By Colin Barraclough for TheAustralian.com.au"OH my, that's delicious," says American gourmand Susy Davidson as she tucks into a large plateful of king crab ravioli at Chila, a chic bistro in Buenos Aires' restored docklands.
Two years ago, Chila's resident chef, Soledad Nardelli, picked up the "best upcoming chef" prize from France's Academie Internationale de la Gastronomie. On any ordinary day, her seafood and game dishes -- clam risotto, moulard duck magret, quail with mascarpone and lemon -- attract a demanding clientele of local and visiting foodies.
On this particular night, expectations are higher than usual. Davidson and fellow clients of food-oriented travel operator Argentina444 have come to Chila for a private dinner that will see Nardelli sharing kitchen space with Suzanne Tracht, an award-winning American chef and owner of Los Angeles chophouse Jar.
Seated in a secluded space at the restaurant's rear, where plate-glass windows overlook the city's docks, guests are treated to a succession of creative plates: wild Patagonian oysters presented on towers of leek, celery and black beans; a confit of suckling pig with passionfruit and mashed potatoes; sizzling rib-eye steak with Szechuan peppercorns and teriyaki.
As waiters serve each dish, the two chefs emerge briefly to describe their cooking technique before dashing back to the kitchen to finesse the next.
The brainchild of Alberto Inza, an Argentine-born cook now resident in the US, Argentina444 signs up well-known foreign chefs who accompany paying guests on 10-day culinary tours of Argentina. Starting among Buenos Aires' myriad steakhouses and Italian-influenced trattoria, the groups journey to the wine-producing province of Mendoza -- a region known for its roasted kid and organically produced olive oils, herbs and cheeses -- and on to Patagonia, where monster-sized trout, crab and hunted game rank among South America's best.
In each region, the visiting chef prepares a collaborative dinner with a noted local cook, steering guests to farmers' markets, butchers and vineyards along the way. A concierge is also on hand to set up off-the-cuff excursions, ranging from tango nights in out-of-the-way dance halls to forays on horseback through the forests of Patagonia.
This tour combines Romanesque indulgence with intimate, behind-the-scenes access to some of Argentina's leading kitchens.
From Buenos Aires, we fly to Mendoza and settle into...Read Full Article
