Villa La Angostura
Extraordinary scenery and gourmet experience
From the Lácar in Neuquén to the Menéndez in Chubut, passing through the beautiful mirrors of Río Negro, there are many tourist attractions in the Seven Lakes area, which of course are more than seven. There is something for all kinds of profiles: the classic tourists who go on tours around the popular circuits; there are the more sporty ones, looking for new trails to explore on foot or by bicycle; there are the camping or motor home lovers, settled in the countless little corners near the shores; or there are the urban ones with a more cultural and foodie orientation, eager to discover new flavors.
Well, that is the case of @tripticity_.
We started our culinary tour in Villa Angostura with a dinner at the historic and chic Las Balsas Hotel. It is an exclusive resort that is part of the French Relais & Châteaux chain, with few rooms, spa and haute cuisine.
During our stay in Villa La Angostura we stayed at the Hostería del Automóvil Club Argentino. Being members, and also lovers of its namesake in the Salta town of Cachi, it seemed to us the best option. Comfortable, clean and economical, it was as good as its northern counterpart. But in a future visit to Los Lagos we would love to stay at Las Balsas, definitely this was definitely pending on the wish list, not only for what we saw of its elegant facilities and the attention received, but for the sophisticated proposal of the establishment.
The reservation at its restaurant was at 8 pm, very early in order to guarantee exclusivity, although in the Relais & Châteaux hotel this precaution is not necessary because everything there is distinguished and special. We were greeted by Daniela, who not only welcomed us but also invited us to stroll through the beautiful garden and its small pier before the impressive dinner.
That night the choices were, for starters, baby squid with tomato tartar, sundried tomatoes, bisque and strawberry powder; also a sea bass crudo, tiger milk, banana soil and avocado gazpacho. Both entrees were simply delicious! We continued with salmon with peanut gremolata with pink pepper, creamy beans and pan-fried vegetables, and lamb with coffee sauce and parisien with sautéed chard. Tremendous! To close, bitter chocolate tart with Patagonian salt, white chocolate ice cream and toffee for one diner and blueberry red velvet, raspberry curd, strawberry sorbet, blackberry jelly and pistachio and blueberry crunch for the other.
The freshness of the sea bass crudo, the texture of the long-cooked lamb and the perfect combination of sweetness and acidity of the dessert would be a minimal synthesis of the superb dishes prepared by the Colombian Duvan Ochoa Zuluaga.
The following day, we visited Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes, in the morning, for which we decided to leave the mass tours and hire a transfer in a small sailboat, which guaranteed us to admire the imposing landscape in solitude, approaching the cliff face of the mountain.
Patagonia Sailing offers departures to the park from Bahía Mansa, sailing for about an hour and a half, taking advantage of the wind. The sailboat moves with absolute smoothness and elegance on the lake, very calm even for those who suffer from seasickness.
Ernesto, the captain, describes during the tour the natural formations while he gives, for those who ask him, indications on navigation techniques. The myrtle forest is visited at a different time than the crowded tours that arrive by catamaran.
On the way back, the sometimes too loquacious Ernesto starts the engine so the trip is shorter and different from the outward journey.
Lake Nahuel Huapi, of an extraordinary immensity and beauty, deserves to be visited not only from the shore, so spending noon on the Patagonia Sailing sailboat is a good suggestion.
At sunset, another great gastronomic experience awaited us at Tinto Bistró.
In the summer of 2022, southern Argentina had an all-time record number of visitors, so without a reservation, no table was available in any of the dining rooms.
Willing to try the traditional cuisine of Villa La Angostura, we managed to get a table at the first time slot of 19:00, which with a lot of luck was the last one available that Friday.
Such a positive decision led us to conclude that dining in the first shift of a restaurant guarantees greater satisfaction, since the cooks are relaxed, the waiters are in a good mood and the context is harmonious, as there are no no noises, no naughty children or euphoric diners.
We started at Tinto with a grilled octopus with golden potatoes with paprika and green sauce; then a tribute to Moroccan cuisine with a slow-cooked spiced lamb with basmati rice and fresh salad as garnish, and a very Spanish calasparra rice with squid in its ink, prawns and aioli. The sweet was a soft peach curd, critical granita and caramelized hazelnuts.
The recommendation -actually a demand- that we go to Tinto Bistró had been made by a great friend who frequented this charming restaurant. In principle, due to a silly prejudice, we had not honored her indication. The fact is that the bistro belongs to the brother of Queen Maxima of Holland and that is why we were more suspicious. Fortunately, when we visited Georg Collection, in San Martín de los Andes, its hostess Salomé urged us to reconsider our refusal, so, once in Villa La Angostura, we went to the restaurant to try our luck with the reservations.
We were welcomed by Bruno, who upon noticing our fascination for registering the details of the beautiful dining room, invited us to visit the wine cellar, stocked with wines from all over the country and a particular section of high altitude wines from Salta, our home province.
As a win-win, a promotion with credit cards favored us with a 10% discount and a limited edition premium wine as a gift... And we were already leaving when another unexpected event happened: in a flash, the former president Mauricio Macri entered with his family, who kindly greeted those of us who were there. This was a sign that Tinto Bistró definitely has a very high level of food.
