Gourmet Porteño Restaurant in Puerto Madero, Another All-You-Can-Eat Experience
Mar 15, 2007 3 Comments Print
Well, to date I’ve tried three “tenedor libres” (all-you-can-possibly- fit-in-your-stomach- depending-on-your- drive-and-compulsion- to-squeeze-every-centavo- out-of-the-fixed- price-resatuarants), and Gourmet Porteño brought my GI tract the closest to circuit overload. But that says more about my mentality than it does the restaurant. Still, gorging myself to the brink of a consciousness didn’t have to be as pleasurable as it was. Each bite there was a bite-sized pleasure.
We arrived a hungry group, comprised of four Americans (Americans from the United States), a Finlander, and a medical student from Australia. The majority being from the States we rolled up at 8 pm before there was a single soul in the place and left a solid two and a half hours later. I think each one of us overate, so not only did we leave quite full and bloated, but we also carried with us a pronounced sense of pride and accomplishment.
Gourmet Porteno separates itself from other tenedor libres because it offers a wide selection of of foods. It is not just sushi or parilla (grilled meats). We began with a sampling of salads and noshes. Afterwards we each hit up the sushi stand, the pasta counter, the parilla, pizza oven, and finally the “gourmet” option. There was also a fish section although none of us cashed in on it. There was no particular reason for this. I think we just all felt obligated to try the parilla instead and ended up forgetting to go back due to short term memory loss on account of attention diversion to the chore of digesting.
At each “station” you have the choice between three or five dishes that they can prepare for you, making any amendments you wish. After many salads with seafood, some pumpkin ravioli, ribs, steak, and pork with strawberry glaze our eyes were more than half-hooded. Thus impaired, we were forced to make our desert selections from a variety of cakes, cookies, puddings, ice creams, and tarts. To be safe, I stuck with a simple sampling of 2 puddings, 2 cakes, a panqueque (a lot like a crepe) and three types of ice cream.
I was surprised that the place never filled up, but it was a Monday night. However, if you are going to dine late like the locals, and later in the week, it would probably be a good idea to make a reservation. There is an enclosed “terrace,” but it is smoking only.
You are only asked to pay $40 pesos (drinks are not included) to take one giant step closer to a coronary. Buen Provecho (bon appetit)!
Located at Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo
Zona Puerto Madero
Tel: 4312-3021/31
3 Comments
[…] Our two hours of play usually runs us about $8-$12 pesos each, depending on how many people show up. And some weeks, when there is enough interest, we make a reservation to eat at the Canchas after our game. For about $30 pesos per person, the staff at the fields will fire up their huge grill and produce an all-you-can-eat parilla feast that rivals many restaurants in the city. The parilla meal includes salad and bread and costs about $20 pesos, and some assorted drinks and dessert account for the other $10. […]
Senhor Gerente
Gostaria de fazer reservas para seis pessoas, no dia 20/07/2008 as 14:00 horas.
Favor informar a tarifa e se aceitam cartão de crédito e qual bandeira.
Grato
Paulo Baltar
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