Uruguay Gives Rise to Next Foodie Mecca
GARZON, Uruguay (TheStreet) -- It's called Garzon, a dusty four-road town in the middle of the Uruguayan pampas that wouldn't look out of place in a John Ford movie if not for the carloads of foodies and bohemian travelers.
Getting to South America's foodie capital is hardly an easy task. The closest airport is in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which can be reached from Buenos Aires or the nation's capital, Montevideo. From there, you must travel on a series of highways until you get to the 165-kilometer marker, where you'll see an unlit sign that points toward Garzon. You'll drive on a gravel road and pass a cemetery to get there.
Riders park their horses along Garzon's Main Street. |
Most people go to Garzon to get away from the glare of Punta del Este. That was until restaurateur Francis Mallmann, who many consider the Thomas Keller of South American cooking, opened the
. This high-end restaurant and inn opened inside a former general store in 2005.
The hotel sits in an unmanicured main square with more unleashed dogs than people. There is no valet parking or meters on street, just simple curbside parking on a gravel road next to row of sidewalk banquettes, where the kitchen staff makes its communal meals.
Locals pass by in pick-up trucks and on horses as overdressed European travelers wait to dine. A corner entryway leads to the main dining room, making it obvious that this hotel is first and foremost a restaurant.
Inside, Wild West meets modern decor, compliments of designer Cath Kidson, who marries ebonized local woods with eccentric tile floors and original windows. Five guest rooms are situated around a courtyard, overlooking a small pool and open fireplace.
Days at the hotel are spent riding horses with local farmers or going to the sea with picnic baskets. Residents of Mallmann's hotel enjoy three meals a day as part of their stay, culminating with what will be one of the best dinners of your life. Rooms seem pricey at $660 per night, but if you factor in the $500 dinners a couple might eat, it's a real bargain.
Diners can order a la carte or try the prix-fixe menu that begins with the best bread you could imagine. The restaurant's Colina Del Garzon olive oil is bold and surprisingly spicy, and worth buying and shipping home.
Guests should save room for the appetizer pizza of heirloom tomatoes and wild arugula, which is followed by a platter of grilled octopus or salad of figs. The main course features a medley of Mallmann's slow-cooked specialties including rabbit, fresh fish and local beef braised to perfection atop souffle and cassoulet dishes.
As for local competition, Garzon's manager recently opened her own eatery in December near the town's derelict railway station called Lucifer. The patio-style restaurant lacks the panache of Garzon, with no more than 10 tables and a menu of homestyle specialties. But at least Garzon is no longer a one-restaurant town.
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Reported by Michael Martin at JetSetReport.com in Los Angeles.
Michael Martin is the managing editor of JetSetReport.com -- a luxury travel and lifestyle guide based in Los Angeles and London. His work has appeared in In Style, Blackbook, Elle, U.K.'s Red magazine, ITV and BBC.