Hidden away on the wrong side of Avenida San Juan, close to Parque Lezama in San Telmo is Avenida Caseros, a single gentrified beacon in an otherwise badly-lit, shifty neighbourhood. Populated by trendy bars and brunch-serving cafes, among them sits the restaurant Caseros. With floor to ceiling windows and ample lighting, it is noticeable walking by on a dark summer's evening. It manages to look warmly inviting despite the two-storey high ceilings and sparse art-gallery-white walls. Tables and chairs are of the French-rustic variety and the decor nods to a distinctly Scandinavian chic.
On being handed the menu I am delighted to see there are a number of reasonably-priced seafood and fish options, unusual for Buenos Aires (unless you happen to be in one of the city's many wonderful Peruvian restaurants enjoying ceviche, which I surely will be before too long - watch this space). I opt for a leafy salad with prawns, fresh salmon and orange segments. Jeff chooses Costilla de Cerdo (pork chops) served with watercress salad and potato gratin. My salad is drowning in oily vinaigrette and the salmon, which appears to have been deep-fried, further adds to the heaviness. The pork is decently succulent, but it is the gratin which is the highlight, slivers of potato and onion, velvety and perfectly seasoned.
The towering stack of chocolate and orange |
I will certainly be making a return visit to Caseros, but only to the road which bears that name, rather than the restaurant, which has essentially underwhelmed me. There are, after all, a handful of other alluring places to sample - all in the name of research of course - in what appears to be a flourishing neighbourhood.
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