New flavors: Buenos Aires restaurants revamp for a new season

As temperatures drop in Buenos Aires, some of the city’s best restaurants are spicing up and fighting the cold front with a wave of reinventions. Some are welcoming back defining chefs, others are refining the identities that made them stand out in the first place.  Changes range from new seasonal dishes and more expansive wine offers to new tasting experiences and a return to culinary roots.  Abreboca Fraga 541Monday to Saturday, 8 p.m. to midnight; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. The hidden and beautiful Andalusian patio in Chacagiales revamped its menu, with new chef Agustina Leiva taking over. Rest assured, the amazing homemade charcuterie — made famous by former chef Leonardo El Tucu Govetto Sosa — is still there, with only a few very welcomed twists, like the duck liver leberwurst.       Abreboca’s essence of offering typical Argentine dishes from all over the country is now powered by new sommelier Federico Palmieri’s selection, which features a slightly more “federal” winelist from both new and established winemakers.  The renovation has not scrapped Abreboca’s most popular dishes (a decision that speaks of its commitment to regulars), and instead brought some new solid additions to the menu that fit perfectly for the fall and winter seasons.  Our favorite? The Parmesan “bomb” gnocchi with spice-braised lamb, reduction cream sauce, and crispy fried leek. The so-hot-right-now beef cheeks with demiglace and lime beans are a close second.  The typical flan con dulce de leche has its own quintessential Argentine version, with a corn-made pudding, mascarpone cream, and DDL toffee. Other simple but pitch perfect choices include the surprising torrontés zabaione with fresh seasonal fruit and strawberry honey, and a sophisticated version of queso y dulce featuring a sweet potato, orange and cardamom preserve with goat cheese and spiced syrup. Santa Inés  Ávalos 360Tuesday to Sunday, starting at 12:30 p.m. Chef Jazmín Marturet Set in its vintage-feel venue in the heart of La Paternal, chef Jazmín Marturet’s MN Santa Inés is relaunching its menu with a clear geographic orientation, with each dish responding to a specific part of the world. Organized in a growing scale of intensity, Marturet’s cooking continues to be influenced by Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. In that line, highlights include the raw kibbeh with pea bread, tomato, scallions, onion, grape oil and greens, as well as the smoked eggplant flatbread with egg and goat cream. The Soto Bakso Ikan Woku — Indonesian fish soup with wontons and rice — and spicy pork with kimchi, sweet potato noodles and pickles both take the intensity up a notch.  Among the main courses, the Pad Gra Pao and Khao Soi Gai evoke Thailand; the Chana Masala with pumpkin and chutneys points to India; the Wing Chun nods to China; and the falafel offers a rich and complex interpretation of Middle Eastern cuisine.  Deserts maintain that line, with identifying options like the peanut flan with bananas. Santa Inés’ typical “satellite” dishes remain, as well as its clear stand on spice, dutifully warned on the menu: “If it’s spicy, it’s spicy.” Chuí  Loyola 1250Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 1 a.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. One of the most original restaurants in Buenos Aires, Chuí just celebrated its fifth anniversary in its warehouse-style salon and lush garden in Villa Crespo. With plenty of reasons to celebrate — owners are planning a couple of interesting new openings in Buenos Aires — the occasion was also marked by the return of Victoria Di Gennaro as executive chef, closing a successful tenure by former chef Kenji Heanna. Di Gennaro was responsible for Chuí’s original gastronomic identity since its opening and the creator of its first menu — yes, the charred avocado with kimchi, leche de tigre and pumpkin dukkah that became Chuí’s most popular dish is hers. With a 20-year-long career — which includes working with Francis Mallmann and heading the legendary Proper — her return promises a renewed emphasis on produce, seasonality, and fire cooking. New and established hits include the fried corn with roasted garlic butter, tajín and jalapeño mayonnaise, the llanero cheese (inspired on Brazil’s beach queijinho) with fruit vinegar, Cachi chili, and oregano, and the funghi brioche sandwich. The relentless butterscotch toffee still tops the dessert list, and the woodoven pizzas continue to expand Chui’s vegetarian offering. Bonus Track: Trescha’s earlybird menu TreschaMurillo 725Wednesdays to Saturdays, 6.30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. One of the few Buenos Aires restaurants with a Michelin star, Trescha has been weathering the storm that hit the fine dining scene as a result of a severe drop in incoming foodie tourism.  Now, the restaurant run by wunderkind chef Tomás Treschanski is expanding its offering with an earlybird, shorter menu that maintains the chef’s thoroughness and quality and will be available on a new first shift at 6.30 p.m., three days a week. The new menu offers nine steps and a more dynamic flow, keeping Tresha’s essence of attention to detail, ultimate respect for the produce, and four wine pairings specific for this version.