Passion on a Plate - Te Mataré Ramirez

Photo by Arte & Fotografía as SABRINA Y HECTOR

By Alli Sinclair

Buenos Aires is a city that simmers with passion. The cobblestoned streets are jam-packed with men and women who look like they’ve escaped from a Parisian catwalk, and with tango dancers strutting to passionate music played in the plazas. Sexiness is in the genes of the Argentines, and over the past two decades they’ve taken it to a new level with the aphrodisiac restaurant, Te Mataré Ramirez.

The name of the restaurant translates to “I’ll Kill You Ramirez” and no doubt there’s a good story about cheating lovers who earned it that name. Designed for the over-18 set, this restaurant is dimly lit and clad in red velvet, as soft jazz plays throughout the dining room. There’s the “Open Mind” bar and I’m not quite sure if there’s a wedding ring check-in at the door.

Couples at various stages of their relatioonships canoodle in corners and sip champagne or else indulge in the sensual delicacies the restaurant offers. The names of the dishes alone are worth a visit. Here are some examples from the dessert menu:

Amantes Que Se Comparten (Lovers Who Share)

Hasta Gritar De Placer Y Dolor (Until I Scream with Pleasure and Pain)

No samplers, as far as I know.

These are by far the most tame because reading the menu is akin to thumbing through the pages of an erotica novel.

The food itself deserves the sensuous titles it’s been given. Melt-in-your-mouth salmon, salads with fresh herb dressings, and chocolate sauces that really do make your taste buds want to scream with pleasure. Nothing here is rushed, and diners are encouraged to take their time and soak up the atmosphere and bask in the company of whomever they are sharing their meal with.

Te Mataré Ramirez offers a show each night, and depending on when you go, it may be actors boasting about their conquests, dancers performing sensuous moves to haunting music, or a movie you definitely wouldn’t want your grandmother to see. All of this is done tastefully; nothing seedy about the place. The waiters are excellent at being discreet but are around when you require their services. Not those kinds of services, mind you. Get your mind out of the gutter!

Te Mataré Ramirez is one of the most unique restaurants I’ve encountered, and the quality of the food alone means this place merits a visit. The atmosphere, although not to everyone’s taste, will certainly be remembered for years by anyone who dines there. This is a restaurant that promises to give its patrons an experience of the senses, and there’s no doubt, it lives up to it’s promise.