Resto Review: Quiroz

Last night, after an unpleasant incident which I am hesitant to discuss considering my mother reads this blog, I had dinner with some friends at Quiroz. It was the second time I’ve eaten there, and I can’t decide if I like it so another visit might be in order- third time’s the charm right?

Located in the heart of Palermo on the corner of Malabia and Gorriti, Quiroz is a unique place, at least in terms of décor. Part Middle-Eastern, part Asian, part American pop-culture, the restaurant features hookahs (which you can order), a small cascading water-wall, and images of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis hanging over the bar. It’s an interesting mixture of “ethnic” and modern, but it works. There is also a small stage for live music, which last night featured a female singer with a good voice and unbelievably short skirt (dinner AND a show!) doing renditions of classic American songs, my favorite of which was Prince’s “Purple Rain.”

We arrived at about 11:30, but the place continued filling up until about 2, when we left. In terms of the food, I have mixed opinions. The first time I went to Quiroz, I ordered an appetizer—the vegetarian quesadilla—which was amazing. Stuffed with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheese, the tortilla was perfectly crisped (aka not to the point of crunchy) and it came with a hefty portion of delicious guacamole, for about 18 pesos.

Last night I was with three other girls, so we decided to get a bunch of different things and do a little sharing. Among the dishes ordered were mollejas with papas noisette, rabas, langostini, chorizo y morcilla, and two salads. The mollejas were ordered on recommendation from Elizabeth, who had gotten them before and found them delicious, but what came out of the kitchen was nowhere near what she had received before. In my opinion mollejas should be served crispy with a little lemon and butter, which was how they were cooked the time Eli got them before, but these mollejas were served with a heavy sauce with mushrooms which I did not like at all. They were still crispy, but I just couldn’t get past the sauce. The rabas were good, as were the langostini, which were huge and came out on skewers. The salads were basic, as most Argentine salads are--arugula with parmesan and lettuce with carrots--and there were some issues with various ingredients not being available. The chorizo and morcilla were delicious, and the bottle of Uxmal Malbec we split definitely hit the spot.

Prices are reasonable…the mollejas were about 40 pesos, salads 20-25, chorizo/morcilla 5 pesos each, and the bottle of wine was 38 pesos. The menu is pretty varied—they offer multiple appetizers,  7 types of salads, pretty much every cut of meat available in Argentina, chicken dishes, pasta dishes, pizzas, and about 8 dessert options. The drink menu is also fairly extensive, with many different wines, tragos, liquors, and a few beers thrown in for kicks.

To sum up, I would recommend Quiroz, but only if you go without expectations. It seems that the availability of certain dishes/ingredients varies day to day, and things aren’t always what they say they are. That being said, the prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is interesting, and the service is good. So if you’re feeling lucky, check it out!

Here's the Guia Oleo review if you want more info: Quiroz