When we got there, it was packed. Tons of people hanging out in the street, waiting for tables, eating happily in the restaurant. The atmosphere was festive. Uruguay had beat Ghana earlier in the day (yay) and everyone looked like they had been there all day partying. There was lots of blue and one guy even had his own World Cup replica:
There were Uruguay football shirts hanging up all over and lots of Uruguay pride:
At one point while we waited for a table (and here, I was willing to wait), the power went out and the entire place, without any prompting, broke out into a song to which everyone (but us) knew the words. I looked it up later and it's a championship song (which I cannot seem to find on youtube, unless I just can't remember how it goes). It was stuck in my head for days. We were so happy to be there in the midst of all the happy Uruguayans. It was definitely an unforgettable experience and a perfect example of why we wanted to do our World Cup challenge in the first place. It's too bad our country doesn't do this for World Cup celebrations. Seeing all of that Uruguayan pride was awesome. This place had so much pride that they were on the news, where the media filmed everyone celebrating during the game.
We had no idea what we wanted to get, but looking around, it looked like the place for grilled meats. Platter after platter of grilled meat arrived on the table. I was looking for something a little lighter so I investigated other parts of the menu. To start, each table got a basket of grilled bread:
It was nice and warm, with a crispy exterior. A good start to the meal.
A also decided to go for the beer that everyone was drinking - Pilsen, an Uruguayan beer:
All the entrees came with ensalada rusa:
Ensalada rusa (technically translated as "Russian salad") is a potato salad with carrots and peas. I think sometimes other ingredients are included too, but this version just had carrots and peas. Not sure if this is just a South American thing, as we have also had it in Colombian restaurants.
If at a grilled meat place, we should try the grilled meats, right?
The plate included skirt steak, short rib and chorizo. A loved his feast. The meat was perfectly grilled, full of flavor and very juicy. He said he would definitely get it again. I tried the chorizo. It was great. They also have grilled meat plates with blood sausage and other types of meats, so there are plenty of options.
I wasn't in the mood for a plate full of chorizo (and don't eat steak) so I went for a chicken dish, pollo al champignon:
I ordered chicken and mushrooms thinking it would be something like a marsala, so I was surprised when it came out in a cream sauce. Add that to the ensalada rusa and it was a lot of creamy food. So filling. Half of it came home with us and made for some tasty leftovers.
Our experience at Chivito d'Oro, along with lunch later in the weekend at I Love Py, were two of our favorite World Cup outings. The food was excellent and the meals were just so much fun. I hate how fast time goes by but I am anxiously anticipating the next World Cup. I wish it happened every year!
No comments:
Post a Comment