On the search for exciting Argentine wines, Bertie has selected a steak, plant based and sushi restaurant all with fantastic wine lists
Corte Comedor
Corte Comedor is one of Buenos Aires’ newest steak restaurants. If you have spent any time in Buenos Aires, you may be asking yourself if the city really needs another steak restaurant? It turns out, it did...
Since Corte opened a few years ago it has quickly become a favourite dining spot for serious meat lovers. The menu has many of the classic cuts you would expect at an Argentine Parrilla, such as ojo de bife (rib eye) and tira de asado (short ribs) but also lesser seen cuts such as pork tomahawk steak and pulpón de vacio (flap steak). They in fact have their own butchers shop on site, open to the public daily.
Corte Comedor
Unlike more traditional Parrillas the starters and side dishes are fresh and inventive. Appetizers like the roasted beetroot with ricotta, basil and almonds and sides such as artichokes in a vibrate green sauce made the dinner not just about the meat (as fantastic as it was).
The wine list is manageable size, with plenty of interesting labels. Sierra Lima Alfa - Corte de Blancos is a fantastic choice if you like to start with a white wine. It's a blend of Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc from extremely high vineyards from Molinos & Angastaco in the north-westerly province of Salta. An incredibly fragrant and elegant white it pairs wonderfully with the asparagus with hollandaise sauce starter.
On the red side - Malbec de Angeles, comes an incredibly old vineyard planted in 1924 in the area of Vistalba, Mendoza. It is a concentrated red with subtle oak notes. For those looking for something exotic, the list also has an extensive section of Otra Cepas or 'other varieties' which include some very unusual grapes like Bequignol, Anglianico and Criolla.
Reservations - Online
Instagram - @cortecomedor
Amador Cantina
Despite what most in-flight magazines and Netflix series like to say about Buenos Aires, not everyone is eating 18 oz steaks all day, everyday. There are in fact a few vegetarians and I even heard of one or two vegans in the city. Joking aside! Vegetarian, vegan and plant based restaurants have exploded onto the Buenos Aires restaurant scene in the past 2 or 3 years and they are well worth visiting.. One which we absolutely love is Amador Cantina.
Finca Ambrosía Luna Llena (full moon) Malbec
Based inside what looks like a small art-deco warehouse, the building is in fact divided into two restaurants. Amador on one side and Koko, a Bao restaurant on the other. The deco combines minimalist white walls and white table cloths with kitsch (in a good way) 1970s style paintings and leafy house plants.
The menu at Amador is completely plant based. We ordered the Mil hojas de Papá con Creme fraiche, which was amazing. It was like a deconstructed vegan potato dauphinoise and also the Berenjena Frita - a whole egg-plant which had been bread crumbed and fried.
The wine list is small but packed full of great options such as Bodega Caelum Fiano Reserva - an Italian white variety grown in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. From Patagonia - Wapisa Pinot Noir is one of the very few coastal wine regions in Patagonia or indeed Argentina. The producers have no fear of innovation and are currently experimenting with ageing their wines under the sea.
From the winery Finca Ambrosía we tried their Luna Llena Malbec. The wine was harvested on a full moon on the 28th March 2021. This is a delightfully smooth Malbec, packed full of character and pairs well with the bold flavours the menu has to offers.
Amador Walk - ins only. Just turn up between 8pm - 11pm
Instagram - @amador_cantina
Buri Omakase
If you are hoping to enjoy some top sushi and great wines in Buenos Aires then Buri Omasese should be your first port of call (excuse the pun)
Buri offers a 16 course Omakase menu. There are just 10 places available each evening and only one sitting. Sushi chef and owner Marcello selects the courses depending on which seafood is in season. One of the things that makes his restaurant unique is that he works exclusively with seafood sourced from Argentine waters.
Only 10 lucky diners get to enjoy the omakase menu at Buri each night
The menu often starts with traditional Japanese hot dishes such chawanmushi or miso before moving on the raw dishes. Many of the fish are line-caught. Marcello dry-ages them, a centuries old tradition from Japan which increases the flavour of the meat while remaining the freshness.
The wine list is designed to pair well with the food with a focus on whites and lighter reds. Some of the highlights include Poligonos Verdejo by Familia Zuccardi - one of the few examples of of Verdejo grown in Argentina. As for reds, another rarity is 45 Rugientes Pinot Noir which comes from the province of Chubut in the south of Patagonia. This is one of Argentina's newest wine regions and one of, if not the most southerly wine region in the world. The Pinot Noir found there is elegant and delicate, quite different from the fuller bodied styles found further north.
Instagram - @buriomakase
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