If you are looking for a city to wine and dine in Argentina, then you have to visit Mendoza! This city is home to Argentina’s Malbec wines and spectacular view of the Andes mountain range. Mendoza is also home to some amazing restaurants and wineries that serve wine paired multi-course meals. This post is a review of my 7 course meal at Casa Vigil. This meal was without a doubt one of the top 3 meals I have had in all my travels and Casa Vigil is in my opinion the best restaurant in Mendoza.
This review is my honest opinion and was not sponsored by Casa Vigil in any way!
Mendoza
Mendoza is the name of both the province and a city. The province of Mendoza is located close to the Chilean border. The city of Mendoza is a wine enthusiasts paradise. The city itself is divided into 3 areas – Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo and Uco Valley. Maipu is at the lowest elevation and Uco Valley brings you closer to the mountains. The wine and the views get better as you go up! There is no shortage of amazing wineries in Mendoza. Most of these wineries have multi-course lunches or dinners that are exceptionally good. I have a detailed post about the best wineries in Mendoza and have outlined which ones have restaurants that get raving reviews. You can check it out below.
Click HERE for the best wineries in Mendoza.
Michelin Star Experience
Argentina recently got into the Michelin Guide and 7 restaurants were awarded stars. 4 out of these 7 restaurants are in Mendoza! So, you see what I mean where I say that Mendoza is THE place to go to if you want to dine and wine well in Argentina! Casa Vigil is one of the 4 restaurants that got awarded a Michelin star.
Casa Vigil
Now let’s talk about the best restaurant in Mendoza! I have now been to 47 countries and I am a self-proclaimed foodie, and I can honestly say this was one of my top 3 dining experiences. In addition to its recent Michelin star, Casa Vigil is also constantly ranked in the 50 best restaurants in the world list!
Origins
Casa Vigil was started by the famous wine expert Alejandro Vigil, who is widely known as “the Messi of Wine”. A title he earned by being the first to be awarded 100 points by Robert Parker for his Argentinian wines.
Location
Casa Vigil is located in the Maipu region of Mendoza.
Touring Casa Vigil
You can visit Casa Vigil during the day or at night. During the day, you can either tour the winery, do a tasting or you can have lunch with wine pairings. If you pick the lunch with wine pairing option, you do have a choice of adding a tour of the vineyard. The tasting menu consists of 3 dishes.
For dinner your choices are between a 7 course meal or a 14 course meal! There is a free visit of the winery but your reservation needs to be at 8:30 pm or prior. Prepare for the meal to take at least 3 hours!
While most wineries do multi-course lunches with wine pairings, it is a little more difficult to find a dinner spot in Mendoza as most wineries close by 5 pm. This is another reason that makes Casa Vigil an ideal place to visit for a romantic night out or for a truly gastronomic dinner experience.
The Premises
From the moment you enter through the gates of Casa Vigil, you feel as if you are in a bit of a magical place. The gardens at Casa Vigil are lush, with herbs and flowers. The vineyard was verdant and were full of fruit when I visited. Casa Vigil has outdoor seating and lots of indoor space. It was summer, so I decided to sit inside but had it been Spring or Autumn, the beautiful outdoor seating would have been perfect!
The Experience
When I walked in and met the maître d’, I was immediately offered a glass of red or white wine at the outdoor bar. A few minutes later, I was ushered inside the restaurant. The experience was truly amazing from the get go! I had the 7 course meal with wine pairings. Every dish was explained and the sommelier did the same with the wines. The dishes can be described as contemporary and every one of them had fineness and sophistication. But, most importantly, they tasted truly incredible!
My favorite part was when they asked me if I wanted to repeat any of the dishes! It was a tough choice but I ultimately decided on the trout dish because I am a massive seafood lover.
Options
They also have a vegan option if you are vegan. You will be asked for your dietary restrictions beforehand and they are happy to cater to your needs. This is a sample menu. It changes here and there. For example I had filet mignon instead of tenderloin.
The 7 Courses
Pre-Course
They brought out soft bread with homemade herby butter. It was served with two types of olive oils made by Casa Vigil.
Course 1
First up was a potato dish that I do not remember the exact details of but I remember thinking we were off to a great start!
Course 2
Course 2 was trout in saffron sauce. It was so good that I had it again for a second time! I had to keep myself from scooping out every drop of the saffron sauce!
Course 3
Course 3 was a pork based dish and also really good. It was small but packed a punch!
Course 4
I am not a big red meat person but Argentina really converted me! This filet mignon dish was phenominal! I also really enjoyed the cauliflower puree.
Course 5
Just when I thought I could not eat more meat, they brought out this veal dish! It was so tender and just fell off the bone!
Course 6
The 6th course was a pallet cleanser. This was another one of my favorite dishes! The combination of the apple and yogurt was incredible! The apple was like a sorbet.
Course 7
I always look forward to dessert and this was no exception. This dessert was a dark chocolate torte with orange.
Tips
- Book well in advance! With their latest Michelin star accolade, reservations are hard to come by
- If you have a car, leave it at your hotel and take a taxi or uber. They are very heavy with the wine pours!
Did you find this review useful? Please let me know in the comments below!
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