A Penguin to the Rescue

The empanadas are good at La Americana. They ought to be, because this big, bustling restaurant in Buenos Aires claims to be "La Reina de las Empanadas " (The Queen of Empanadas).

What I go there for isn't the empanadas, though. but the penguins.

No, not penguins to eat, but to provide more wine than I should probably drink at one sitting.

For some reason that I don't know, ceramic penguins are prized as wine decanters in Buenos Aires. Not just at restaurants but in homes too, because housewares stores sell them.

They come in various sizes, either white or brown. White is the usual color for wine. Brown might do for beer.

Not knowing about the penguins, I  went to La Americana because  Jose, a guy I met at a pizza place, sent me.  He thought I would like the empanadas. "They might be too spicy for you," he warned. They were not. 

"Spicy" in Buenos Aires means an extra shot of "spices" such as green onions, not chiles. So an empanada saltena con picante, a Salta style beef empanada at La Americana, contained nothing very picante.

Hojaldra de atun--tuna inside puff pastry--was sweet and caramelized  at the edges. And pascualina wasn't an empanada at all, but a wedge of spinach and egg torte.

This was hearty food, and I needed liquid refreshment. A penguin of house wine to the rescue.

A few days later I went back for an empanada criolla (hand-cut beef)  and a pizzeta calabresa, a little pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, sausage  and a sprinkle of oregano .

This time, I chose Crotta Bonarda Malbec from the wine list. It too came in a penguin.

A few months later, I was back. This time I  consumed an entire pizza Brasilena (tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, pineapple, red bell pepper and green olives).

It was late, and the restaurant was jammed.  But the line for tables moved quickly, and I was soon wedged in a corner seat by a window where I could observe penguins as they arrived at nearby tables.

Prices have risen in Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, this May, my pizza cost less than $7, and would easily have fed two, maybe even three. And the medium penguin of house red wine that you see in the photograph cost just one peso more than the year before--a birdful of wine for only $2. 

La Americana, 83 Callao, corner Bartolome Mitre, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tel: 4371-0202.