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View Full Version : Vatel - Paraguay 1583



StrayLight
04-19-07, 12:10
Just in case the name "Vatel" doesn't ring any bells, François Vatel was the legendary steward to the equally legendary 17th Century French gourmet Louis II of Bourbon. He was popularized in the 2000 film "Vatel," with Gérard Depardieu playing the lead role.

Anyway, I was walking down Paraguay near Montevideo and saw a menu at street level outside of an old mansion with the word "Francia" on it, and "$18 pesos" in big letters. On closer inspection, the place turned out to be Vatel Buenos Aires, a local branch of an international hotel school that's named after old François. And they have a little public restaurant that they use to train their staffs.

So I had the $18 peso executive lunch.

I got some good, fresh rye bread, along with butter...aqua con gas...a very nice grilled porkchop with equally nice onion marmalade...some sort of brocolli gratin that I enjoyed...a salad of roasted or baked eggplant and some sort of raw sprouts (which I did not particularly enjoy)...a dessert of fruit flambe...and a small cortado. I also ordered a glass of wine for an extra $7 pesos, and there was a table charge of $3 pesos. Total: $28 pesos.

All in all, I thought it was a great deal. All the wait staff are in training, and their hands may shake as they serve you, but it's cute. The manager, Alain Auneveux, is from France, and took some time to stop by the table...ask how things were...chat about French food, etc. And by and large, the food and wine were pretty good. Especially at that price.

So, if you're looking for something new and a little different, here you go.

SL