I Got Maaaad Status

Status: My Peruvian Obsession

There is always a line outside one of my favorite BA haunts: Status. It's a good sign if ever I have seen one. Normally at any restaurants where there would be a line, I would call up and try and make a reservation, but Status is not one of “those” types of restaurants. It is a local spot, and Peruvians, Argentines and tourists alike flock to this big, well-lit restaurant to chow down some traditional home-cooked Peruvian fare.

I first went to Status with my roommate Sarah. Her reviews were already rave. She had “discovered” the place in the Lonely Planet guide before she became broke and unable to eat out on a regular basis. But Status remained on her list of restaurants even after she ran low on discretionery income, because it is cheap–-cheap and delicious.

Each meal starts out with fresh bread and some sort of intensely spicy green concoction. I’m not exactly sure what it is. All I know is that I love to scoop it onto my bread until my mouth and nostrils are burning. After that, the menu is full of enticing, if not slightly confusing, options. The first time I was there, I was so overwhelmed that I simply pointed to what the man next to me had and asked for that in my broken Spanish. It turned out to be a good decision, a mixture of fish, clams and squid in a delectable cream-colored sauce ($22AR). Perfectly seasoned, as their food always is, I had trouble finishing it.

A classic standby at Status, and what Sarah always orders, is the fried steak with vegetables and beans in a sweet brown sauce. The portions are huge, and it always hits the spot. I am usually seen at the end of the meal embarrassingly spooning the leftover onions into my mouth. This dish can also be combined with potatoes if one is in the mood to indulge a carb craving. The only miss I have ever had at Status was the chicken tamale ($9AR). While still quite edible, it came out a bit cold and was rather bland. It lacked the perfect seasoning that I had come to expect from Status. The side salad of cold onions in vinegar and herbs, however, is delectable. Another recommendation is the Pollo “Estofado,” a very nice leg of chicken with rice in another heavenly brown sauce ($16AR).

One last thing not to be missed at Status are the Pisco Sours. The national drink of Peru and Chile, yet rarely found in Argentina, the Pisco Sour is a powerful kickoff to your meal. With a good two shots of alcohol, whipped egg whites, soda and lemon, it will really get your appetite going. Follow that with a bottle from the very affordable and decent wine list, and you will be set for a night on the town.

Status: Virrey Cevallos 178, Congreso, Buenos Aires