| rev:text
| - Just finished a wonderful dinner at L'Atelier d'Argentine, an Argentine contemporary restaurant founded by Natalia Machado (Gusto TV). Up front, I do not frequent restaurants for their 'celebrity chefs'; I am not a fan of them and I believe many are over rated and over charge for over handled food.
As a contemporary restaurant don't expect actual Argentine dishes, but rather somewhat westernized versions. The tag of contemporary offers that license to mix, interchange, and fuse flavors. Think of it as Argentine light. This of course is not to say the food is not good. As a matter of fact, the food is delicious, as is the nice atmosphere they provide including a DJ that mixes in great ambiance without pumping up the volume. This allowed for proper dinner conversation.
My dinner partner and I had good things to say about the dinner, wine selection, but partially let down on the dessert.
COCKTAIL: Vesper Martini - This was a mix of Vodka, Gin, Lillet. I'm not a fan of gin, so I did not really enjoy it. At least I tried it.
WINE: Trivento Malbec
Very nice selection from our great waiter!
Appetizer:
BURRATA DE CAMPO: Creamy burrata, roasted bell pepper, prosciutto chip, Argentinean olive oil
- This cheese is a MUST HAVE if you find it on the menu and it is available as it only lasts two days opened. It is clean to the pallet and deliciously creamy. I enjoyed it on bread without the prosciutto chip as it actually overpowered the cheese.
Main:
Hers: RAVIOLON DE CORDERO: Giant braised lamb ravioli, rustic almond pesto, confit garlic, plum
- Delicious! The pasta was perfect and the taste of the lamb and ingredients were vibrant but not overpowering. Well plated too.
Mine: OJO DE BIFE: Bifteck de côte / Rib eye
- Cooked to a perfect medium rare that melted in my mouth. It came with two Argentine salsas but I'm a purist so I did not like them on my steak.
Sides:
FRITAS DE POLENTA: Crispy polenta fries, chimichurri ketchup
- Very yummy and it was a good substitute for fries.
Dessert:
Hers: A banana crepe and ice cream combination she'd had in Argentina previously so she was expecting something bigger. The taste was okay but not something she'd recommend.
Mine: A dark chocolate mousse dessert with walnuts and a small biscuit. This was so delicious, like a flavor party in your mouth! Strong delightful flavors that won't disappoint.
PRICE: Reasonable for this type of restaurant, be prepared for about $90-$100 per person on a full meal like the one described above.
SERVICE: Excellent service!
1) The manager came by to explain the concept of the restaurant when I first sat down. Nice touch.
2) The waiter was well trained, attentive, personable, and knew his product. BRAVO!
3) The bus staff were constantly watching our water glasses and filling them and removing finished plates.
TIPPING POLICY:
This is where I have a very big problem. The tipping choice on the portable payment machine is listed as:
a) 20% b) 25% c) 30% d) other
Are you kidding me??? Regular tipping in Canada is 15% (USA 18%+) and more (sometimes less) depending on the service. I would have happily given 18-20% for this waiter (I did give 20%), he was that good as was the entire experience. However, it is presumptuous to begin the tip scale at 20%. If this is the trend of restaurants then clients beware and do not be suggested into giving that much on a regular basis; because once it becomes a habit it becomes the norm. You have other things to put your hard earned money toward.
Overall Rating 4/5 stars
I would recommend this restaurant...but beware the tipping policy.
(NOTE: This review is for the Crescent Street location)
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