According to my TimeOut Buenos Aires guide book (great company...a friend from New York used to write for them in London) Gilbraltar is the best place "for a skinful of real ale". So, since the pub is only a few blocks away and I'm still taking baby steps in BA nightlife, I decided to check it out.
When I arrived at around 9:30p the place was still kinda empty...figures. Who goes out that early anyway? I have an excuse...I was out for dinner. Happy hour is from 6-10pm so I was just on time--Quilmes, Heiniken, Warsteiner, Stone Stout and Antares Scotch. For some unknown reason I ordered the Quilmes first. Bad, bad idea. Not only do I hate tap beer in general but Argentina's finest was SOUR! I've probably had, oh, a few hundred or so Quilmes and I know it doesn't taste that way. But, alas, my spanish is retarded and of course I couldn't explain to them why I was having such a hard time drinking the Bud Light of Argentina. I drank just enough of it to escape notice while I waited for my fish and chips to arrive. Finally my food came. Average fare...it wasn't the best I've had but also not the worst. I keep getting the greasiest food here. I know fish and chips is not the way to go to avoid grease but, believe me, this was the most grease I've had in a while. Either it really is greasy here or I'm just used to South Beach's ever-present fear of fatness that keeps restaurants free of excessive oil...who knows?
Using my 2 for 1 ticket (I was a little past deadline but the bartender in the Element shirt hooked me up) I got a Stone Stout. Again...disappointment. Though it was leagues better than the Quilmes (at least it wasn't rotten), I'm not a big stout fan. Too milkshake-ish and flat for me. Since I'm not one to complain (and couldn't do so with my limited lingual skills anyway) I drank it like it was the best I'd ever had. And though most that know me consider me to be the ultimate extrovert, I sat alone writing in my notebook the entire time. I keep telling and telling you guys that I'm not that outgoing. I'm just nice. People approach me and I'm nice enough to talk to them. When I'm alone, especially where I don't speak the language well, I tend to be a little more shy.
Next up was the Stone IPA (what is Stone anyway? Must be some English brewer...). Getting much, much better. At this point Gilbraltar was starting to fill up (around midnight) and I thought I might ought to stay awhile and make friends. Definitely not with all the Brits around. No offense but I get along better with Argentinians even if they don't speak the same language. I decided to order one more beer and feel it out. Stone XB, though I don't have any idea what the XB stands for, was definitely the best beer they had (though I didn't taste the Antares Scotch and they have Stella in bottles). It was definitely sweet and reddish if that makes any sense. Similar to Killian's though a bit less sweet and much flatter...probably the tap though. If (maybe I should say when) I go back it will definitely be the one that I order.
Though it seems as if I'm trashing this place completely, I still kinda liked it. The bartenders were awesome and they seemed relieved at my spanish (guess they get a lot of people that speak none at all). There was definitely a local scene...I could tell by the way several people flitted from group to group just like I do at The Room. And, for all you bibliophiles, the second level has a bookshelf with REAL books...y'know, the leather bound editions. I didn't make it up there but maybe next time. The music was okay--everything from old tango music to Gorrillas (which would've made the average American cringe but since I only hear them at Backdoor Bamby I was cool with it).
Approx. depletion of funds: $40 pesos ($13 USD...i had to use a calculator for that)
some randoms:
*On the wall, "Indecision is the key to flexibility"...lovin' that.
*And the pub's catch phrase (on the back of the busboys' t-shirts) "Drink along with the Common People"...funny because I was just writing about "common" people in my notebook when I read this...
*I was really into this one bartender's camo engineer cap. Funny because she was the only non-blonde and also the only one that knew any english...all the others kept passing off patrons to her...poor girl!
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