ALO’S

We had no expectations and didn’t know where we where headed for dinner. Our friends, who live in San Isidro, had been here before and made the reservations at the last moment. The only option was to be seated at the counter that overlooks the final assembly table. I’m not sure if this is considered prime seating, but we enjoyed watching the cooks working and especially seeing the assembly taking place. Clearly, they take a great deal of pride in their work. Several, including the owner/​chef, Alejandro Feraud, introduced themselves.
We ordered a Rutini Cabernet-​Malbec, which was quite nice, along with a pair of appetizers to share. We thoroughly enjoyed everything presented to us and every plate left empty. I had lomo de cerdo, which was excellent. The portions were just right, but alas, all being light eaters, we only had room to share one desert among the four of us.
I noted that a previous poster had a bad experience here in December and left a rather harsh, if not brutal, review. These «off night» situations happen sometimes … for whatever reason. Don’t let that stop you and give this place a chance. Presumably our experience was more the norn. Watching these people’s passionate efforts at producing beautiful and exquisite food makes me believe that you will not regret dining here.
Food: 5 stars
Service: 5 stars (although we were right there at the counter, so perhaps we received more immediate treatment than people at tables.)
Ambiance: 4 .5 stars
Cost: $ 1,400 for four included the tip. This was for two appetizers, 2 bottles of wine, 4 entrees, one desert, plus a 10% tip.
Website: It would be ideal if Alo’s included their menu and wine list on their website.

I had high expectations based on a review from Pick up the Fork. Unfortunately, the experience at Alo’s fell flat. The place has potential, sports a great atmosphere, but the food and service are definitely below par. Of course it beats the other local places by a mile, or should I say kilometer.
We ordered the calamari and fish burger appetizers. The calamari was greasy and it did not help that it was served on wax paper, which accentuated the grease. The fish burger (quantity of 2) was ok but nothing to remember.
For entrees, we had the duck and a pasta dish. To pair with the entrees, I ordered a bottle of Bodega Chacra Pinot. Probably 10 minutes later, we were informed that they were out of Chacra. Of course that was the first thing that threw off the night. While the wine list is ok, we settled for two half bottles of generic Rutini SB and a Cab/​Malbec blend. Management made no effort to see if we wanted to change our entrees.
After being served our appetizers, I had to ask for our wine. One of maitre d’s took about 5 minutes to open our wines and then left them on the table without attempting to pour them. That’s what I call horrific service. That is the first time this happened to me in BA.
The entrees arrived with little enthusiasm on our part. Both of the dishes were okay but nothing to remember.
For dessert, we split a coconut sorbet with chocolate. After waiting about 20 minutes, the dessert finally arrived. It would have gone together much better had it been ice cream. Again, I do not recommend this dish.
If you want a nice atmosphere that is attempting to replicate the yanqui restaurant experience, by all means go here but the food is sub-​par, and the service is pretty bad even for Argentine standards. I am sure there may be a slight improvement over time, but I would stick with Kansas if you want a decent meal with good service.