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Our last dinner in Buenos Aires, and first dinner back in Salta.

Salta City, Argentina

April 25th, 2025

Dear Reader,

For our final night in Buenos Aires, we dined at what Adrien calls his “favorite Italian restaurant ever”.

The place is called Sottovoce, which means speak low. It is an upscale neighborhood restaurant with blinds drawn over the windows, low lights, and white tablecloths. When you sit down you are offered a glass of champagne, or a Campari soda by a waiter wearing a black blazer and bowtie.

The menu is pure Italian. We ordered a burrata cheese with bresaola - a type of cured meat - as a starter. The waiter asked if we cared for olive oil and pepper. We said we would, so he drizzled the oil over the dish and ground fresh pepper on top. Then he whisked away.

My mother and I shared a plate of green fettuccini (like spaghetti but flat and wide, rather than round and skinny) with seafood. My dad ordered a baked pasta with creamy spinach and cooked ham, topped with crunchy cheese. It reminded us all of a heightened version of mac and cheese. Adrien had a bowl of black spaghetti with shrimp in a red cream sauce.

To accompany all this we ordered a bottle of R.D. Malbec, a deep, bold red wine from the Calchaqui Valley. R.D. stands for Raúl Dávalos who is our neighbor at Gualfín, and the maker of our Tacana Malbec.

A quick note about our grapes. We had a great harvest this year thanks to there being no frost.

Here is a photo of my mother and me posing with a glass of RD.

At Sottovoce with seafood pasta and Raul’s wine.

As a dessert, we couldn’t resist another scoop of almond ice cream like we’d enjoyed at Fervor the night before. This time it came with a drizzling of honey, and of course, melted dark chocolate.

Good food really does lift ones’ spirits.

On Wednesday afternoon we returned to Salta, la Linda - the Beautiful.

“Tan linda que uno se enamora.”, say the locals. So beautiful that one falls in love.

The sky was overcast and it was a little chilly, but agreeably so. We found my car, which had been parked in the airport parking lot, loaded up, and headed for the city center.

Our flight was delayed and it was nearly dinner time after we dropped my parents off at their hotel, parked the car, and got back to our flat. So instead of picking up pizzas from our local neapolitan pizza joint called “In the mouth of the wolf”, to eat at home as we had intended, we decided to go to El Charrúa, a classic steakhouse.

While not as refined as the Buenos Aires restaurants we frequent, it is comfortable and relaxed. The waiters know us and shake our hands.

The order is simple: an arugula salad with parmesan cheese, potatoes cut up into little balls and baked with garlic and parsley, and steak. To drink, we chose a red wine made of Tannat grapes.

More to come.

Abrazos,

Mariah

P.S. This edition of Mariah's Journals is kindly sponsored by the Bonner Private Wine Partnership, a wine club founded by my brother Will. The wines he offers come from the same rugged vineyards I write about in the Calchaquí Valley.

They’re high-altitude, hand-harvested, and unforgettable. You’ll receive 6 bottles per quarter — plus a tasting kit to start your journey. Click here to taste the wines.

Enjoying a glass of our own Tacana Malbec overlooking the vineyards in Pucarilla.