Sunday, April 22, 2012

Brazil with a little bit of Argentina – Libertango


Truth be told I fell in love with Buenos Aires the first time I visited in 2002.  For me it was the European feel of the wide boulevards, café’s, preference for wine and the music of the tango.  The soulful, mournful tones with the accordion in the background drew me in.  The pace was a bit slower, meals longer and the emphasis was on relationships and good conversation around the table – my kind of lifestyle.  I have always said of the cities I visited, Buenos Aires was at the top of the list to take Tracy.

When we arrived in Campos on Saturday it was raining steadily and getting wet.  We needed a place for lunch and to dry off.  We basically popped into the first place we came to which was Famiglia Parmigana and we met “Little Jorge” Serodio, the owner and manager.  Little Jorge had lived in Orlando for 5 years with his family and was pleased to offer us service in English – yeehaw!  We enjoyed Beef Parmigana and Trout Parmigana for lunch.  As we spoke with Jorge we learned that his family also owned Libertango on the other side of the covered walkway.  They would gladly accept our dinner reservations for Saturday evening.
We were quickly greeted by Jorge, Sr and his other son – Chiago (likely just butchered the spelling).  We couldn’t help but be drawn in by their passion for food and hospitality.  They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable.  We enjoyed a 2008 Malbec from Argentina with our steaks, chimichurri and a side dish of mashed pumpkin and gorgonzola.  Our dessert was a crepe filled with dulce de leche and topped with fresh ice cream.  It was a memorable meal.

If there is a better combination of good beef, blue cheese and red wine I'd love to know what it is.

No comments:

Post a Comment