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Buenos Aires, Argentina > Buenos Aires restaurants > La Paila La PailaCosta Rica 4848 (@ Jorge Luis Borges); Tel. +(011.54.11) 4833.3599
For those visiting Argentina that won’t have time to head to the Northwestern provinces of Salta and Jujuy, La Paila bring a taste of it home to Palermo for you. Located on Costa Rica in Palermo Viejo, prime restaurant territory, La Paila is recognizable by the folksy ambiance and the range of live music blasting out the door and into the street. An adage on the menu reads, “El que bien sabe comer, sabe esperar!” or "One that knows well how to eat, knows how to wait!" – and good food is worth waiting for here. The restaurant consists of about 20-30 4-person tables, with a few more on the sidewalk and in the upstairs space. It is decorated with muted wall colors and some gorgeous photography of Peru, Bolivia, and indigenous peoples, though on nights where they host live shows, the place is too packed to get a good look. The stage is located in the back and the performances dominate an evening of eating here. Those who wish to focus their meal on chatting or enjoy the music from a distance should reserve a table upstairs or outside in the street for a slightly quieter version of the show. The food is what you would expect from a restaurant menu in Purmamarca or another border town. Menu highlights include tamales or humita en chala (corn meal wrapped in husk) for $7AR, a big bowl of locro(traditional stew) for $11AR and the tasty sweet and sour Carbonada stew with pork, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and raisins for $11AR. For more adventurous palettes, the Chef’s suggestions include llama and quinoa stew for $25AR and yacaré dishes (an Argentine reptile comparable to a small crocodile) though these are subject to availability. If all this isn’t enough, you can complement your meal with a quinoa salad or desert of quesillo con dulce de cayote (sweet cheese with preserve of the cayote cactus fruit) and eat like you are miles from the city center. A range of wines is available (all Argentine, of course) from $15-$50AR. Live musical acts range from sleepy folk music to, what was described by one visitor as, Andean ska. Diners can call for information on the musical lineup. During live music acts, the small space is usually packed and spilling into the street so reservations are highly recommended. Service is slow during these times as the wait staff maneuvers its way through the crowds from table to table, so a grain of patience is also necessary. Those who make it through the music, the wait, the food, and the quesillo, however, can really experience the best of the northern provinces in the heart of Palermo. —La Paila review by Clare Nisbet
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