Brunch with the GRINGA

***GRINGA IS NOW CLOSED***

Brunch has come and it’s here to stay. This is the next new trend to hit Rio de la Plata.  For those who are traveling to Buenos Aires for a short period of time, in the need to strategically plan all restaurant ventures to make each one count, brunch is not for you.  Instead, I’d recommend it to all the rest of you expats, perma-tourists, Study Abroad students, multiple tourist visa runners  if you are looking for something different yet familiar.  Gringa, a recently opened restaurant in Palermo Hollywood, offers just that – a comfortable place with a very proverbial brunch menu.

This airy restaurant, nestled on the sunny corner of Dorrego and Costa Rica, looks like a converted loft-type PH with about 10 tables in the main room, a nice seating area on the sidewalk, and a lovely little table set in an interior patio garden. The menu includes the typical cast of characters like salads and sandwiches, but also offers a brunch menu with eggs, bacon, french toast and pancakes.

French Toast with Maple Syrup and Bacon (AR$20)

Maybe this is my inner fatbutt talking, but there should be a rule that you are not allowed to add something in the title of the dish if it isn’t the major component.  For example, a dish call “French Toast AND Bacon” should have more than two sorry strips of bacon.  A bit misleading, don’t you think? The french toast, made with a thick sesame brioche-like bread, was served with REAL maple syrup… by real, I mean real to Argentine standards, but fake to US. Dear Aunt Jemima, I love you.

Organic Eggs Benedict, without the benedict (AR$25)

You put the word “organic” infront of something, and it’s instantly more sophisticated.  I had an issue with the eggs benedict, I think they missed the hollandaise sauce because this was basically two ORGANIC poached eggs on top of crusty country toast.  The egg, perfectly poached, was served with a side of greens drizzled with a strange tabasco-like oil that could have been left off.  Good, but not eggs benedict without the hollandaise.*  The brunch special is very affordable, at AR$25 it includes brunch + coffee or tea.

Finally, had to test the bagel… maybe one of these days I’ll find THE ONE?! Sadly, my quest continues and I have found yet another “bagel in quotation marks” aka bread-with-a-hole.

Overall verdict? Do-able. I’ll definitely be back try different things on the menu, sit for hours in the nice atmosphere and take advantage of the strong Wi-Fi connection.

*I’ve been back since and the hollandaise was included.

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