After a drive back from Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks, we opted to have lunch in Ventura. My chops were hungry and my brain wanted a delicious meal full of flavor. No cheeseburger or pizza for me. The wife and I stopped into Cafe Bariloche, a South American gem in Ventura on the corner of Main St and California. I had read many mixed reviews of the restaurant and knew they were very popular for South American cuisine foodies in Ventura County. But would a regular guy like me, who likes food from just about anywhere, like the tastes from down under... Mexico.
The food looked great and they had some terrific lunch specials on the menu. We were greeted quickly and sat at a table next to the front door. Any closer to the door and my ass would have been on the sidewalk. Not that my bottom is that big, but you know what I mean.
There were other empty seats, so I suggested we move from this lovely inside patio section to a window seat. I was hoping for some live music but it was only 1:30pm. Guess ya have to wait until dinner. After some prompting, the waitress suggested the empanadas. There were so many to choose from - in assorted flavors and meats - not just the usual suspects - we're talking:
- Argentinean Beef
Ground beef, sautéed onions, tomatoes, green onions, green olives, and spices.
- Chilean Beef
Chopped beef, sautéed onions, raisins, greek olive and spices.
- Chicken
Chopped chicken, sautéed onions, tomatoes, Greek olives and spices.
- Corn
Corn, squash, onions and spices.
- Rajas
Roasted chili poblanos, diced potatoes, roasted onions, Jack cheese and spices.
- Seafood
Scallops, shrimp, fish, sautéed onions, and spices.
Plus whole wheat empanadas:
- Mushroom
Diced mushrooms, sautéed onions, raisins, Greek olives and spices.
- Ratatouille
Eggplant, zucchini, red bell peppers, tomatoes, sautéed onions, Greek olive and spices. -
Spinach and Feta
Sautéed spinach, feta cheese, Greek olive and spices.
- Potato and Cheese
Diced potatoes, jack cheese, roasted onions and spices.
So we asked her suggestion and the most popular were the Argentinean Beef, Chilean Beef and the Rajas. There was a lunch special that included 2 empanadas and a small salad of your choice for only $10. That was an incredible deal.
We each choose the lunch special (there were many other selections available) ordering 4 different empanadas to share. We took her 3 suggestions and added a chicken version too. We felt this was smart and we would sample our way through South America or at least as many different flavors under $20 at Cafe Bariloche.
We chose 2 salads:
- Brazilan Kale
Brazilian style kale sautéed in olive oil and garlic topped with Pine nuts and feta (served hot).
- Bariloche Salad
Romaine, baby mix lettuce, carrots, roma tomatoes, red onions, apples, grapes, toasted pine nuts topped with feta cheese and red pepper vinaigrette.
The waitress placed 2 magnificent sauces on the table to dip with the empanadas. One was fiery in flavor and green in color, the other full of oils and herbs. The lunch plates were delivered and the meals looked scrumptious. Now, it has been along time since I had an empanada - NEVER from South America. Yes, I have eaten them at Mexican restaurants.
The outer dough on these bad boys were VERY HARD. Are they supposed to be hard like a hockey puck? These are not Grandma's chicken pot pie crusts. Once we sawed them open, the meat and flavors were wonderful... Until we added the sauces. Now please understand, the sauces were wonderful - but, I could no longer taste the flavors of what was inside the empanadas. I am sure they were delicious. But all I ever tasted was an overpowering element of sauces and empanada dough.
The surprise winner? The Brazilan Kale salad was the bomb! Great flavors and served hot. Reminded me of a hot spinach salad. You must order this. Wow!!! The other salad was just okay. Could have done without it.
We talked about our empanadas, questioning which was the beef, which was the chicken, etc. Once done with our lunch, we were craving more flavors to try and explore. We're we disappointed? No, not really. We would certainly re-visit them again perhaps picking another entree. Next time, we'll go for dinner and music.
Meanwhile, we look forward to their new location in Camarillo opening in August. Cafe Bariloche is located in Ventura at 500 E. Main Street.
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