Choosing
our News Year’s venue had taken some research, and while trawling the net and
the newspapers I had assembled quite a list of potential restaurants that we
had never been to but that sounded promising. We didn’t want to let all the
work go to waste and decided to give those places a chance and work our way
down that list.
The first
candidate was La Pecora Nera, a
highly recommended Italian restaurant in the Recoleta neighborhood. That alone
was a plus for me since I like that area of Buenos Aires – probably because it
looks like Barcelona. Talking about recommendations: It is also a good idea to
reserve a table because you can’t just walk in from the street but have to ring
a bell and announce yourself to the staff. And since it is a rather small place
that always seems to fill up pretty quickly, make sure to secure a table.
Located on
Ayacucho, La Pecora Nera offers easy
access with enough parking in the vicinity – but make sure to bring the house
number since there is no prominent sign but only the logo on the top-to-floor
glass windows. Those are mostly covered by black velvet curtains that only
offer a glimpse at the interior – which gives the patrons on the other side the
necessary privacy to dine without passersby staring at their plates.
The
interior for me was just the right mix of elegance and comfort, with
chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, nicely set tables, golden mirrors and
paintings on the wall, wooden cabinets displaying antique decorative objects
and comfortable chairs. Tables were placed close enough together to create an
intimate atmosphere but far enough apart to give each party enough privacy, and
the noise level was astonishingly low for a place of that size. One advice: Don’t
forget to bring a sweater or jacket because the aircon unit is quite potent and
the dining room had been chilled to an apparent 15 degrees– but that goes for
any place in South America.
The waiters
were very attentive but not overly so – again just the right mix for me - and
the chef Daniel Hansen, obviously someone famous in the culinary scene, made
the rounds several times. Due to our timing he didn’t get to our table, which
was fine with me since I wasn’t there for his autograph but for the food. Which
was great!
We started
with the Carpaccio di Vitello and a rocket salad and then had the lamb risotto
and fresh pasta filled with pumpkin, Gruyere cheese and a delicious creamy
sauce as the main course. Since we had to drive back we shared a small bottle
of red wine which limited the selection because the restaurants usually don’t
have all the wines on the list in smaller portions. But the recommendation from
the couple at the table next to us paid off and we liked the Malbec we ordered.
To get a taste of everything we switched plates halfway, and the portions were
just the right size. We even had a bit of space left for desert so we shared
the Tiramisu – the only disappointment of the evening. But then I have a very
specific idea how Tiramisu has to taste – exactly like the one my best friend makes – so ordering that desert in a restaurant is always a risky thing.
But there are a few other sweet dishes to choose from, so perhaps I shouldn’t
have gone for that one.
Pricewise, La Pecora Nera is roughly in the range
of a good Italian restaurant in Germany. Mains are around 65 to 80 Pesos (which
at the moment equal roughly 12 Euro) and the whole meal set us back around 470 Pesos.
They don’t accept credit cards, but then they give you a discount of 10 percent
if you pay cash - which is a nice gesture.
All in all,
I really liked La Pecora Nera, and
once we are done with the list we will definitely come back for more. The food
was very nice, the price good value for money and the atmosphere relaxed.
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