By Diario Los Andes
Many would remember the Hostel Los Pinos, its tea time, as well as its accommodation
I’ts a classic, as it also was the Hotel de Potrerillos today closed under a judicial conflict. We are referring to the hotel and restaurant Los Pinos, a classic located in the mountains that has reopened its doors for the first time since the sixties by Benjamin Sepúlvera.
This is a touristic place that really changed owners often after Benjamin decided to give it up. The space that used to be dedicated to accommodations was closed and for years its tea time has been a very well known event. At the beginning of this year, Sepúlvera’s dream came back alive, when Diego, one of his sons, reopened it due to his father’s dream and with the idea of giving back life to place that he believes to be very promising.
This way, today, this restaurant is one of the few options available near the Dique de Potrerillos. The short supply in the area right now is growing slowly, but increasing especially due to private investment.
Near Potrerillos we can find really interesting eateries eateries that are forming an important gastronomical center in the mountains. In this group we can find restaurants like La Posta, with its regional dishes; El Tomillo, on the Los Cóndores Avenue; Cervecería Jerome, with German options; accommodations and resto Pueblo del Río on the way to Uspallata; and the recently reopened Los Pinos.
A Classic came back
After travelling around Spain, Diego landed in Mendoza with an idea that had been on his mind. He made real that idea after meeting a friend of his, Micaela Frias. They both wanted to have a bar or resto. And they thought what better place than doing it in the mountains.
That’s how they started. First they repaired the old house. During all summer the place was opened with tables outside in the garden, while they were trying to get the traditional dining room ready. In the future they are planning to repair the old bedrooms and start offering accommodation also.
Nowadays, this gastronomic option is simple but attractive. The menu is based on barbecue and a charcoal oven in charge of another close friend, Marcos Gonzalez Villanueva.
From the menu some dishes come out: Herb’s trout, pizza, flank steak, and smoked items. For dessert we recommend the cheese plate with regional jam. What about the prices? Reasonable, quite similar to the ones of any dowtown restaurant. The dish is around 40 pesos AR. This is surely a promising place to go…
