Xalapa - Buenos Aires

Right in the heart of Palermo Soho at the busy intersection of El Salvador and Gurruchaga, is one of several restaurants claiming to offer Mexican food in Buenos Aires. Since most restaurants in South America that make this claim don’t even come close I embarked on this review with my usual skepticism.

The place is decorated nicely enough with colorful murals creating the Mexican mood and with waitresses clad in those colorful Mexican cotton skirts and blouses that are emblematic of Mexican “fashion”. There are outdoor tables on the sidewalk seating about 50 or so patrons and about the same indoors.

We were promptly seated and offered menus on this particular Saturday for lunch. After a modest wait we were approached by a waitress. Since like all Texans, I’m an expert on Mexican cuisine, my companion permitted me to have the final word on the order. He had selected an offering with two burritos filled with some typical Mexican ingredients with an atypical addition of sliced ham (which you would not see in a burrito in Mexico or any of the Tex Mex restaurants in the U.S.) But what the heck. We’ll just call this Mexican burrito “fusion”. Since there were two burritos we decided to divvy up everything which each getting a sampling of two dishes.

I ordered the Enchiladas Suizas, beef filled enchiladas covered in a red sauce and topped off with a creamy white cheese sauce.

The customary corn chips (“nachos”) and two mild creamy dips were brought along with our beverages within a few minutes. So far, so good, on service.

And within another few minutes our order had arrived. Wow. Plentiful portions. Two sizeable burritos on one plate and four big enchiladas on another arrived. My buddy with the big appetite was grinning ear to ear.

And after just a few bites my skepticism was waning. The beef in both the burritos and the enchiladas was well seasoned with spices (something you rarely see in food served in Argentina) and the sauces were spot on. This offering, although toned down a bit on heat to accommodate the delicate Argentine palette, brought back memories of the hundreds of Mexican dishes I’d tasted during my life.

At the time of this visit, this was as close to authentic Mexican as I’ve tasted in South America. All the right flavor profiles. Enough heat to give the dishes flavor but without knocking the socks off the locals. And huge portions. Rarely do my glutton friend and I have trouble finishing two shared dishes ... but this was a lot of food.

The only annoying thing about this visit was what I often see in restaurants that hire a very young wait staff. They stand around chatting with each other during a lull in the action. It didn’t affect the service on this visit but it did cast a slight shadow over an otherwise pleasant experience.

The cost of this meal was very reasonable. The two main course offerings averaged $100 pesos each (about US$8 each). Considering its prime location in an area where restaurants push their main course dishes for $130 or higher this was a great value.

As it turned out, Xalapa exceeded my expectations and earned a highly respectable 3.9 stars overall. If you’re craving some authentic Mexican food and are close enough to Palermo Soho to make this restaurant a viable option, this is a great choice.