As soon as we arrived in Mendoza we hit the ground
tasting and dining.
First up was dinner at Francis Mallman’s prestigious 1884
Restaurant in a beautiful old winery outside of town. Having a long career in
the gourmet food industry, he returned the elemental roots of Argentine cooking
with fire in the outdoors now acclaimed on his gourmet TV show and renown for several
of Argentina’s best restaurants. The
first night out of the city in the outdoor courtyard of 1882 inspired
in-the-moment glee from Ruth, “Dining outside in the candlelight with grass
underfoot and the southern constellations shimmering overhead, we surely have
arrived in Argentina!”
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| Table setting at 1882 Restaurant. |
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| Anne and Julie with fresh empanadas. |
The constellation of plates and wines were equally
stunning: goat and beef steaks delivered to our table just steps from the open
fire was washed down with aromatic Malbecs in poured in big glasses. We’re now
into the Argentine dining groove having been seated for dinner at 10 PM and
closing out our first summer’s eve in Mendoza arriving at our colonial hacienda
at 1 AM.
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| Asador (chef) setting up our plates. |
We awoke the next morning in the peaceable environs of
Club Tapiz surrounded by vineyards everywhere. Argentines are able to dine,
drink and hang out together late into the night because siestas are built into
daily life here. As tourists there’s too much to see and do every day (and on
this trip that means much drinking and eating) so we’re at a bit of a
disadvantage because we’re not about to take a siesta in the middle of the day
on a 13-day tour of Argentina. But, at least on this Wildland Adventure we
don’t get started before 9 AM, so I took the opportunity to go for a run down
vineyard backroads through rows upon rows of chardonnay and malbec grapes.
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Ruth took a quick cat nap after dinner in the garden of 1884 the
first night of our Argentina tour. |
keeping it wild,
Kurt Kutay
First up was dinner at Francis Mallman’s prestigious 1884
Restaurant in a beautiful old winery outside of town. Having a long career in
the gourmet food industry, he returned the elemental roots of Argentine cooking
with fire in the outdoors now acclaimed on his gourmet TV show and renown for several
of Argentina’s best restaurants. The
first night out of the city in the outdoor courtyard of 1882 inspired
in-the-moment glee from Ruth, “Dining outside in the candlelight with grass
underfoot and the southern constellations shimmering overhead, we surely have
arrived in Argentina!” 
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