Now, being the demanding customer I am everywhere I go, I will try to be impartial with my friend Alex's spot, Vida Devagar, which recently opened in the Playa Verde area.
Due to the location, west and north of Piriapolis, just a couple of minutes from the Sugar Loaf development, this qualifies as a "destination" spot. However out of the way the place may be, this is not an unknown location for foodies in Uruguay, as it is literally around the corner from the defunct Carumbe, formerly run by a Mallmann alumn and rising young star who sadly died last year, and almost next door to the much deteriorated Terranostra.
Vida Devagar was originally intended as a blueberry farm, and thus the name of the property it sits on, Blueberry Hill. A 7 hectare farm with views of the hills and the ocean, and with its own "beach" on the Tarariras stream, the setting could not be any more bucolic. This is where Alex repaired to after one of those events that make you re-evalue everything, and the restaurant's name, Vida Devagar, meaning slow life in Portuguese, is meant to reflect his new outlook on life.
Upon deciding blueberries were a no-go, Alex focused his energies on the small greenhouse where he grows tomatoes, greens, and assorted hot peppers, and set out to build the barn-like structure that is now the restaurant.
Having had a few meals at his place before the restaurant's opening, I can attest to two specialties: salads, of the non Uruguayan variety, and meats cooked in the clay oven. The most flavorful and tender chicken I ever had came out of that oven. Although it's not part of the restaurant repertoire yet, I will lobby until it is...
Alex has been taking cooking lessons, and is a true fan of everything Japanese (he lived in Japan and even had a Japanese wife in a previous life) so sushi is one of his passions and is offered on certain days. There is a parrilla that will be fired in high season as well.
At the restaurant, as we say in Spanish, you are waited on by the very owner, as Vida Devagar is starting out small and slow. Kassler, a couple of home-made ravioli options, three salads and a salmon tartar plus a few appetizers made up the thankfully short menu last weekend.
After the "welcome snack," a hearty and flavorful sort of towering bruschetta with Serrano ham, cheese, something green and sundried tomato we were served upon seating, as appetizer we had the patatas bravas, a sort of spicy potatoes served with caramelized onion that were a bit on the gooey side for me, I prefer them crispy.
Then came two different, almost-meal sized salads, each more delicious than the other. The greens were fresh and abundant, and they both had the right combination of flavor elements and texture/crunch, perfectly dressed as well.
For main course we shared a plate of ricotta and walnut ravioli with a sauce of wild mushrooms and sundried tomatoes that was again a great pairing of intensities and textures. The dessert oranges in syrup, and the pears in red wine with vanilla ice-cream were too sweet for my husband, so I had to help out...
The decor is sort of "rustic garage" where vintage furniture sits alongside a billiard (not pool) table, old family pictures adorn the walls, and assorted flea market-style trinkets hang from the walls and ceiling. The furnishings are "budget" so don't come expecting a fancy table. The overall effect is sort of male pub fantasy -- darkish room, pool table, large-screen TV with music videos, the bar commanding the room -- to the detriment of the fantastic natural surroundings, which can be viewed through few and not too large windows. This will probably get corrected in the expansion with a deck overlooking the ocean :-)
Your best bet is to surrender to the pub thing, sit at the bar in the tractor seat stools and enjoy a casual, lovingly cooked, delicious meal and a chat with Alex. Unless, of course, there's too many of you to fit at the bar. Choose your language, he seems to speak them all. And challenge Alex to a game of backgammon... Altogether, it will be like nowhere else you've been in Uruguay.
Chef Alex and Barbi the Turk on the tabla, sorry, backgammon board...
Getting there: The map below is Montevideo centric. Where it says "al este" is Punta del Este, so if coming from Punta del Este on the highway, you make a left on KM 88.5, and then again a left at the hamlet of Estacion Las Flores. You follow a winding road, past several curves, a sort of bridge, past the Terranostra restaurant and immediately make a right.
It's easier if you're coming on the seaside road from Piriapolis. Just make a right turn at Parada 15 in Playa Verde onto Rt. 72, where there's some old abandoned large structure, and about 10 blocks up you will see the signs on your left before you hit Rt 73, which is a dirt road as well. There's a hedge of casuarina trees and a small wooden gate.
