Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Chefs Who Have Buenos Aires
The Chefs Who Have Buenos Aires
Like many young chefs in the city, Mr. Baez is championing Argentine ingredients for
their quality and sustainability. “The land is so fertile in Argentina,” Mr. Baez said. “We
want to show that off.”
At Julia and his newest restaurant, Franca, also in Villa Crespo, Mr. Baez sources fruits
and vegetables from small producers across Argentina that he fuses with global flavors
to create a parade of original dishes. Julia’s seasonal à la carte dishes and 10-course
tasting menu (30,000 pesos, or about $150 — prices are as of mid-February but are
subject to change because of inflation) both include fresh squid from Patagonia tossed in
a yogurt-walnut pesto and crowned with sliced avocado (3,500 pesos); semi-dehydrated
watermelon tartare (3,500 pesos); and Wagyu beef aged with koji (cooked fermented
rice), Provençal potatoes and a shio koji emulsion (12,500 pesos).
To make her own fermented pastes and sauces, she uses ingredients like spicy chile
flakes, ginger, garlic and soy sauce to season fresh Argentine produce, seafood, meats
and cheeses. “I love piling flavors and textures on top of each other,” Ms. Ra said.
A big seller for vegans is a dish that riffs on humitas — a traditional northern Argentine
corn pudding — that’s served as a creamy brûlée made with almond milk and topped
with sautéed kimchi and daikon pickles (2,100 pesos). One of her personal favorites is
the mussels ceviche prepared with a kimchi-based broth, crispy buckwheat granola,
pomegranate seeds, toasted seaweed, sesame oil and cilantro (3,100 pesos). “It has a lot
of layers,” Ms. Ra said.
Nuanced fare nods to Asia and the Middle East while using domestic ingredients. Crowd
favorites on the menu include a starter of labneh layered with Japanese cucumber,
dehydrated cherries, tamarind chutney, Andean black mint, slivered pecans, sliced
fennel, peppery chiles and pomegranate seeds served alongside a plate of fried chickpea
noodles for mixing (1,800 pesos).
Look for entrees like grilled quail marinated with rica rica (a floral, bitter, high-altitude
herb), ginger-garlic paste and yogurt (4,500 pesos), and whole roasted pacu (a
freshwater fish from the more tropical northeastern region of Argentina) brightened
with fresh turmeric, lemon, almond-and-yogurt paste, cardamom and Jamaican pepper
and topped with papaya raita and coriander chutney (6,500 pesos). “Many tropical
ingredients locals think are ‘exotic’ are actually native to northern Argentina,” Mr.
Ramón explained.
Since then, they have opened four restaurants, transforming Thames Street into a
gastronomic corridor. Book a guided crawl with Mr. Sitz to get a taste of each
restaurant’s signature plates as well as his insights into Argentine food culture (37,000
pesos; English-speaking tours are guided by a member of his team).
Stops on the tour include the Asian grill Niño Gordo to sample its katsu sando, a
Japanese sandwich recast with breaded strip loin and homemade brioche and slathered
in Japanese mayonnaise and a plum-based tonkatsu sauce. At Chori, diners can sample
choripan (a grilled chorizo sausage wrapped in a toasted bun), an Argentine street-food
staple. After visits to the duo’s tapas bar and taqueria, the tour culminates at La
Carniceria with a plate of aged Angus rib eye, Japanese pumpkin and homemade
chimichurri.