New Brighton, Bar Notable of Buenos Aires

This is a Bar Notable of Buenos Aires? It looks more like a high-end gentlemen’s club in England. There’s good reason for that, and it goes back to the place’s history, but I’ll talk about that in another post.

It’s much bigger than it looks from the outside, as the whole space is long and narrow. The dark wood paneling is lustrous and elegant. The mirrors, of which there are many, are polished to within an inch of their lives. The table linen is blindingly white. Two stag heads are mounted on the wall, but even these are understated in an English kind of way.

Lina and I select a bottle of wine. When the waiter brings it, instead of asking one person to taste it, in the usual way, he asks us both. I wonder what would happen if one liked it and the other didn’t! A nice touch though.

Lina selects a risotto of spinach and smoked salmon. When she takes her first forkful, her eyes close and she utters an ecstatic “Mmmmmm!” I can’t count the number of times she pronounces it delicious before it’s done.

I have the Spanish omelette. In Canada they always seem to smother them in tomato sauce, but here they serve them as they do in Spain—stuffed with potatoes and no sauce needed.  It’s one of my favourite dishes and the one I often choose in Bares Notables. It gives me a point of comparison to see who does it best. So far it’s a tie between New Brighton and Los Galgos. This one is very large, and before serving the waiter asks if I would like to have it cut in two. I do. I’m sure he knows from experience I will want to take half home with me.

I know some people think omelettes should be runny, but I’m not one of them, so I always ask for it cozido (cooked). When he cuts into it, he notices it is quite liquid, so he thinks I would probably like it cooked a little more. I agree. Pro-active — I like that.

Before leaving, I ask to speak to the manager, Mariela. I explain what I am doing, and we arrange for me to go in by myself next Wednesday at 11 am for coffee, when she will talk to me about New Brighton. Before the lunchtime crowd arrives I will also have free rein to sketch. I’m looking forward to it.