La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar

Posted by Edmund in Argentina, Fine Dining, Restaurants | 1 comment

La Vineria de Gualterio  Bolivar
Eclectic, Fine Dining
About 130-140 pesos ($45) for the tasting menu, without wine.

Bolívar 865,
Buenos Aires, Argentina

In recent years, molecular gastronomy has picked up quite the following throughout the world. Nowadays, it’s not just about quality, but rather about innovation, both in terms of flavor combinations and food presentation. Chefs will even go to the extent of chemically manipulating their foods, just to obtain special presentational effects. And, to my surprise, Argentina has begun its own “vanguard” culinary movement. I finally had the chance to learn experience that movement when I went for dinner to La Vineria de Gualtero  Bolivar, where I received one of the most interesting, and for me, most memorable dining experiences.

So what is entailed in this “vanguard” experience? Well, a chef that worked at El Bulli, the world’s highest ranked restaurant, cooks 11 or so courses and offers one of the best wine menus in town, with every wine on the rather large menu offered by the glass (that’s really the hook of the restaurant. So all you wine lovers, take note). Needless to say, I had some big expectations when I booked my reservation.

As I went to La Vineria, I really wasn’t all that impressed, though. The drive was horrible and went straight through one of the most ramshackle neighborhoods I’d ever seen in Argentina. The restaurant was so small I couldn’t even locate it for a while. Once I finally got inside, the ambience was far better, and I felt a little more at ease, but it’s just a shame that such an elegant, intimate restaurant, with only a few tables a night (probably about 20 seats maximum, if not less) is located in one of the trashiest areas of the city. And the fact that there was only one other couple that night, a Friday, really attests to that fact.

Don’t be fooled, though. The quality of the restaurant is top notch, even with the horrible location. This was one of those places where everything was perfectly thought through, very well executed, and service was spot on.

And I had quite a good time with the “all wines by the glass policy,” especially when I ordered a glass of the highest ranked Argentine iconic wine, the Las Perdices Tinamú Red 2005 (which has won a perfect score twice in international wine competitions). The waiter was hesitant at first. Ruining a bottle of wine just to give one cup to a customer, especially when that wine costs the restaurant about $100—that’s quite the loss and is a downright waste of a fabulous wine! And yet, it is restaurant policy, and all I had to do was act a little shocked and remind the waiter of his own restaurant’s standards. He not only went to get the wine afterward, but he even went through a whole 15 minute decanting process, complete with taste tests at various points and about 5 minutes of manual rotation of the wine in the decanter, just so that the Tinamú would be served perfectly. It was quite the show, and I think the waiter even got a real kick out of it—heck, the wine was so good he even thanked me for the chance to taste test the wine! Now that’s amiable service if I’ve ever seen it.

As for the food, I can’t say it was one of the best meals of my life in terms of quality, but it was rather inventive and some components were especially outstanding. The major complaint I had, as I have with many of these “vanguard” restaurants, is that there seems to be innovation merely for the sake of innovation, i.e. just to be trendy or different. Some of the concepts were taken too far at the cost of taste.

Overall, though, it was an interesting experiment and an unforgettable experience. Especially if you love wine or experimentation, this restaurant is very highly recommended.

What I had (favorites in bold):

1. Starter Trio
   • Cream of fried spinach: Perfectly fried and not too greasy. Decent.
   • Foie Gras:  Perfect, creamy, fatty. Nice fat element to the dish.
   • Salmon with Honey: Very good except for the saltiness. Nice texture—spongy but hard
2. Olive oil with bread sticks (olive oil is in the form of a spread)—Very odd texture, but the olive oil tastes great. Interesting experiment changing the shape of the olive oil to a semi-solid form—it really changes the feel of the dish, but the taste is exactly the same as olive oil.
3. Passion Fruit Liquor: A bit too bitter for me. Just some liquor.
4. Bread: amazingly fluffy, warm, and doughy.
5. Salad (Portobello, lettuce, etc.) with green sauce—Sauce (I don’t know what it is) made it outstanding. Nice vegetable flavor. Dish has a smooth creaminess that combines well with the freshness of the veggies.
6. Egg with truffle oil with bread and cream cheese—This is finger-licking good. The cheese, egg, and fried bread don’t seem to complement each other, but surprisingly they taste great together. The cheese was of special note—creamy, rich, flavorful.
7. “Mar y Montaña,” or “Sea and Mountain” (Scallop and Lamb combo), with a potato puree—d  The pumpkins are literally perfect. No need for mashed potatoes—this is one of the creamiest purees I’ve had in my life, with a satisfying richness to it. The flavor especially stands out, since pumpkin is such a distinct, strong taste. Both the scallops and lamb are extremely well cooked and delicious.
8. Black tea and hake—Has a slight watermelon flavor to it for some reason. Not bad, but a little bland, even though the hake is very well-cooked and moist.
9. Rabbet with apple foam and fennel jelly—Just exudes a fantastic aroma of apple. Interesting taste. The meat is very delicate and tasteful, but on the gamy side. It could have spiced a bit better to give it some more flavor, though. The foam is very unique and really makes the presentation outstanding—it tastes just like apple, but it really is pleasing to see. And interestingly enough, both the jelly and the foam really complement the meat and even make up for some of its lack of flavor
10. Fried lamb, egg roll style: Just an all-around odd dish. There is a strong pea flavor that isn’t necessarily bad, but just odd to find in an egg roll. On that same note, I would never think of really putting lamb in an egg roll or even frying lamb. The flavor combo just didn’t seem to match.
11. Ribeye with ravioli and Malbec reduction: Malbec reduction is excellent—raspberry and chocolate notes of Malbec really just pop out, and surprisingly, their boldness and strength helps to balance the strength of the greasy ribeye. The ribeye is well-cooked but its not really spiced. The meat is perfectly chewy and tender, but it’s really not the star here. That spot belongs to the wine, which really does make the dish with its honey, fruity wine taste. The ravioli is also rather good.
12. Bread with spices and pear, caramel in reduction, and caviar: Not mind blowing, but nice sweetness to it. It also has a refreshing cookie taste. The caviar is a bit off—the saltiness just doesn’t blend with the spices and the sweetness. It feels like this dish doesn’t know what it wants to be, since there are just so many clashing flavors—the salty, the sweet, the spice. The components aren’t necessarily too bad though, just not extraordinary.
13. Chocolate flan, chocolate moussa, and roca (“rock”) of yogurt: There is a nice, crunchy foam to the whole thing. The yogurt is unforgettably good and is the star here, though. The chocolate is rich, and the mousse has nice texture. Nothing stands out as exceptional other than the yogurt, however.
14. Chocolate pieces—Superb! Just eat them, even if you don’t like chocolate. This may convert you.

Scoring

Ambience: 1.3/5.0
Service: 4.6+/5.0
Wine Service: 5.0/5.0. ANY WINE ON THE MENU BY THE GLASS (including for US$100 bottles)!
Taste: 4.0/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0. Nowhere will you find 11 courses for this low a price, or a wine menu that lets you get everything by the glass.
Verdict: 4.2+/5.0. For me personally, this deserves even better because it was such an unforgettable night, but that was more because of the company and the fantastic wine experience than the food. Still, this is the type of place you go to for an adventure.