What could be more pleasant than lunch on a patio shaded by a giant fresno (ash) tree, looking out toward a lush garden of roses, lavender, lemon verbena and other fragrant plants bordered by a grove of olive trees. Now if the food could only match the view. And at Almacen del Sur it does.
This ranch in the heart of Argentine wine country produces its own ingredients and incorporates them into a line of elegant preserves. The long list includes wine jellies made with Malbec or Torrontes, quince preserves with Malbec, rose petal preserves, figs in cognac flavored syrup and Almeria grapes in grappa.
Almacen del Sur claims to be the only place in all of South America to grow piquillo peppers. These are cut into strips and bottled in olive oil, turned into a spread or simply bottled as is. There are also sun-dried tomatoes, Greek olives, a mix of fire-roasted vegetables, green garlic sprouts and much more.
To show off its products, Almacen creates five-course menus that reflect the season and provides a fine selection of Mendoza wines. My lunch in summer (January) started with a tasting of four preserves--garlic paste, an unusual mix of arugula and almonds, sun-dried tomato paste and grilled zucchini--accompanied by homemade bread, bread sticks and cream cheese.
Chefs sometimes combine foods for the sake of being original, producing concoctions that don't always work. Not so at Almacen del Sur. The plates are beautiful and the flavors delightful, as in the second course, a salad of pineapple, mango and kiwi tempura on mixed greens, showered with crisp fried rice noodles and garnished with dabs of Torrontes wine jelly.
Next came a savory stack composed of pale, delicately flavored piquillo pepper ice cream on a layer of smoked trout over a layer of avocado mousse. The sun-dried tomatoes on the side were seasoned with olive oil, oregano and garlic.
Long strips of dried pear with a dab of Brie on the tip served as a palate cleanser before the main course--grilled tenderloin of wild boar accompanied by green tomato chutney and a reduction of balsamic vinegar, honey and ginger. Feathery fennel strands drifted over the mashed potatoes on the side.
Local wines that accompanied this lunch were a crisp, bright Escorihuela Gascon Sauvignon Blanc 2005 and Tempus Malbec 2005, a light red that married well with the sweet and savory flavors of the wild boar plate.
For dessert, a sugar-rimmed glass of sparkling wine containing peaches and raspberries accompanied three types of cheesecake. One showed off rose petal preserves; another Malbec wine jelly, and a third had Torrontes wine jelly on top and apricots and peaches in the pastry.
After lunch, my companions ordered as many bottles of preserves as they could carry. These are stocked in an adobe-walled 1888 country house that opens onto the patio.
Although described as a delicatessen, Almacen del Sur is nothing like the shops jammed with cheeses, salami and salads that most of us associate with that word. In this part of the world, delicatessen indicates a refined, upscale food emporium. And Almacen del Sur is certainly that.
Almacen del Sur, Zanichelli 709, Maipu, Mendoza, Argentina. Tel: 261–497-4802.
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