Ayres de Patagonia was the closest I could get to Patagonia, since we visited Argentina during a time of year where it would've been too cold to creep any closer to Antarctica. And knowing very little about Patagonia, I felt this restaurant did a pretty good job!
They go by multiple names: Aires de Patagonia, Ayres de Patagonia, Sabores de Patagonia, Patagonia Bistro, Cocina Patagonia... Located in the business-centric barrio of Puerto Madero, the restaurant is casual but clearly caters to more moneyed porteños and their guests from abroad. The interior is designed like a huge log cabin, with prominent wooden ceiling beams and slightly mismatched details: little Argentinean crafts and stonework all around. The tables are all made of lenga wood native to Patagonia's Tierra del Fuego.
The menu offers Patagonian specialties (with an emphasis on game) that are harder to find in Buenos Aires. We went the typical route and ordered the Patagonian lamb for two. What eventually arrived was a casserole dish heaped with colorful winter vegetables and lovely, tender lamb beneath. It was delicious, and a LOT of food for two people.
Just like the surrounding area, the vast restaurant was entirely empty during late afternoon. They make strangely good use of their expansive real estate, filling the space with tables with only the smallest of corridors in between, so you'll be surrounded by a million empty chairs and untouched table settings. Compounded with the slightly overbearing service (they insisted on serving the lamb dish onto each of our plates, repeatedly), the experience was not entirely without awkwardness.
As a direct remedy to that, our bottle of 006 Patagonia Malbec was great and reasonably priced.
Worth a visit? At the risk of totally tokenizing Patagonia in its menu and decor... yes. Aim for when it's a bit busier. read more
