Noche Argentina Miami celebrates food and culture ahead of World Cup fever
An evening dedicated to Argentine cuisine and culture in Miami could be a sign that Miami is getting in gear to host some World Cup matches.
This weekend La Noche Argentina arrives at more than 30 restaurants and businesses in Miami, offering special menus, discounts of up to 50% on typical dishes like milanesas, dulce de leche, empanadas and other culinary delights as a warm-up for the World Cup, which takes place June 11 -July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
La Noche Argentina is inspired by La Noche de las Heladerías, when ice cream shops in Argentina offer discounts and free shows — the same format being prepared in Miami, said publicist Mónica Fefer, organizer of La Noche Argentina.
“It’s going to be an incredible night; people will receive dulce de leche and wine as gifts, and there will be raffles for cakes, hats and keychains,” Fefer, owner of the advertising agency Fefer Media, said Official Selección Argentina jerseys are also among the giveaways.
Milanesa around the clock
If there’s one dish that can’t be missing on an Argentine night, it’s the milanesa, which in Miami can be tried in all its varieties at El Club de la Milanesa, a large restaurant chain in Argentina that also has a franchise in Midtown Miami and plans openings in Weston and North Beach.
“We’ve prepared a special milanesa napolitana menu, the most classic in Argentina, which comes with meat, red sauce on top, ham and cheese, accompanied by french fries or fried sweet potato,” says Lucas Almirón, manager of El Club de la Milanesa in Midtown.
In addition to the milanesa napolitana, this $45 special for La Noche Argentina includes dulce de leche flan and a beer or a glass of wine from Mendoza, the region of the South American country that produces most of its wine, including Malbec.
“A very Argentine combo,” notes Almirón, who has promised to reveal “the secrets of a good milanesa.”
The first is the quality of the beef, which El Club de la Milanesa imports from Argentina, the sixth-largest meat producer in the world. The cut is also important, and the restaurant offers three: peceto (eye round); New York strip, which in Argentina and Uruguay is known as bife de chorizo; and beef topside, called nalga in Argentina.
But the most important secret Almirón shares is that you should let the milanesa “rest” for two to three hours in the refrigerator after breading it and before frying. They use rebozador, which is breadcrumbs, and panko, which gives a crunchier effect, for the NY strip milanesa.
Lionel Messi, who is a partner of the El Club de la Milanesa chain, has confessed on several occasions that milanesa is his favorite dish, and that he prefers it in its more homemade version, as his mother prepares it, with just tomato and melted cheese on top.
Drinks, rooftop and ice cream
La Noche Argentina can also be an opportunity to try a popular drink, Fernet con cola. This Italian liqueur is both bitter and refreshing. In some places the drink is called “Fernandito.”
Joining this Argentine night are Danielle Gellato in Coconut Grove; Tostado Cafe in Midtown; Bë Bakery, Key Biscayne; Nahuen Market in Doral, which in addition to being a market for Argentine products is also a restaurant, and there they have spectacular sandwiches de miga.
The event will also feature live performances by Argentine artists and musicians, including tango dancers Germán & Rocío, musician Juan A Fourcade, The Latin Band and other artists who bring the passion and rhythm of Argentina to the heart of Miami.
Many of these cafés, restaurants and bars will offer specials to watch the World Cup matches, so keep an eye out.
For a complete list of businesses participating in La Noche Argentina, lanocheargentina.com
