What would you say to an evening of tasting local cocktails paired with tasty bite-sized snacks, followed by a class on how to make traditional empanadas, then a damn fine steak and some great wine, and then you wrap up the evening with a delicious dessert. How’s that sound?
The Argentinian Experience is the brainchild of two college buddies, who went on to create similar events in opposite corners of the world. The Thai Experience in Koh Samui is the sister property. Similar in idea but vastly different in execution, both offer a new dining concept that offer great food, good cocktails, fun camaraderie, and a little education. The event is conducted entirely in English, with translators available upon request.
If you sign up for the mixology option (which I recommend), you have the opportunity to test your olfactory skills at identifying commonly found scents and flavors in wines. This part of the evening was far more challenging than I would have expected, with some of my guesses being way off the mark. But it also reminded me of how important an acute sense of smell is to wine tasting. The cocktail portion of the event was a lot of fun, with the team giving us tastes of 3 different cocktails, each paired with a tasty little bite of food. Again, their attention to detail and knowledge about food and drink pairing is easily showcased during the tasting. Once they’ve walked you through each of the 3 recipes, you have the opportunity to make one for yourself. They provide the ingredients, you toss them into a shaker and add arm power, all the while with them making jokes and keeping the group entertained. Once your cocktails are ready, you head to the table.
If you don’t sign up for the mixology option, this is where you join the party. Everyone’s assigned seats, but you’re seated with the other members of your party (assuming you have friends and didn’t go alone). An introduction to empanadas is presented, explaining why different empanadas look different (hint: The shape tells you what’s inside). Although we didn’t see the traditional shape/filling customs formally adhered to when we bought empanadas elsewhere, it was still a fun bit of trivia. More food and drinks follow, with the centerpiece being a delicious, gaucho-raised steak paired with, you guessed it, Argentinian wines. Was it the best steak I ever had? No, but it was definitely a fantastic cut of meat, and after a few drinks, can you really tell the difference? Once you’ve finished your steak, or as much as you can after all the other food you’ve eaten, they bring out dessert. Mate, the ubiquitous tea that every third person appears to be drinking, is a little on the dry and bitter side. Coming from a culture steeped in tea (Get it? Steeped? Tea?) culture, the fact that mate is made by adding hot water and then consumed immediately is a little confusing. But as an after-dinner drink, it’s not too bad. I’m sure there are some digestif-type properties to it, but who knows. Pair the mate with alfajores, and you’ve got yourself a tasty little dessert. In fact, we spent much of our remaining time in Argentina searching for great alfajores, and we found few that compared to the ones we had at the event.
The Argentinian Experience is not something locals do, nor is it ‘authentic’. But it’s a lot of fun, with good food, good drinks, and a little education and culture thrown in for good measure. We were only in Buenos Aires for 3 days, but we still blocked off one evening for this, and it was well worth it. Grab some friends, reserve a spot, and get your fill of Argentinian culture and cuisine.
