Brent and I wandered out for dinner, unwittingly, the night before Valentine's Day. What were we thinking? Everywhere was packed and after trying to eat at about five different places we ended up at Buenos Aires Cafe. When we first walked in we saw what is this quaint lovely little dining room that of course was completely full. With high hopes we went to the host stand and asked to put our name on the list and devastatingly we were told it would be 45 minutes. Normally, that would be fine but seeing as we had spent the last hour or so trying to eat, we were starved. We looked at each other desperately and non-verbally agreed we were just going to eat at subway or something quick. We thanked the young man and said no thank you. We began walking out the door and another young man ran us down and gave us some very, very good news. Apparently a lot of people hadn't been showing up for their reservations and he said we could have the next table open. Hoorah, hallelujah, amen! He asked for our number and said we could go to the bar next door and he would call us when our table was ready. We walked to G & S Lounge and were in awe. There were pinball machines and pool tables and it looked like a great dive bar! We didn't have time to really check it out because the restaurant called but I hope we'll go back some time to check it out. We ordered a bottle of sparkling wine (very reasonably priced I might add) and started with a couple of salads. His was really good and mine was fresh but I could have used just a touch more acidity in the dressing. It really was lovely though and I would order it again. My gnocchi quartet absolutely stole the evening. I can't remember ever spending so much time letting food roll around on my tongue so I could try to comprehend all of the delicious and lovely flavors, letting each particle pass over every taste bud. This meal was amazing and hands down one of the best meals I have had in Austin in a long time, and we eat out a lot. Since we both ordered a vegetarian dish Brent and I shared. The gnocchi and made me feel so in love with the world that I didn't even mind sharing each precious and fleeting bite with him. I guess it was Valentine's weekend after all, even though we don't really celebrate the holiday, it's a good time to share. We slowly savored each bite and I resisted licking the sauces off the plate and we happily moved on to Brent's entree. This dish was delightful and quite tasty. What a gorgeous presentation with the vibrant colors that reminded me of Dario Argento's film Susperia. I hate that this dish was upstaged by the Gnocchi but I promise you that I recommend this one as well. It was delicate and flavorful and even had Brent, who hates eggplant, scooping up bite after bite. Mmm. I was in heaven. After dinner was complete I was certain I didn't want dessert. But oh, how their beautiful pastry display called my name. I figured, "oh whats' the harm" and we shared a light and savory ricotta cheese tart. Clearly it was scrumptious as well, with nothing left but a trail of powdered sugar that ended at my chin.
Thank you Buenos Aires Cafe for a delightful atmosphere and unforgettable dinner.
3 Comments
Jennifer
2/21/2010 09:52:31 am
Looks delish!
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Darla
2/23/2010 05:49:03 am
I'm thinking with that amazing table availability that perhaps now the places are starting to recognize you when you walk in the door! What a tantalizing review! And they obviously had delicious just needing to be tasted!! Can't wait to try it.
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