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| impressive bar with old port vintages, house infusions and Hendricks gin |
With a mere 12 (12?!!!) days left in Mendoza, at the top of my list of things to do is visit the best restaurants in town. The selection is small but highly regarded. Hovering there at the top of the culinary scene is Francis Mallmann and his well-known restaurant, 1884. Located in bodega Escorihuela Gascon, the restaurant has a sort of new world modernity with underpinnings of old world tradition. To enter, one drives through a massive gate in a large stone wall, the driveway and entrance lined with glowing candles. An impressive introduction. Inside, the dining room is sleek and stylish, with high backed grey seats that create a distinct feeling of privacy at the table. Along two walls comfy-looking couch seating is available, with a long window that peeks in on the bustling kitchen.
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| ok i waited to the end of the meal to take these pics. the kitchen is not bustling.. everyone has gone home. it's 1:30 a.m. |
Arriving at 10:00 on a Monday night, the dining room was full of an older crowd of well-to-do-looking diners attended by the serious-looking waitstaff. We were seated by a window with a fantastic view of Mallmann's signature parilla grill and stone oven outside in the courtyard. Water service and menus arrived promptly, the wine list heavy, packed with producers and vintages. My friend first picked out a weirdo wine- a Zuccardi Caladoc from the Textual line. It's a grape I know nothing about, which sounded great to me, and combined with her good review and the idea of tasting something new, I got all excited. But when the sommelier arrived to take the wine order, he informed us that he was out of that bottle. When asked to suggest something else interesting and different, he directed us to a 2007 Monte Cinco Petit Verdot, a few list items away from the original wine. Previous Argentine Petit Verdot experiences (lacking in character/overoaked) made me a bit skeptical, but we went with his recommendation.
The wine was nicely integrated at four years old, with dark fruit characteristics and a structured body. Not too oaky, with surprisingly light fruit concentration and firm acids, it was a unique expression of Petit Verdot that paired quite nicely with the steak and pork rib entrees. On it's own, the wine did lack character but was perfectly lovely when consumed with food. An interesting non-Malbec option.
(And now if you'll permit me a short rant about local wine service! I promise to be quick. We're spending the big bucks at one of the most raved about joints in town and the sommelier who I assume has had training, if not a couple years of somm school opts not to open the bottle at the table, instead retreating with the bottle to a table in the center of the room where it looks like all the bottles for all the tables are kept. He opens it there and returns to serve the table, later taking the wine back to the central table where it hangs out all by itself, far beyond our reach. Why. 1. why does no one open a bottle of wine at the table here? 2. what up with keeping the bottle so far away from us? it's a part of our meal, we want it near by to check out the label and maybe give it a few pets if we really like it. Keeping the bottle so far away is very suspicious to me. I can't tell if the servers are sneaking little tastes or if wines are getting mixed up or- unlikely but still- if our wine is being switched out for a lower quality wine. After we finished our meal and paid the bill, my friend collected our bottle from the center table and we found that we had about half a glass left in the bottle that clearly no one had intended to serve us. In my book, this is bad, shifty wine service. Mendoza, you're a leading world wine region. You've gotta get it right. Ok that is all, now we can go back to the food!)
Burrata discovery! Why I didn't know that this creamy Italian dream existed before is a point of some shame for me. Heavenly, it has a firm, cheesy outer layer, a soft ricotta-like inside, with a molten buttery melted mozzarella center. Served with spinach, pear, and proscuitto, this Burrata starter was delicious.
As Mallmann's empanadas come highly recommended, we had to try them. Though the most expensive empanadas ever ($50 AR for two), they were great, with a perfectly crispy pastry and savory filling of diced steak, onion, and peppers. Oh Argentine empanadas, how I love you. How I will miss you.
Two entrees easily fed the four of us, the big meaty parilla dishes coming on enormous wooden planks. Unbelievably tender steak in mustard sauce was the winning dish, served with sweet and bitter greens and potato hash. Crispy fried pork ribs had a great texture but were a bit salty for my taste.
Here Katie generously helps to give perspective. Still, I don't think I was able to capture fully in photographs how ridiculously adorable the snifter was. The Rutini was sweet and not too alcoholic, a good local option, especially considering all of the Portugal options were far too expensive for my pocketbook.
By the time we paid the bill, the restaurant was deserted, with a few staff members lingering at the well-stocked bar in the foyer. Stray cats had taken over the parilla area, climbing in and out of garbage cans, scaling the large stone oven. Overall, I really liked the restaurant's ambiance, the classy but comfortable atmosphere and minimal but warm decor. The service was attentive and professional (with the exception of the weird wine service), though a bit cool and stiff. As promised, the steak impressed, and I'd discovered a new cheesy creation, which always makes me happy. I'm happy to have had the opportunity to get to know a little bit about Mallmann's cuisine and enjoy a nice night out with my tasting group girls.
With such a short amount of time left in Mendoza I want to spend it exactly like this- with wine, great food, and fantastic company.
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