Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
106
opportunities, when live music enlivens the patio. It's a great value for the area—the Reco-
leta Cemetery and cultural center are next door.
Roberto M. Ortiz 1865 (at Quintana).
&
11/4804-0016.
Main courses $6-$12 (£4.05-£8.20). AE, DC, MC,
V. Daily 7:30am-11:30pm. No metro access.
Clark's
INTERNATIONAL The dining room here is an eclectic mix of oak, y el-
low lamps, live plants, and deer antlers. A slanted ceiling descends over the English-style
bar with a fine selection of spirits; in back, a 3m-high (9
3
/
4
-ft.) glass case sho wcases a
winter garden. Booths and tables are covered with green-and-white checkered tablecloths
and are usually occupied b y North Americans. Specialties include tenderloin steak with
goat cheese, sautéed shrimp with wild mushr ooms, and sole with a spar kling wine,
cream, and shrimp sauce. A number of pasta and rice dishes ar e offered as well. A large
terrace attracts a fashionable crowd in summer.
Roberto M. Or tiz 1777 (at Quintana).
&
11/4801-9502.
Reser vations r ecommended. M ain c ourses
$8-$14 (£5.40-£9.45). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon-3:30pm and 7:30pm-midnight. No metro access.
Juana M
Value
PARRILLA This
parrilla
is hard to find but worth the effort, and
remains one of my favorite dining spots in the city. A family-owned affair, it takes its name
from its chic matriar ch owner and is kno wn almost solely to P orteños who want to keep
this place all to themselves. Juana Marty and her husband Enrique can often be seen float-
ing from table to table, checking in on customers to personally chat with them and make
sure all is okay. Located in the basement of a former orphanage, which was once part of the
city's Catholic University, this neoclassical building is one of the fe w saved from the high-
way demolition that created the nearby La Recova area, where Avenida 9 de Julio intersects
with Libertador. This cavernous industrial-chic space can seat over 200 patrons. Art covers
one of the walls lining the waiter stations. A t night, when the space is lit only b y candle-
light, trendy young patrons flood in, chattering the night away . The menu is simple, high
quality, and inexpensive, with a free unlimited salad bar with the
parrilla.
A new light menu
with healthy options was also r ecently added. The restaurant may move to a ne w location
by 2010 but will remain in Recoleta through 2009.
Carlos Pellegrini 1535 (basement; at Libertador).
&
11/4326-0462.
Main courses $5-$13 (£3.40-£8.80).
AE, MC, V. Sun-Fri noon-5pm and 7:30pm-1am; Sat 8pm-2am. No metro access.
5
La Biela
CAFE Originally a small side walk cafe opened in 1850, La B iela
earned its distinction in the 1950s as the endezvous choice of race-car champions. Black-
and-white photos of these Argentine racers decorate the huge dining room. Today artists,
politicians, and neighborhood ex ecutives (as w ell as a v ery large number of tourists) all
frequent La B iela, which ser ves breakfast, informal lunch plates, ice cr eam, and cr epes.
The outdoor terrace sits beneath an enormous 19th-centur y gum tr ee, opposite the
church of N uestra S eñora del P inar and the adjoining R ecoleta Cemeter y. This place
ranks among the most important cafes in the city, with some of the best sidewalk viewing
anywhere in R ecoleta. You might just feel like y ou're in Paris when y ou come her e. La
Biela is a protected
bar notable.
Av. Quintana 596 (at Alvear).
&
11/4804-0449.
Main courses $3-$12 (£2-£8.20). V. Daily 7am-3am. No
metro access.
SAN TELMO
Expensive
Brasserie Petanque
Moments
FRENCH While the Swiss-born owner of this
restaurant, Pascal Meyer, insists this is a brasserie and not a bistro . . . well, it's almost the
