La Rural
Upper West Side
Happy birthday J! We celebrated at La Rural, an Argentinian joint that specializes in grilled meats a la parilla. DJKung and I arrived early, so we grabbed a malbec for him (Septimere '07) and a varietal for me (Dona Flor '05: merlot/shiraz). Both worked very well with the food.
La Rural does look a like a Buenos Aires parilla joint, with the grill visible as you walk in. I especially liked the rough-hewn wooden tables.
For apps, DJKung ordered the grilled sweetbreads and the cheese sampler. The bread was really wonderful slathered with a very garlicky pesto (chimichurri?) that was next to the salt and pepper on the table.
Cheese platter. Let me see. Clockwise, from top left: manchego, cabrales, dried figs, tetilla, apple slices, brie, strawberry slices. Green and red grapes in the middle. We really like the manchego--- very creamy and nutty. The rest weren't anything standout, but it was nice to try some new cheeses. The cabrales was a superfunky blue cheese. At home, Chibby eyed it with suspicion, but Babams ate it with his customary gusto.
Birthday libations: sangria!
For our mains, DJKung was game to try the day's special, osso bucco. I was already getting full from the apps, so I got me some corn empanadas.
Osso buco. DJKung said it was a little dry, but falling-off-the -bone (?). He really liked the yellow marrow. The sauce was tomato-based, on the bland side. Side of long grain rice, cooked al dente, and delicately seasoned. Very hearty!
Empanadas de choclo (corn empanadas). They were on the small side, and fried perfectly. The filling had creamy corn and pimiento and was very yummy.
A couple of friends ordered the grilled meats assortment. The consensus was that the meats definitely had that free-range taste.
Pio-pio. From top: dulce de leche ice cream, which was divine--- creamy dulce cut with salt. Middle: strawberry slices, on the tart side but full of flavor. Bottom: sponge roll with more scrummy dulce filling. The roll was a bit dry and overly sweet... I liked the ice cream waaay better by itself.
Birthday flan.
I thought the best food of the night was the garlic fries. The rib eye steak I ordered was good, but nothing special. I actually thought the rib eye steak from Costco that my Dad grills was actually better. And the crepe that you have pictured wasn't that good. I thought the caramel was a bit much and I hardly noticed the apples in it. Maybe the other stuff was better, but I'm sure you found out that I'm not too adventurous with my food. It's funny that you mentioned the flickering lights. It started to irk me towards the end of the night for some reason.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog. I have so many new places to check out now! I'd love to hear your take on the Korean Fried Chicken joints in Fort Lee or a Hiram's vs. Rutt's Hut review. Looking forward to more good eats!