First day in Mendoza, beauty and gluttony begins....

When Ash and I got to Mendoza we had just finished about 40 hours of straight travel. I am actually surprised that is was only that long. We arrived a few hours before our apart-hotel was open and we had to struggle over the phone with the Spanish speaking receptionist in order for her to let us in. We stayed at the Modigliani Art and Design Suites. It was pretty nice and really felt like we had our own home in Mendoza. The top floor was the office and an art studio. There is a lot of boutique Apart-hotels popping up in Argentine cities and many are outfitted with the latest in art and chic design. While I wouldn't recommend staying here if you can afford more it was perfect for Ashley and I. The room was quite small and the bed was not very comfortable, but for $100/night it was a steal. We were also right down where all of the action of Vendimia 2009 would be. More on that later as it deserves it's own Post.

After we got checked in we quickly showered and hit the streets in search of real food. (I was starving, even after all that wonder plane and bus food, who would have thought?)

We quickly found it in the shape of a pear. This luscious piece of fruit was bursting with flavor and I quickly devoured it and pronounced it "Best Pear ever Eaten"Ash and I continued on to lunch at Anna Bistro which we had been checking out in our travel book. We were pretty sure it wouldn't be to full of tourists because it was kind off the beaten path. In in the two times we were there...(both lunch) I never heard anyone speaking English.

When we arrived at Anna Bistro we were welcomed into the chic restaurant/lounge by the bartender squeezing fresh limes, oranges, and lemons for the many great cocktails that they serve. Almost every restaurant and bar in Argentina squeezes juice fresh. (some of the big shops in Bs As serve it out of the box however.) We were told to pick our seats and we went to one of the many ope-air patios that surrounded the enclosed portion of the restaurant. You got the feeling that you were lounging on the deck of your close friends in an intimate garden.

It was a hot day in Mendoza and after walking we were in need of a cool crispy white wine to refresh ourselves. We decided to go with a bottle of 2007 Perpetuum Torrontes from Bodega Gimenez Riili. This was a great wine to start out with in Mendoza. With grapes produced in the Maipú appellation of Mendoza Province it has strong guava, pear scents. This is a very light straw-yellow colored wine, possibly the clearest wine I have ever seen. In the mouth it exhibited some grainyness and a tounge coating viscosity that is textbook Torrontes. The wine was not as complex as some other Torrontes we have had; think (2007 Crios - Torrontes Ask Tricia at the Deli) but finished very crispy and slightly dry. This wine went very well with the cheese plate that we ordered and allowed us to really get the full flavors of each cheese.
The cheese plate came out and was nicely displayed with fresh olives and the best tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten. The waitress didn't understand when I asked what cheese we were eating, but both were very good. The cheese in the top of the plate was a semi-soft cheese, very mild and smooth on the palate. It was somewhat like our Emmentaler Swiss but not as nutty. (I love the Emmentaler at the Deli, ask Tricia or Nitya for a taste, I think you will agree.) It took on a buttery flavor as we sipped our wine that was very enjoyable. The cheese on the bottom of the plate was a smoked chedder of sorts. Very different from the first cheese as it was harder and was laced with black peppercorns. It was my favorite of the two. The smokiness and peppery tones really exploded in the mouth. Our other appetizer was the goat chese crostini. Now we were so impressed with the smell and the appearance of this dish that we forgot to take a picture. It was so dang good. The goat cheese had a tangy flavor that went very well with the wine as well. Sorry for the non-picture.

Our meals were just as good as the wine and cheese. Ashley's Roquefort, sundried tomato ravioli took the cake as far as best entree, but my peppercorn salmon bake was very good as well and only skin and a few bones were left on the plate. (yes bones...Be careful in Argentina because the fish is not fully boned.)
Roquefort and sundried Tomato Ravoili topped with Serrano Jamon and toasted seasame seeds.
This was just delicious, homemade raviolis in a white roquefort cream sauce. This was stellar with the Torrontes and I told Ashley that we (she..hehe) will be making this at home.

Salmon Bake with pink, black, and green peppercorns and bay leaves
This was also a great dish and the fish was well cooked and tender. It was really peppery and athough I am a pepper freak this dish was even a little too much for me. All in all it was a darn good start to Argentine food. I know you all are thinking, "What, he didn't eat Steak?" Well I decided that I would let Ashley have her way with the wine so the salmon paired well with the white.

We walked around the rest of the afternoon and admired the beauty of the sidewalks which are all done with amazing tile work. No boring grey concrete here. Not the best picture of it but it really was amazing.
Also we saw a funny sign that let us know a little bit about how the Argentines feel for our former president. That is all I will say on that topic.