Sorrento Del Puerto
Grilled Trout with Pumpkin Purée
Craving some fish after many dinners of carne, I met up with some friends for a 10:30pm dinner at Sorrento Del Puerto, a restaurant most noted for its selection of fresh seafood. With two stories, this riverside restaurant in modern Puerto Modern is big. The decor is modern and the windows on both floors very large allowing for attractive views of the water. We arrived without a reservation and our party of 6 was promptly seated on the second floor by the window. On the way to the table, I couldn't help but notice that restaurant looked rather empty, partly because it was (there was only one other couple dining on the second floor with us), but also because half of the lights were turned off, likely in an effort to conserve electricity. The waiter seated us, handed us food and wine menus, cracked a few jokes about my headband asking if I was Japanese (to which I pretended to laugh), and we were off.I decided to skip an appetizer, since I was very satisfied with the warm bread rolls and my Caipirinha de frutilla (strawberry). The prices looked pretty reasonable, with most entrees hovering around 30 pesos ($10 U$D). The exception to this was the fresh grilled fish page, which of course is what I wanted to order, where dishes ranged from 45 -120pesos (15 - 40 U$D). I opted for the grilled trout (70pesos, 23 U$D). I was explained that there were no accompaniments and that I should consider ordering a side dish. I took the waiter's advice and got a side of pumpkin purée. The fish arrived very hot and moist, as if it had been taken immediately off the grill and put onto my plate -- it hadn't been sitting around, at all. This no-frills dish came exactly as described: grilled trout. The presentation was confident, as if nobody could complain because the fish was indeed very fresh and tasty. It was tasty, too, gently flaking apart with each pull of my fork. The pumpkin purée was also no frills: boiled pumpkin, puréed. Unlike the fish, though, the natural taste of pumpkin was little bland to stand on its own. If I were in BA for only one night, I would likely stick with steak. However this is not the case, and so Sorrento Del Puerto was a pleasant alternative, as the fish was fresh and well-prepared.
