Frida Khalo: Mexican Food Quest Part II - Getting closer to the real deal

Photos © copyright by Guía Oleo
Tonight, my wife and I went back to Frida Khalo the restaurant in Núñez (Ciudad de la Paz 3093), and I have to say it is much better than the other Mexican place I mentioned a few weeks ago. It is now my favorite place for a spicy ( and I mean really spicy) fix of my favorite food from back home.

We heard about Frida Khalo's when we first went to Il Gran Caruso, a very good and highly recommended Italian restaurant in Las Cañitas.

There we were having one of the best Italian meals we have had in the city when my wife looks up and says, "Isn't that a Mariachi Band in the lobby?" Now, we had consumed one or two bottles of Malbec already, but sure enough our eyes did not deceive us.

It is not every day you see a mariachi band in an Italian restaurant, much less in an Italian restaurant in Buenos Aires. We had to go up and introduce ourselves. Come to find out, the Guitar player was a college student from McAllen, Texas! What a small world.

Well, we never found out what in the world a Mariachi band made up of good'ol boys from Texas was doing at an Italian restaurant. We had more important questions to ask... Like where in the hell can you find decent Mexican Food?

After a small debate and a few recommendations on where NOT to go (Maria Felix), they all agreed on Frida Khalo. We immediately phoned our friends and made a date to try it out.

The first time to Frida Khalo's was wonderful. Although it was not Tex-mex, it was very similar to food at the nicer restaurants in Mexico. Very fine interior Mexican food. When we were telling other's of our experience at Frida Khalo, we received puzzled looks. Several (mainly porteños) who had tried it said they did not like it.

Because of the feedback from others, we had not tried Frida Khalo's again until tonight. What a mistake. The food was excellent and very, very spicy. Ahh just what I have been missing. The same can't be said for our second outing to 5ta. Esencia in La Lucila.

We started with two Sopas. Mine was the Sopa Trotsky, a cold soup that was very similar to Gazpacho, only less tomatoes and more lime. Very good. My wife started with the Sopa Chiloto, a warm mexican corn chowder with plenty of cilantro, lime and the most deliciously sweet corn . It was slightly spicy with just a slight hint of chili. It was one of the best corn chowders I have tasted, including my own.

Frida Khalo is known for their moles. My first visit, I had the chicken mole made with the traditional brown mole (the numerous ingredients include chocolate and peanut butter). Tonight, I had the chicken enchiladas with the same mole sauce. The mole was very spicy and I was very happy. The only complaint was the chicken was a little bland on the inside.

My wife tried the pork enchiladas in a spicy red sauce. When they say spicy, the mean it. The pork was seasoned well and was tender. Her only complaint was that the dish was a little too spicy. Yes you heard me right. Food that was too spicy here in Buenos Aires is a little hard to believe, I know.

If you don't believe me, try it for yourself.

La Huella Restaurant in Jose Ignacio

On our trip to Punta del Este, we stumbled upon one of the greatest seaside dives—Parador La Huella.

According to Peggy Knickerbocker at Gourmet Magazine, several chefs consider it the best beach side restaurant in the world. It is the kind of place that would be right at home in Austin. Despite attracting an international A-list crowd and having one of best chefs in the region, it is the kind of place where flip flops are the attire of choice.

The restaurant is in a "shack" right on the beach in the seaside village of Jose Ignacio about a 20 minute drive up the coast from Punta Del Este. Jose Ignacio appears on the surface to be just your average sleepy little South American fishing village.

But behind those small little fishing casas are some of the most expensive homes in South America. Supermodel Naomi Campbell, Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon, Michael Eisner, and Ralph Lauren are just a few of the neighbors in this small town.

Mexican Food... What every good Texan misses most.

What does the typical Texan miss most when away from home?

Mexican Food! What else? To be technically correct, that would be Tex-Mex. But when you are desperate, any form of Mexican food will do.


Everyone finds it hard to believe that the food down here is mild. In fact, it is blander than the food in from Great Britan. Yes, it is that bad.

Most people in the States use the following logic when summing up Argentina: It is south of the border, they speak Spanish (or so they are told), so therefore they eat Mexican food. Or at least something similar.

As a side note, when word got out that we were moving to Argentina, one of my daughter's friends actually asked, "they speak Mexican down there don't they?"

Well I wish that logic held true (even the speaking Mexican part). I MISS MEXICAN FOOD!

Great news. After disappointing outings at three restaurants that attempt Mexican food, I've finally found the real deal. 5ta. Esencia in La Lucila (Av. Del Libertador 3986).

We started with the ceviche tostadas and they were perfecto! We then had a sampler with several tacos, quesadillas, taquitos and other items. They were all great even though they didn't exactly look like the fare from home or Mexico. But, they came damn close.

Back home, we have a saying about Mexican restaurants. You can judge how good the place is by the chips and hot sauce they serve when you sit down. The chips here look more like Fritos and not the familiar triangles we are use to, but were good. The hot sauce at first was as bland as katchup with zero heat. I asked if they had real hot sauce and was brought liquid fire in a bowl. I was in heaven.

Choripan...Heaven on a Bun.

I have to admit, I'm not the kind of guy who's into buying food off of some street vendor's cart. Unless it is the fish tacos on the beaches of Mexico, or the hot dogs off streets of New York, or the burritos and egg rolls off the carts around the University of Texas campus. And of course, corny dogs at the Texas State Fair.

OK, so maybe I am into street food.

Well, nothing comes close to the goodness of the Choripan. Choripan vendors can be found all over the the parks of Palermo and they serve up heaven on a warm tasty bun.

I guess Choripan is short for Chorizo y Pan (Sausage and bread for you gringos back home). Only the chorizo sausage is not the same firery, spicy-hot variety us Texicans are used to. Porteños don't like anything hot or too spicy.

The chorizo here is just a good old fashion sausage similar to what they have in Spain. Not very hot at all. But boy is it good.

Grill it up and throw it on a toasted bun and you have the closest thing you'll get to fast food here. Only 100 times better.

Buenos Aires Food Heaven

It's about time we get down to details on the wonderful food here. My wife and I have been having some of the best meals we have had in a long time.

Last night we ate at Sottovoce around the corner from our apartment here in the Recoleta. Sottovoce serves classic Italian food with impeccable service and an expert touch in the kitchen. It is said the restaurant is popular with politicians and the upper crust Italians in the neighborhood. There was a mix of very refined Italians, Recoleta grand dames and younger couples dining last night. Can't say if I saw any politicians.

We started with two appetizers of carpaccio. One was the traditional beef with arugula and parmesan. The other was a carpaccio of fresh salmon with capers and dill. The beef carpaccio was traditionally executed. However, the arugula here has a wonderful peppery flavor that can't be duplicated in the US. And when it is paired with the super thin slices of Argentina's famed beef, this standard Italian fare is turned spectacular.

Can't say the same for my salmon. I love dill on grilled salmon. I love capers with smoked salmon. The two just overpowered the raw salmon. Using the two together sparingly in more of a garnish combined with a little lemon would of been a better route.

For the main event, my wife went for the roasted conejo (rabbit) served in a wonderful hunters sauce. It was succulent and very flavorful without the gamey taste most rabbit dishes have.

I wanted to try some of the homemade pasta they are known for. My Tagliatelle Sottovoce was served with a simple sauce of tomato, basil, oregano, garlic and olive oil. It was a simple dish expertly prepared. The fresh tagliatelle was the best fresh pasta I have had anywhere. The sauce was a perfect balance of flavors.

We finished with the Chocolate Vulcano pictured below. Ummm, chocolate heaven.



Our whole tab came out to $224 pesos (US $70). And that included a bottle of 2004 Luigi Bosca Reserve Malbec. Easily a $50 to $60 bottle of wine in the states. While the cost of eating out here has dramatically risen lately, I can get use to eating a fine meal for about what we would pay for a nice bottle of wine in the US.

The Argentine Paradox: How Can They Eat This Well, Yet be So Thin!

Ok.... We have been here almost five days and from best we can gather, here is the daily intake of the average porteño.

1. Breakfast: start with cured ham, cheese, a few pastries and a few shots of espresso.


2. Lunch: Salad, hearty pasta, Vino, more café, more pastries.


3. Afternoon: more café, a few more pastries


4. Early Evening (6 to 7): Tapas ( little plates of food), more pastries and of course mas café.


5. Dinner: Late Evening (starts between 9:30 and 11:00 - even on weeknights!) Steak and wine. And we are talking massive amounts of the the best beef in the world.

The paradox? After all that food, how come porteños are so thin! There are no fat people in Buenos Aires. At least none that we have come across. Yet look at what they eat. How can that be!

Atkins folks will point out that they eat little else on their plates except the beef. Yet that is only for dinner. Every time they sit down for café, there is some sort of fattening sweet involved.

Others will point out that there are no processed foods in the porteño's diet. I have to admit that I have yet to eat anything that ADM or Monsanto has had a hold of. It has all been whole foods made from the freshest ingredients. Even the few Cokes and Sprites we have let the kids have are made from sugar and not corn syrup.

Are we in heaven? Can it be true that we can eat all this wonderful food (and I can't describe in words just how good the food is) and loose weight at the same time?

We'll keep you posted.