 in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood. There is another one across the big street next to Casa Blanca. Look for the crowd waiting outside at both places.

Market Table

54 Carmine Street on the corner of Bedford
212/255.2100
$90 each for a group of three, with a bottle of wine, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

Is it too early to name my favorite restaurant of 2009? Last year, I ate at Dovetail the day after Christmas (and a week after its official opening) and it set the bar for my 2008 dining. If Market Table set the tone for the year last Friday, then the bar is pretty high for me right now.

Four of us giggling girls were ten minutes late for our round table at Market Table. I got a call from the maitre d’ while we were turning the corner on Bedford. I hate being late most of all, so I ran ahead of my friends to apologize to the front of the restaurant. It’s in the old Shopsin’s space with large glass windows facing the corners of Carmine and Bedford, but it’s warm and welcoming as you step inside. The maitre d’ shrugged off our tardiness while our waiter treated us as if we’ve been coming to the restaurant for the last few months.

Market Table opened first with a store, but the demand for more tables was high so they went full force with just the restaurant. Former Mermaid Inn chef Mikey Price joined forces with Little Owlâ€™s Joey Campanaro and Gabriel Stulman to open a larger space in the West Village with a menu that’s hearty and, to be honest, hard to fuck up. At Market Table, the kitchen showed how simple food can be so good if you just execute well.

The beef carpaccio was served with an egg salad, shaved Parmesan cheese, capers and croutons. The thin slices of beef were so fresh, they melted in our mouths. If one of us didn’t like the idea of raw beef, I didn’t have to convince her to try them. The seared scallops were sweet and succulent and lightly charred to perfectly meld with the slices of bitter blood orange and tangy hearts of palm. The hamachi sashimi with the limey vinaigrette was the first one to go; the hazelnuts gave it texture and the apple some crunch.

I can’t give the grilled lamb T-bones justice here. You should just go and order them medium-rare and taste for yourself. Why can’t every lamb I order be as good as this? They were the most expensive item on the menu at $32, but each serving comes with two large chunks good to share between two. Of course, the three of us got our own. The watercress and sunchoke salad that came with it made it extra special, drizzled with red wine reduction and melted Gouda cheese. The pork tenderloin was so moist and naturally sweet with pancetta wrapped around it. The small roasted tomatoes and banana fingerlings made it more exciting than just plain potatoes.

The desserts were the weakest during our visit. The brownie wasn’t the moist type we all were panning for while the butterscotch pudding wasn’t the favorite. I think we were all looking for something more dense and cake-y. (I can only imagine how heavenly it would be if the Dovetail pastry chef swooped in at Market Table.) But if a casual get-together ends with a high-end dining experience, give me a cup of mint tea and I’ll call it a very good night.

Roasted Beets with Poached Egg Salad

I miss my routine of going to work, heading to the gym after and then meeting up with friends for food and drinks before the night ends, but I can’t say it has been all bad while I’ve been unemployed. Sure my savings account is dwindling, but I’ve also started to cherish the days when I can catch up with reruns of Bizaare Food, The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Bachelor. The best days have been those quiet afternoons where I can make myself a meal and then head over to a museum and enjoy the space without the crowd. This is one of the meals I made myself last week.

You can roast the beets a day or two ahead. After peeling, transfer the whole beets in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to use. Poaching the egg is the most challenging but really easy. Once you try it, I swear you’ll add a poached egg to every salad you make.

Ingredients:
2 red beets and 2 golden beets, tops cut off
1 endive, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 leaves of green lettuce, chiffonade
1 egg
1/4 cup of vinegar
oil, salt, pepper

1. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 1 hour or until you can prick each beet with a fork without too much effort. Remove from the oven and set aside. When cool enough to handle, peel using a paring knife or a peeler and then chop in small wedges.
2. Poach the egg when ready to assemble the salad. Fill a deep skillet with 2 cups of water. Add vinegar and a pinch of salt and place over high heat. Crack egg into small shallow bowl. When water boils, reduce heat to a rolling boil and gently pour in the egg. Cook until whites are firmly set. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Keep it on the slotted spoon until ready to serve.
3. Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine all vegetables with roasted beets. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well-combined. Serve salad on a plate with poached egg by carefully placing it on top.

Turkey Leg and Wine Stew

How to get rid of one of the most awful wines I’ve received as a gift? Okay, to be fair, it was from one of those exchange gift things last Christmas when no one really knew who’s getting which. But two bottles of wine seemed like a good deal to me, so I picked them up and never let go until everyone had claimed one of their own. Unfortunately, it was like drinking liquid jam. One sip later, I knew the rest was going to be used for cooking.

At Fairway, I found a large turkey leg for $3.50. I never really deal with turkey unless it’s November, but I couldn’t really spend any more than what the bad wine was worth. I picked up one package and had the butcher chop it in three smaller pieces. I threw in a pound of green beans, also on sale for $1.99, and the remaining bacon from the fridge. Talk about cooking for less, but good. Top this with a fried egg and you’re good to go.

Ingredients:
1 turkey leg, chopped in thirds
1 pound green beans, stringed, chopped in half
2 cups of wine
2 slices of bacon, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red onion, chopped
2 tbsps hot paprika
half a bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
oil, salt, pepper

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon to render some fat. Remove browned bacon and set aside. Using the rendered fat, brown turkey legs, about 5 minutes each side. Remove from pot and set aside.
2. In the same pot, add some extra oil. Sauté garlic until light brown and onions until soft. Add green beans with paprika and toss to cook for about 5 minutes. Add back bacon and turkey leg pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of water to the pot and continue to simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Toss in parsley, mix to combine well, and turn off the heat and serve.

Related post/s:
I cook more duck than turkey
I really do

Vinegar Hill House

72 Hudson Avenue between Front and Water Streets, near DUMBO Brooklyn
718/522.1018
$40 each for a group of 5, with drinks and tip
♥ ♥

If you’re tired of the lumberjack look because you’ve seen enough of the same style at Freemans, Hearth and even the J. Crew Men’s Shop in TriBeCa, you’re better off going elsewhere. If you like plaid shirts and facial hair, plus a more accommodating service than any of those hipster places in Manhattan, Vinegar Hill House is just your place. (The couple who owns the restaurant met on the job at Freemans.) In a week’s time between my two visits, the vibe in Vinegar Hill House changed dramatically: it was the booze. The restaurant was a little more somber and comforting before they got their liquor license, but now with the hot toddies going around, the buzz is louder and, well, more intoxicating.

A lot has been said about the chicken at Vinegar Hill House and all the good things about it are true: it’s moist and liberally seasoned. But it is still just chicken, and at $16, it should be moist and well-seasoned. The Brussels sprouts were softer during my second visit and I wondered if they were baked that time around instead of roasted. The delicate squares of ravioli were just that, and the pork and trout dishes were without frills. All together, they made a nice meal even if everything is streamlined and very simple, capped with a slice of not-so-Guinness chocolate cake.

I do like a little adventure on my menu and nothing gets me more excited than something out of the box when it comes to classic dishes. I know Jean Adamson is a capable chef, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she brings out the guns as more and more seasonal ingredients come out in the spring. Perhaps it’s to keep Manhattanites away; and in this day and age of too many plaid shirts, that’s just fine with me.