Mile 7
Remarkable flavors in the Calchaquí Valleys
At km 11 of National Route 68, the gastronomic proposal of Milla 7, a modern dining room surrounded by vineyards in Chimpa, ten minutes from downtown Cafayate, is astonishing.
Located in Finca La Silvia, , it offers a menu with original options of tables for two people, all creative and with top quality ingredients, whether in its northern, grilled, quebradeña or veggie variant.
We arrived at noon on a very hot spring Sunday, just when the sun was breaking through the earth and the typical Cafayateño afternoon wind had not yet begun to blow. Therefore, we opted for a table inside to enjoy the air conditioning; equally, the ceiling-high windows allow us to feel immersed in the Calchaquí Valley itself. The views to the south and west dominate the scene.
Before starting with the Sunday banquet, we went downstairs to visit the subway cellar, where the best wines of the restaurant are kept.
The winery defines itself as young (it started in 2015) and committed to achieve a wine of height, product of the particular terroir that, depending on where the visitor arrives, marks the end or the beginning of the circuit of Las Conchas Canyon.
The person who received us was Sonia, who together with her partner Pablo, completed the Milla 7 project at Finca La Silvia, a name that honors their mothers. It consists of ten hectares, one third of which are cultivated with Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon. They also buy local torrontés to offer the characteristic Salta wine.
Despite the intense heat, we did not hesitate to try the succulent northern table, betting on tasting the typical delicacies that define the regional cuisine reversioned by Sonia, with the valuable contribution of her local assistants. So we started with a humita en olla, extraordinary, well seasoned, with an intense color that evidenced the quality of the corn used. In that first stage we also tasted the locro, pulsudo, powerful. In Salta, those who know call it standing spoon locro, which implies that it passes the test of placing a spoon in the center and that it remains vertical forming a right angle and without moving. As complements the table includes pallares beans in pickles and caramelized onions in malbec. Delicious!
In a second batch came the empanadas, one of traditional meat and another of quinoa and cheese. Also, baked potatoes with lots of paprika bought from San Carlos and the great revelation of the table, some grilled sausages sautéed with torrontés. We will definitely steal that recipe...
We paired it all with an estate-produced Cabernet Franc, the one with a label that stands out for its simplicity and character. Actually only @tripticity_, as we had to return to Salta that same afternoon and the driver and cadet had to settle for a fresh soda, much to his regret. The same with the desserts, which were left pending for a future visit.
We said goodbye to Sonia with the certainty of returning soon to Milla 7, because with the foodie that @tripticity_ became, she should try all the other options of tables, that our hostess devised with great creativity and love for good food and whose result represents one of the high points of the gastronomy of Cafayate.
