Buenos Aires: Resto (Retro) Review

I was lax in writing up a full review of my dinner at Resto restaurant when I was in Buenos Aires a couple of months ago.  But I thought I'd do a bit of a look-back review because it was one of the top dinners I had in that city and if you are going to visit, I'd recommend this place and we made reservations in advance. The chef is another who trained with El Bulli's Ferran Adria. And the menu here is a great prix-fixe three-course: the meals are presented in four combinations, but you can mix and match among any of them.

Resto is a small restaurant hidden in the back of the lobby of an architectural society. It's a very spare bright room, decorated primarily in white, with a few artsy photographs hung along one wall. The service was friendly and we were offered complimentary glasses of a great Rose Champagne to start. We ordered glasses of pinot gris to follow.

Amuse Bouche
Langoustine "cracker" with a lemon puree and cilantro. It looks crispy because it's fried, but it was soft and shrimpy-flavored. Tasty, though.

Appetizers
Rabbit Terrine with Pickled and Fresh Radish Salad
Not too gamey. It even almost tasted like turkey. A nice hearty appetizer.

Sauteed Spider Crab with Fennel and Dried Granny Smith Apples
These were savory, properly salted and extremely tender - they barely needed chewing. Lemon zest gave the dish an extra boost.

Mains

Borage-Stuffed Quail with Millet Risotto and Creamy Cheese, Lemon and Parsley and Caramelized Cashews
Any gaminess lacking in the rabbit terrine was made up for in the quail. But I like that quality to really distinguish it from other more common meats I eat in restaurants. The quail was stuffed with a very buttery mix of spinach. The risotto resembled mashed potatoes, but had the texture of grits. The crispy cashews were a great flavor and texture contrast.

Black Drum (Corvina) with Fresh Peas, Mint Leaves, Pea Sprouts and Ham
This is not a fish I see often on menus, so it was nice to have here. It was meaty, with good flavor, but the chef was a little too liberal with the salt shaker. This was a big portion served over a bowlful of large, fresh peas.

Dessert

Quince and Frangipane Tart with Tahini and Vanilla Ice Cream
The tahini ice cream tasted very much like sesame. The dessert had strong fruity perfume and a buttery pastry.

Warm and Soft Chocolate with Vanilla and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
The cake itself was not too sweet - the sweetness came from the liquid chocolate center - and the ice cream was a good, rich ice cream.