Butterfly

Posted by Edmund in Argentina, Fine Dining, Restaurants | 0 comments

Butterfly
French/Eclectic, Fine Dining
Around US$40-$50 for the actual dinner. You can reasonably expect to spend $60-$80 with some wine and/or supplements.

Below Avenida Bustillo KM 7.9
Bariloche, Argentina

Bariloche in Argentina is somewhat of an odd scene. Known for the fantastic ski slopes and the chocolate, you really wouldn’t think this small town would also have some of the best dining in Argentina, yet it has a large quantity of higher-end restaurants that cater to the largely transient population that comes in every year to get on the slopes or to tour the beautiful natural scenery. It seems, moreover, that this concentration of high-end restaurants is a recent phenomenon, as a few years back you really wouldn’t get restaurants that specialized in long multi-course meals or unique takes on Argentina cuisine, and now they’re all over the place. One example of that is the relatively new Butterfly, a restaurant opened a couple years back, that presents a 7-course meal that truly is one of the best meals you can get in Argentina.

Butterfly is somewhat of an odd place. It’s located in a very odd neighborhood in what would otherwise be just a normal log cabin in the middle of nowhere, in an old house. It’s so desolate that I couldn’t even find the restaurant for 5 minutes in the pitch black darkness of the night.

But once you enter, everything immediately changes. The interior is immediately inviting and cozy, giving off the atmosphere of a full-on log cabin, complete with a fireplace.

The strangeness continues with the menu itself and the staff. The restaurant is owned by three friends—an Argentine, a German, and an Irishmen (the main chef)—and the menu is not the typical Argentine fare, but rather an eclectic mix of foods drawing on the culinary backgrounds of all three. So this isn’t cooking by Argentines for Argentines. Rather, my waiter, Sebi (the German), even admitted to me that the intent of the restaurant is to cater to a largely foreign population,  since 7-course meals don’t really appeal to Argentines, who prefer both simpler cuisine and don’t have the money to dish out for higher-end dining. As such, you’ll find some rather nice surprises on the prix fixe menu, like true German apple strudel or goulash. The wine menu is also phenomenal, and this is quite possibly the only place in Argentina where I saw a large, predominantly foreign selection of wines, often from France, Germany, and the USA.

That said, I do have to admit that the trio not only presents a quality, both in food and service, that you just don’t find in more traditional Argentine restaurants, including the fine ones. The service was superb. Sebi was not only amiable, but he was also very knowledgeable and interesting, giving some interesting stories about the restaurant industry in Argentina and Bariloche, about his experiences in general and the inspiration of the restaurant, etc. And he speaks just numerous languages, including German and English fluently, so it’s very easy to get by even if you’re not fluent in Spanish, unlike in many Argentine restaurants. Moreover, the service was extremely prompt, and the pacing was perfect. After every course, he’d check in to see if everything was all right, bread crumbs would constantly be cleaned, drinks refilled, wine choices constantly given, etc. To top it all off, he was a great sommelier, with extensive knowledge of wines from around the world. Overall, he was very well-trained, and probably the best professional waiter I’ve had in Argentina.

Most importantly, the food lived up to the standard of excellence the restaurant set for itself. 7 courses is a tough sell, but this was 7 courses done right. The presentation of the food was especially notable—beautiful organization, lots of interesting ingredients on the plate, etc. The taste was also exceptional and consistently good. The diversity of courses really was amazing, as I went from foie gras to boar to fish to strudel all in one night, really giving me a taste of a variety of cuisines.

My one complaint was that they weren’t willing to provide a true degustation of wines (didn’t want to open the bottles for 1 person) because it was the last day of the season, which would have been quite the problem if the sommelier hadn’t been able to provide at least a couple good wine pairings.

That’s just a minor complaint, though. This restaurant gave me an exceptional meal, and it is by far the most cosmopolitan I have seen in Argentina. Best meal I had in Bariloche!

What I had:

1. Pumpkin seeds and German style mini-cakes (Pfankuchen): The pancakes were nice, fluffy, and salty. Well-seasoned and oiled, but just decent. The pumpkin seeds, however, were irresistible! Crunchy, salty, sweet, roasted. Like gourmet potato chips. I never would’ve thought that pumpkin seeds could be so delicious, but before I had realized it, I’d finished the whole cup. 4.8/5.0 for the seeds. 2.0 for the kuchen.
2. Bread and salted better: The bread was hot, fluffy, smooth, and delicious—practically perfect. The butter was presented like the folds of a blanket—very nice presentation.
3. Amuse bouche (Fish and chips, shrimp bisque, tartlet of Brie): A mixed bag, ranging from decent to excellent. 3.0/5.0
   • The bisque was very light and fresh, with a strong, smooth shrimp taste
   • The fish and chips weren’t outstanding. Good potatoes and well-cooked fish, but it was overall bland
   • Brie with jelly fish: I cannot stand Brie at all, and yet I thought this was delicious. Great balance, and the Brie was very tame. Fantastic start.
4. Foie Gras with tomato and peach chutney, onion chutney, and brioche: Foie gras was imported from France and was given in a large mound. It was absolutely delicious on its own—oily, rich, a little bitter, and extremely fatty. The tomato chutney was great, helping to balance the foie gras with its fruitiness. Internally, the chutney had a nice balance of sweet and sour, creating a great play of flavors in the mouth. The onion chutney was also superb and providing a completely different experience. The onions were caramelized to perfect. The brioche, finally, was fluffy, smooth, and baked perfectly. The mixture worked very well. This was one of the highlights of the night. Good wine pairing too. 4.5/5.0
5. Wild boar goulash with pasta: Well-cooked all around. The boar was a little salty. Odd combination, since the boar was on the bitter side and didn’t really complement the pasta too well. The dish was a little uninspired, but it was decent. The meat was especially nice, as it was so tender that it practically melted in your mouth. 2.5/5.0
6. White sea bass au papillot (cooked in paper) with fennel and saffron (and served alongside pasta): Very delicious. This time around the pasta works fantastically with the fish, which melts in your mouth and has the right amount of seasoning and pepper.  Good wine pairing too. 4.2/5.0
7. Osso bucco  of veal with mashed potatoes, garlic confit, and black olives: The veal was amazing. The skin was crispy, crackling and practically falling off. The meat was so tender that it just melted in my mouth. The mashed potatoes were also very interesting. They were cooked in olive oil without milk, so they were a bit chunky, but in a good way. Their texture really complemented the tenderness of the lamb. And the olives, peppers, and everything on the dish was delicious. Great wine match, on top of it all. The best part of the evening, hands down. 4.8/5.0 (and I’m not even a veal lover)
8. Apple strudel with Madagascar vanilla ice cream: Nice presentation overall, with swirls of chocolate around the cake and vanilla. The vanilla is simple and safe, but good—rich, creamy, and smooth. The apple strudel, moreover, is so good that it reminds me of my time in Germany. It’s a nice change of pace from all the overly sweet dulce de leche and chocolate desserts found throughout Argentina, especially in Bariloche. 4.3+/5.0
9. Ice cream praline: Good, but not great for an end. Nice quality of chocolate. 2.0/5.0
10. Petit Fours: Nice end, though nothing stood out. Kind of unspectacular. Just a good palate change. 2.0/5.0

Ambience: 4.0/5.0
Service: 4.8/5.0
Food: 4.3/5.0. Add a couple tenths if you really love variety and/or presentation.
Value: 4.0/5.0. Great price (around $60-$80), considering the quality.

Overall Score: 4.4/5.0. Excellent food and service. One of the best restaurants (if not the best) in Bariloche.