Mostly clustered around the southern end of central Jerusalem are restaurants highlighting the flavors, ingredients and cooking techniques of the Americas. El Gaucho specializes in Argentinean-style steaks, Papagaio in Brazilian barbeque, and La Boca in pan-Latin flair. Whether you're into niche cuisines, are looking for a convivial evening, or just want to gorge on flesh, the capital's Latin kitchens have much to offer.
At El Gaucho, vegetables take a step back to allow the specialty of the house, the grass-fed Argentinean beef, to be the star. The beef is raised by the eponymous "gauchos" (Spanish for cowboys), and manager Avi Rosenboim emphasizes the connection between these personae and the end result. "From the day [the cows] are born, the cowboys are living with them," he tells GoJerusalem.com.
Ranching and eating beef are of great importance in Argentinean culture, and El Gaucho's grillmasters and servers are almost exclusively former residents of South America. "We cut meat and age meat in Argentinean style," says Rosenboim, explaining that no spices, sauces or marinades are applied before cooking. "It is pure meat." Every entrecote steak is cooked to order, and other specialties of the house, including the asado and "mixed grill," are prepared according to traditional methods.
While many may think of the Latin ranching lifestyle and carnivorous ways as being primarily the realms of gentiles, they may be closer to the Jewish diaspora experience than we realize, lending the Jerusalem South American meat restaurant scene an "in-gathering of the tribes" bent. Food historian and ethnographer Gil Marks, who recently delivered a lecture entitled Jews and Food: from Yogurt to Chile Con Carne at local literary cafe Tmol Shilshom, asserts in his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food that it's "probable that the classic Tex-Mex chili con carne… derived from the Sabbath stews of Conversos" evading the Inquisition.
At Papagaio, the hospitality experience is arguably as important as the food. "It's not about the meat or the waitress," manager Ori Sandner tells GoJerusalem.com. "You're paying for the time." Expect a meal at Papagaio to stretch to three or even more hours. If a patron feels exceedingly relaxed by the end of the meal, the staff has achieved its goal.
Although the most popular menu option is an unlimited parade of beef and chicken grilled in traditional Brazilian style, Sandner eschews the term "all you can eat," explaining that at Papagaio, "It's not about quantity." He prefers that diners "sit with a glass of wine and ask for more food if they want it."
The Jerusalem branch of Papagaio is kosher mehadrin, limiting the available beef to the front half of the cow – no filet here. "The chefs have to be very creative," Sandner says. "Every week we have a special, some kind of new dish, a new part of the cow that people haven't experienced."
Papagaio's menu, meanwhile, is evolving, with two goal in minds. As customers profess more concern for their health, Papagaio has added more chicken dishes to the mix; they're already growing in popularity. The chefs now fry in canola oil and have taken steps to reduce sodium and sugar across the board – without sacrificing taste, of course. The chefs are also trying to infuse the menu with more authentic Brazilian ingredients, like manioc flour, and more traditional Brazilian dishes, such as the famed meat-and-black-bean stew feijoada.
La Boca stands alone among other Jerusalem eateries offering South American fare. Chef-owner Guy Kimchi characterizes his restaurant as "Latin-style with an Israeli touch." Located on the second floor of a Templar building, overlooking ever-popular Emek Refaim St., La Boca falls into the category of a "chef restaurant." after honing his skills at Rafael in Tel Aviv and Canela in Jerusalem, Kimchi brought his talents and forged his recipe ideas under his own awning.
Although Kimchi takes inspiration from all over Latin America, he also dives into traditional preparations from Spain or elsewhere to achieve his ends. Beef, so important in Argentina and elsewhere in Latin America, has a starring role in many dishes, but other meats and fish – and vegetables, too – are also commonly served at La Boca. "La Boca is many styles in one kitchen," he tells GoGerusalem.com of the menu's concept. He uses beef from Argentina, but for produce, he relies heavily on what's in season in Israel. "We change the menu four times a year," Kimchi boasts – in addition to the special themed dishes he serves each holiday season.
