Update: sad news, Honor y Causa has closed. Shed a lágrima.
There’s no doubt that 2012 has been the year that modern Argentine cuisine has really taken off. Young chefs and cooks are springing up from the kitchens, displaying a new wave of contemporary cooking, using traditional products and local ingredients in a fresh and creative way. Honor y Causa is a prime example of this type of innovative restaurant, serving refined, beautifully presented, good tasting food in an unpretentious and affordable setting. 
Honor y Causa is brought to us by the Argentine chef young power couple, Gimena Molinete and Lucas Curcio, whose love for food is evident in all the restaurant details. Most of what you really need to know about the place is cleanly and clearly written on the wall, “En honor a nuestras familias y a causa de su apoyo. En honor a nuestros maestros y a causa de sus enseñanzas. En honor a nuestra pasión y a causa de nuestro esfuerzo.” Or for you Spanish illiterates, “In honor of our families and because of their support. In honor of our teachers and because of their teachings. In honor of our passion and because of our strength.” It’s lovely. It’s poetic. It makes the food taste a bit better.
It’s always a good start to be served a warm and soft bread basket with a side of the good stuff for dipping (olive oil). Olive focaccia, brioche-like bun and whole wheat – a bread basket that dreams are made of. 
Some dishes just look almost too pretty to eat. The fish of the day with a mix of vegetables and lemon infused butter was just about perfection on a plate: perfectly grilled fish, flavorful vegetables, with a saucy gravy in the mix (59 pesos).
So many restaurants just can’t get risotto right – wrong type of rice, too gummy, not creamy enough, flavorless, too salty – I could go on and on about the woes of risotto. But this wonderfully soul warming version of risotto had roasted vegetables, gravlax salmon and organic micro greens (60 pesos). 
The bites with the salmon and risotto together on a fork were a tad too salty for my liking, but overall an absolute beaut in a bowl.
I went to Honor y Causa for lunch, where they offer a reduced menu of about 5 mains, appealing to the meat, fish, poultry and vegetarian eater. They also have a couple interesting sandwiches and salads.
The dinner menu was inspired by the chefs culinary experiences throughout their lives- with dishes honoring their family, friends, holidays, teachers. Some dishes include La generosa Patagonia Argentina, tierra actual de mi maestro Federico Dominguez aka Patagonian crab ravioli with glazed leeks and fresh spinach or the La pasión por amasar con manos propias.. y ajenas aka handmade tagliolinis with vegetables and slow cooked lamb.
Definitely one of the best new Buenos Aires restaurants in 2012, it’s hard not to fall for a place where young chefs not only have the talent, but an immense amount of love and integrity put into the food.
Honor y Causa
Carranza 1591, Palermo Hollywood
Tel. 5368-0219
Mon – Sat: 11:00 am – close
Average price: AR$70 lunch, AR$120 dinner
Joan says
We went to Honor y Causa only to find out it has been closed for at least the past 3 months – what a disappointment!!
October16,2013
Foodie4Life says
Visiting BsAs with my husband for the first time from California, and veritable foodies. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner here last night and went because of your blog. Great recommendation! On the expensive side but great food and service plus ambience. Small restaurant perfect for a romantic dinner, or a dinner with a group of friends. Please visit!
Mary Oko says
Hi,
My husband and our friends who we were visiting with went to Honor y Causa (Dec. 2012) based on the recommendation of this review. I love your writing style and I felt very comfortable with your recommendations. We were not disappointed!! We all enjoyed our dinners, the service and ambiance of this low key restaurant that is very sensitive to all details of the dining experience. If I was living in Buenas Aires – I would definitely come back.
I also enjoyed the other blog entries of Pick up Your Fork – you really love food!! Sadly we couldn’t get into the other restaurants we wanted to go to based on Pick up Your Fork’s reviews – next time. I have included your blog reference and Honor y Causa’s reference on my travel blog –
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/maryandjeff/1/1355094348/tpod.html
Thank you for sharing!!
Mary
Diego Wainer says
Read you review and made a quick reservation last friday. At 10 the place was empty, at 11 it was full. Menu is short buy creative, service was cordial but a little slow in the start, got much better later. We shared a confit de champignons & poached egg, which was good and plenty, just like the bread basket, which was really, really good. My wife had a so so pork entrée, the orange sauce was a little sour. i had a tasty lenguado with shrimp and small pasta in a creamy sauce. Dessert was very good too, and so was the music. It would have been very expensive-almost 400 pesos for 2, we just had glass of wine and water-without club la nacion discount card. We will go back again.
MandyZChicago says
Honor y Causa was one of the best restaurants my husband and I have eaten at in the world. It was much better than 1884 in Mendoza and Quidu in el Calafate. We live in Chicago, a great food city, and believe that Honor y Causa would be a tremendous hit in any major city. The food is inventive and incredible delicious. We are sending friends there in January and February of 2013! I hope that they enjoy the charm and fabulous cuisine of HyC as much as we did.
Brandon says
Went Friday night. Good food (they were out of a few things I wanted to try), great atmosphere, felt kind of exclusive with only a few tables and a nice view into the food prep area. Definitely going back!
John says
Looks delicious. I had a friend who went and really liked it. I’d like to try it soon.
Jason says
We visited Honor y Causa, as per your recommendation, and had a flawless meal. Both the meat (perfect medium rare) and fish came out perfectly cooked. Service was very attentive, perhaps a bit on the ‘too much’ side (we are not used to that in BA), but I’m guessing it could be because it’s a new restaurant and they want to get it right.
HG says
just been for dinner. not bad but not great.
1. my idea of “a punto” isn’t “charred black on the outside and bloody rare inside”
2. the wine was warm
4. there’s no way you should sell water in shitty small plastic bottles in a joint this expensive .
5. the service was pesado, I don’t want to have to confirm that everything is great again and again.
5. the bread was great
6. salady starter was excellent and the maracuya ice cream mousse thing was good too
7. the menu – they way it’s written I mean – is a grasada
oh and the couple behind us said they were there because of this blog post
Lucas Curcio says
HG.
My name is Lucas and I´am the owner of the restaurant. I really sorry that you didn´t enjoy your dinner at Honor y Causa, but “grasada” of the names it´s a little bit despective and by the way even near to be a objective opinion… thank you very much but I don´t take your comments.
Little Pieces of Light says
I love the concept behind this restaurant, and the food looks divine! Thanks for the recommendation; will definitely check it out next time I am in BsAs.
Milsters
(http://www.littlepiecesoflight.com)