Guerrin
This is definitely not New York pizza. Just look at all that cheese. I only had time to try pizza once in Buenos Aires and consequently chose what I thought was the most common style: Pizza a la piedra. Pizza a la parrilla, grilled, thin crusted (and probably most to my liking) and pizza al molde, a deep dish pie, can also be found in the city.
Guerrin sells slices up front where diners stand at counters. Table seating is beyond the fray in the back of the restaurant. The multi-paged menu you’re handed lists a ridiculous number of combinations categorized by headings, some which mystified me. Roquefort had its own section, and yes, all the pizzas beneath it contained blue cheese.
The most common toppings consist of green olives (whole with pits, which are tricky to eat), morrones (red peppers) and faina, a thin chickpea cake that people just plop on top of their slices. I purchased a lovely product called Fugafaina, which I'm assuming is the chickpea flour used to make these garbanzo bean delicacies.
This is the Especial Guerrin with ham, red peppers, and those tricky green olives. The brininess and the generous cheese really get to you and demand pacing. There’s nothing dainty about these pizzas. I think Americans would really dig Argentinean-style pizza. In fact, Americans would like Argentinean cuisine across the board if they knew more about it. We have a lot in common with this meat and potatoes loving culture.
I ordered one whose name I can’t recall. This used red peppers and ham, as well as a ton of sliced onions. You had better like those onions. A generous sprinkling of oregano spruced up the pizzas.
We ordered two smalls, but really should’ve just shared one. I was inclined to just leave our leftover four slices but our waiter insisted in wrapping them to go. As I’ve mentioned before, I appreciated Buenos Aires’s no food wasting spirit. I’m a glutton but that doesn’t mean I have an insatiable appetite.
Guerrin * Corrientes 1368, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Nummers. I love onions. My favorite DIY combo is onions, garlic and jalapenos at Frankie, Johnny and Luigi’s.
Is it customary to eat pizza slices by hand, or is there any knife-and-fork action? I ask because many years ago in the UK, they were still serving pizza whole with a knife and fork. Once I observed a fellow order a garlic pizza and a side of chips; when his order came, he dumped the chips on top and proceeded to devour it with a knife and fork…
Lisa: I’m fairly certain you get a knife and fork with your pizza in Argentina. I must admit that I’m a freak who has always eaten my pizza with cutlery, which is complete heresy here in NYC. I just can’t help it.
mona: Now, you’ve made me hungry for pizza. Wow, a work cafeteria. I’ve always been jealous of people with cafeterias because there’s nothing sadder than sitting at your desk with a salad.