Once inside, we were seated in an open room that was divided into two and four tops. I don't know why, but the BA underground scene is all about keeping everyone separate. No communal tables to be seen. They really take the restaurant setup to heart. From what I heard, Chef Alejandro and his wife used to live in the space, moving all their furniture out of the living room every weekend, but have since moved on to another location.
The wine list was sparse, and expensive in Argentinian terms. After spending a week throwing down $15 for a truly amazing treat, looking at a menu of bottles hovering in the $30+ range was an adjustment. The adjustment period was over once our bottle of Malbec arrived and I took the first sip of the velvety, smooth goodness. I must say, any recommendation they make is well worth the money paid out.
The food was ok. I had a soup of some sort to start. Clearly underwhelming, otherwise it would have stuck in my mind. David had the mushroom tart, which was pleasant, with just the right amount of butter to infuse the mushrooms with earthy goodness.
The next course was a choice of chicken and beef. David was in a beef coma from our lunch, so he opted for the chicken and I took one for the team and went with the beef. This time the table turned. My beef was well prepared at a medium rare and I savored the primal act of consuming such a rare treat. David's chicken....meh.
Dessert was unmemorable, but I was still enjoying my wine too much to care.
Chef Alejandro was a welcoming host and his server ended up chatting with us about her hometown in Mexico. I gained useful information on the legal issues of having a Underground Dinner in BA, much for the benefit of my firm EatLawSF, with partner, David Barzelay.
Overall, although the food was a bit of a letdown, the wine and company made up for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment