December 15: Birthday Dinner to Remember
A few weeks ago while briefly checking the news I happened to see a link for one guide’s list of the top fifty restaurants in the world. When I saw the highest-ranked restaurant was in Buenos Aires, I thought to myself, “sounds like a birthday dinner to me!” Fogan Asado, an Argentinian establishment serving a multi-course tasting menu centered on the iconic asado grill, lived up to its reputation – and then some!
The friendly and professional staff greeted me at the entryway by name, led me back to a seat right in front of the center of the flaming fire pit, and informed me they would be making extra sauces available with every dish so that I could better taste and swallow all of the delicacies with my post-chemo damaged taste buds.
We started off with a slice of ember-roasted eggplant that was charred on the outside, moist on the inside, and topped with warm ricotta cheese sporting a perfect blend of spices.
When I bit into the next dish, an ironed slice of Argentinian provolone cheese with a browned, crispy crust and gooey inside floating in a Torrontes wine reduction with pear and sugar, tears of joy came to my eyes. The crunchy and creamy texture of the cheese offset by the soft sweetness of the fruit provided warm, tantalizing, and memorable bites.
The next two dishes both included silver dollar sized portions of tender meat with exceptionally balanced sauces. The toppings were so exceptional that I almost thought of the tender meat as delivery vehicles for the roasted tomato and ginger sauce on the first plate and the quince and apple chutney and ember-roasted pepper sauces on the second.
The slow braised Asado al Papillote on the next plate was cooked for 8 hours – the first four in vegetables and fruit and the second four with the juices wrapped in parchment paper. After picking our own uniquely decorated knives for this course, we cut off delicious morsels topped with sea salt from Patagonia.
We moved on to a pork flank steak with yellow chili sauce and lime and cilantro salad that provided another texture extravaganza with the fatty, crispy part of the marbled meat providing a contrast to the delicate, fresh, thinly sliced vegetables.
The pinecone smoked flat iron steak that came out next with a creamy cauliflower puree and flame roasted corn was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. The vegetable sauce’s texture reminded me of whipped cream with both its consistency and lightness, providing a perfect accompaniment to the rich, medium rare meat, and flavorful pops of charred corn.
Our main dish was a thick slice of rib-eye served with mashed boniatoes and a red balsamic reduction. The small, crispy, buttery potatoes were almost as delicious as the hearty rib eye which I drenched with the sweet potato like puree.
For dessert we were treated to a crepe wrapped around a homemade Dulce de Leche caramel sauce and covered with fresh berries and thick, rich, homemade whipped cream. When the person sitting next to me got up to leave with more fruit left on their plate, I seriously considered reaching over to get seconds but just barely restrained myself.
After the waitress served me a cup of freshly brewed mint tea with green tea leaves, chamomile herbs, rose hips, and lemon and lime peel, she noticed I had been taking notes on my paper menu and kindly offered to have the chefs sign the back for me. What a touching gift.
I’m so glad I decided to celebrate my sixtieth birthday by flying to Argentina, enjoying such an incredible meal, and hopefully heading out soon on a once in a lifetime motorcycle ride to the southern tip of the continent. Life is good!
