Nestled away on San Martin street, not far from the bustle of Florida Street, lies the refreshingly eclectic Dadá, a nice option for a drink or a meal in the downtown area. Dadá’s smallish interior could be described as slightly cluttered and worn, but it is certainly not a dive bar. Nor could it be called pretentiously chic, although the walls are adorned with Lichtenstein Pop Art and French, British and American pop culture references. The mishmash of styles that Dadá emits gives it a rather personal and intimate feel.

You get the impression that owner Paulo Orcorchuk, and his younger brother Mateo, both a constant presence behind the bar, have set the place up according to nothing more than their own tastes and fancies, giving it an air of effortless cool. In truth, however, the layout was conceived by renowned Porteño bar and restaurant designer and Dadá co-owner Mario Salcedo.

The music at Dadá is mercurial; you can hear anything from reggae to laid-back dance music to Sinatra, depending on the guys’ mood. Seating is limited to several stools at the bar, and about a dozen small tables and booths, meaning that with only a handful of customers, the place feels quite full and can be crowded at peak hours.

Dadá Drinks & Food

The bar features a decent selection of spirits, cocktails and a good wine list. The food is surprisingly excellent for a spot that feels more like a bar than a restaurant. Although the ‘international’ menu is not extensive, a nice variety of dishes offers something different from the usual downtown cafe/resto fare.

Highlights include the Lomo Dadá and Lomo Mediteraneo steaks and some superb appetizers that will almost fill you up on their own, such as the polenta, and the hummus with warm Turkish bread.

Quality comes at a price, unfortunately, and dishes are a little more expensive than your average bar cuisine. Despite this, most patrons find it very hard to resist having a bite to eat to accompany their drinks once they see the delicious creations being wheeled out of the kitchen.

Dadá is the kind of place that will impress a date, but can also fun with a group of friends, or just to have a drink at the bar.

Dadá – $$$
San Martin 941
Microcentro
• Hours: Monday to Saturday; Midday – 3a.m.

If you’re downtown, and have a craving for Italian (albeit with a pinch of New York City), go no further than Broccolino.

This large but intimate-feeling restaurant straddles the corner of Esmeralda and Cordoba streets with its three big, green dining rooms. Don’t be alarmed omnivores — the title doesn’t indicate a vegetarian joint, it’s derived from the way Italian-Americans once pronounced the name of a certain New York borough.

Walking in to one of three entrances (one smoking, two non-) you will be quickly attended, and given a choice of whichever free table you desire. You may decide to sit in front of the giant mural of the Brooklyn Bridge, or perhaps the signed Beatles portrait, or the framed news stories opposite about the Rolling Stone’s visit here for an extravagant dinner back in ’98.

Momentarily you will be served by one of Broccolino’s immaculate, multilingual waiters. Aside from Spanish, these guys speak fluent English, Italian, Portuguese, and God-knows what else. And if you get Nicolas, he will provide you with dubious one-liners all night, free of charge.

Long time Broccolino waiter Nicolas displays a giant bottle of wine

A glance at the menu reveals the daily specials — Thursday’s Osso Buco is debaucherous, but divine. The most requested dish here is the Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce. The calamari dishes are excellent appetizers to share, the salads and meats are quite nice, but with the pastas you simply cannot go wrong. Just about every restaurant in town has pasta dishes, but Broccolino serves up some of the best. Order a nice Malbec to sip on while you make your selection.

Try the cannelloni instead of the lasagna, while the Putanesca, Dr. Zhivago and Amatriciana sauces are all superb and served with a generous portion of your pasta of choice. A favorite is the Maradó, which apparently was soccer star Diego Maradona’s choice while he was living in Naples. One look at the stocky little deity indicates that he knows how to eat well – so what else can we mere mortals do but follow his example, although we would suggest doing it with a little more moderation than Diego if you want to avoid multiple trips to rehab.

If you have room, share a chocolate volcano for dessert, and to help digest all that, an espresso coffee will be necessary. Prices in Broccolino are a bit pricier than your average cafe meal – but it’s worth spending a few extra pesos for such a feast every once or twice in a while.

Broccolino-$$-$$$
Esmeralda 766
Downtown
Tel: 4322-7652/7754

• Reservations recommended
• Hours: 12pm -12am everyday