Roux

I've received a bit of grief for consistently slamming restaurants and chefs in Latin America. But every now and then I praise a restaurateur that gets it right. Example? Raíz and Anatol in Mexico City. And here’s another example. Roux in Buenos Aires.

The ambiance is special. Lots of windows let the sun stream in at lunch and let diners watch the activity on the street. It's one of the few restaurants that come close to formal dining but it's not the least bit intimidating. Kudos to the owners for creating such a sophisticated yet comfortable venue for dining. Service was impeccable throughout the entire meal.

Using traditional French technique, Chef Rebaudino has done something very rare. In a world where chefs are ignoring the past to embrace new styles and local ingredients he has created gourmet dishes in the grand French style, paying attention to every detail, from meticulous plating to creating complex sauces that bring out all the potential of these fabulous, but rarely experienced, local ingredients.

For the appetizer I ordered a dish comprised of large slices of the cuttlefish tentacles “al ajillo” which is a traditional Spanish preparation of various forms of seafood utilizing garlic and red peppers, sometime hot and sometimes mild. This sauce was delicate and delicious. A more refined version than usual. Joining the cuttlefish in this dish were meticulously carved globes of potatoes and squash, and sweet little bits of carrot, adorned with beet sprouts. The presentation was stunning. Probably the most beautiful example of plating I’ve witnessed in Buenos Aires, reminiscent of the beautifully plated dishes we were served at Ambrosia in Santiago.

The dish was just as delicious as it was beautiful. The aroma of the fish stock in that delicate sauce was so inviting.

For the main course I ordered ravioli stuffed with goat cheese, accompanied by baby quail and pear slices and an array of stunning sauces. I whisked and dabbled every ravioli and every bite of quail in those sauces, alternating my patterns to make each bite delectably unique. The plating, again, was beautiful.

I hadn’t planned on a dessert but after this impressive showing I had to wrap it up right. I ordered what was described as a crunchy golden apple pancake with a “dulce de leche” coulis, vanilla ice cream, and an “apple disk”. Again, stunning plating. This was a well-conceived dessert but I felt there was a minor flaw in execution. The apple pancake was topped with a brulee and the sugar was, I believe, a bit too thick, rendering the brulee a bit chewy rather than crisp, as it should have been. It didn’t significantly detract from the dessert but was a minor flaw in execution.

Regrettably, the only way of making a reservation is by phone and although a current menu is posted on the website, it does not include prices. Thus, the relatively poor rating for logistics. I note that reservations are not likely necessary at lunch. Were it not for this less-than-stellar logistics rating Roux would have garnered a coveted 4.6 stars overall.

This was way more than I had expected. At the bottom of the menu, there is a line boasting “Best New Restaurant of 2014”. That’s an understatement. This is plainly one of the top-5 fine dining experiences in all of Buenos Aires.