Impressed at A Nos Amours
Saturday night I was taken to A Nos Amours to celebrate my write-up in revista JOY, a gastronomy magazine here in Argentina. A Nos Amours is a small French cafe in an old corner building in Palermo Viejo.
I loved everything about it- 12 tables, chalkboard menu with no more than 8 options, organic wine list, appropriate music, intimacy, a book of French poetry on each table and the smell of fresh bread. The service conducted by the friendly French owner in all white and his small staff was astonishingly flawless. Ticket times were efficient and every guest seemed content. This type of place makes me want to open something, someday. Simple, manageable, UNIQUE dishes.
Let’s talk food. As soon as we were sat they brought over fresh bread with a cucumber/cabbage/raisin slaw. The slaw was light, sweet and juicy the perfect partner for the warm artisanal bread. We decided to skip a starter since none of them REALLY sparkled on the menu.
Of the four entrée options, we leaned toward the lenguado (Sol fish) cooked in a butter lemon sauce over brown rice mixed with butternut squash, herbs, and green onion and the slow cooked vacío (flank steak) topped with peppers and onions, both served with a light salad of arugula, cucumber, and micro greens. The other options were risotto (with beets, I believe) and gnocchi with mushrooms, both looking rich and creamy as I stared them down while exiting the kitchen. The fish was the winner of the night. My only complaint is that I found some fish bones, but the rice mix/sauce was so damn good that I didn’t care. There was one flavor that I couldn’t pin down, I’m thinking it was a curry. I was in love and so thankful to have such a lovely seafood dish. The boy very much enjoyed his steak, but wished it had other veggies.
We gobbled everything down with a bottle of the most intense Torrontes. I believe it to be the strongest wine I’ve ever had. The owner described it as ‘distinct and very dry’. That was definitely one way of putting it. It’s apple and pear aromatics misled me to think it was crisp and light, wrong. All I can is that it was first time we left a restaurant without finishing the bottle.
For two entrees, a bottle of wine, a bottle of sparkling water, and cubierta the bill was $200 pesos (45 bucks) before tip. Worth every centavo
A Nos Amours
Gorriti 4488 corner of Aráoz
4897.2072
Mon- Fri 19h- 24h
Sat 11.30- 24h
Sun 12- 19h
