O’Fournier Restaurant

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

Eclectic, Fine Dining.
A 3 course meal with 4 paired wines costs about 60 pesos ($17), but it depends on the level of wine pairing. With the higher echelon of wines, the meal can come to over twice as much.
Los Indios S/N, 5567 La Consulta, Mendoza, Argentina.

It was my last day in Mendoza, and I had one wine region left to visit, the Uco Valley. The Uco Valley is known mostly for its white wines, since the higher altitude helps the grapes for those varietals to retain more acidity. The region is very difficult to traverse, though, since it is an hour and a half outside Mendoza city and very expansive, so has very little infrastructure in comparison to the more popular wine tasting regions of Maipu and Luján.  It’s just that very spaciousness of the region, though, that allows it to have some of the most ridiculously, needlessly grandiose wineries in all of Argentina. And I was lucky enough to dine in one of those grand wineries, O’Fournier, although, to be fair, there aren’t many options to choose from while in Uco (and even if there were, the tours would choose for you).

[provided by and posted with permission of O'Fournier]

Before dining in O’Fournier, I had the chance to tour the winery, of course, and I have to admit, it really sets the mood for a magnificent lunch. Everything, from the winery to the restaurant, is just plain beautiful. The architecture is done in a very modern style, so throughout the winery you’ll notice a very simple, clean style emphasizing odd, unique geometric shapes, like a building composed of a cylindrical center and sandwiched between a large rectangular base and roof, or a wine cellar that has windows to reflect a large crux (a cross), the symbol of the winery, across the humungous, dark cellar. It really is eye candy, pure and simple, and O’Fournier really does a good job at wowing the tourist with excessive pomp and splendor.

The dining room itself impresses no less. It’s gigantic, with a PHENOMENAL view of the surrounding wilderness through the large windows that serve as the walls of the restaurant—and I mean real wilderness here, with a large lake, mountains, and a forest in site. It is about as gorgeous a view as you can have, especially on a sunny day. The restaurant itself is not too cluttered, but it has a refined elegance to it that you don’t see in most places, with chairs that have extremely high backs and are very comfortable, simple stone walls, and a very high ceiling, all of which combine with the view to give you, again, a sense of grandeur and spaciousness that tries to hold you in awe more than anything else—and it easily succeeds.

And the meal is superb, on all accounts. It is notable for two reasons chiefly. First, every course is paired with one of the whole range of wines of the vineyard, from the lowest to the highest. O’Fournier, moreover, happens to be one of the best wineries in all of Argentina, so this meal really comes with some of the best wine you’ll have if you visit the country, and it is quite the wine pairing. While I won’t comment on the wines or the wine pairings in my notes on the food (see my wines section instead), it’s enough to say that the winery did a superb job of accentuating its wines with an eclectic and interesting mix of foods, ranging from meat and yogurt, to potatoes, to veal. At the same time, though, the food felt complete in itself, without relying on the wine to compensate for its mediocrity.

The second notable regard is that this is true, home-style, fresh cooking, as the main chef is O’Fournier’s own wife. I’m not sure whether she has any professional training, but I’m inclined to say no, and even so cooks better, simpler, and much more flavorful food than what you’ll get throughout most of Argentina. What is remarkable is, again, just the range of foods, spanning Middle Eastern, Spanish, Argentine, and other cuisines. It’s really a tasting of the world, without feeling too contrived, and it really does suit such a cosmopolitan winery.

To top it off, the service was outstanding, with amiable waiters, a chance to meet the chef, proper decanting of the wines, and a degree of formality you will see in very few places, even in Mendoza.

Overall, then, this was a phenomenal experience, giving me the chance to both taste a very well-crafted, professional tasting menu along with a whole range of fantastic wines, in a setting that was magnificent. This is a must if you are ever wine tasting in Mendoza!

What I had:

1. Kebab with yogurt sauce and mint: Beautiful presentation, with tons of color—the yogurt white, mint green all over. Great components in general. Inventive yogurt infusion—very Middle Eastern in flavor, so it was right at home for me. The meat wasn’t the best, though. It was fried, and the oily crunch really didn’t suit the yogurt as well as just a normal grilled kebab. 3.5/5.0
2. Spanish potato pie wrapped in red pepper: Good concept, but the potato was a bit muddy and very dull in terms of flavor. 2.5/5.0
3. Pumpkin soup with ginger, coconut, toasted almond, and chard: Phenomenal! Rich, creamy, and with BIG flavors. Every components comes through well and adds a new level of nuance—the slight ginger spice, the sweet coconut, the roasted nuttiness, and the rich pumpkin. The roasted nuttiness especially just bursts in your mouth. 5.0/5.0. This is simply perfect!
4. Mixed ragout of veal and lamb with polenta and white truffle oil: Beautiful dish! With a fantastic wine pairing (the highest wine of the bodega, the A Crux). The meat is tender, melting in your mouth. There potato mash is soft, rich, and decadent. Extremely flavorful for normal potatoes, and very good with the meat. The gravy is a bit salty, but adds even more of a rich savory quality to the dish. This is like a simple, classic American steak and potato dinner, but done unusually well. And the big flavors find an equally strong-flavored wine to complement it. 4.3/5.0
5. Torrontes sorbet: Amazingly good. I’ve never liked the Torrontes wines that Argentina is known for producing, but this was an unusually unique, interesting, and very Argentine take on dessert, combining the flavor and lightness  of the Torrontes wine with the sweetness of a dessert. And it actually tasted like Torrontes! 4.7/5.0, particularly for the creativity.
6. Philo pastry tower with dulce de leche ice cream: Phenomenal! The ice cream doesn’t even feel like ice cream—it’s more like a mix of mousse and whipped cream. It was fantastically light and flavorful. And it’s not too sweet, which is always a problem with dulce de leche desserts. The pastry is not necessary, but adds some interesting balance and nice flavor. 4.5/5.0

Ambience: 4.8/5.0. Just gorgeous.
Service: 4.5/5.0
Taste: 4.3/5.0
Wine Pairing: 4.5/5.0.
Value: 4.5+/5.0. If the price I read is accurate, this is one of the best deals in Mendoza, particularly considering that every course is matched with the whole range of wines of the vineyard, and the wines are some of the best in Argentina.
Overall Score: 4.5+/5.0. 2^nd best meal I had in Argentina, and probably the best winery lunch/wine pairing experience you can have in Mendoza.