Southern Chile Fine Dining: El Criollito de Don Armando in Temuco

Don Armando, as you might have figured out previous El Criollito articles, is the son of Mrs. Ermelina Acuña, the matriarch of the El Criollito chain of family restaurants; he is the third of her children to establish a restaurant in the family tradition of quality. Don Armando has taken his version of the family traditional Southern Chilean cooking and added a more artistic spin and philosophical flavor to it. With his dedication to studying of international culinary arts and wines, every part of El Criollito de Don Armando reflects his own personality in the preparation and presentation the traditional foods of southern Chile.

The most striking thing as you enter the door to the El Criollito de Don Armando is the Wines. Bottles of wine, wine, and more of Chile's best wines line the shelves throughout the restaurant. The restaurant. Along with the unique Aracunia decorations, it is much like having dinner in a wine seller or what you might expect to find in California's Napa valley.

If you ask Don Armando, after a bit of conversation, he will be happy to recommend a wine to not only match your plate and pallet but your personality. We were impressed that he also goes to great length to educate his waiters on wines, the proper handling, and how to make a proper recommendation. We often find this lacking in many Chilean restaurants. Waiters are too often handed a corkscrew and told to open bottles. Not so here. The waiters El Criollito de Don Armando know their wines, and more importantly know when to ask for help from more experienced waiters.

Our recommendation on a cold night is to grab the table near the fireplace. It puts you in the center of the restaurant, and also where the waiters place all the bottles of wine to warm them to a proper temperature before serving other tables. An excellent way to get an idea of what everyone is drinking around the restaurant, and some perspective on your next selection. Every aspect of the restaurant is designed to say 'we not only offer great food, but a great place to enjoy it'.

Don Armando has managed to retain the lessons of quality and tradition from his mother. In fact, it is not unusual on a busy night to find her floating around the restaurant, helping to manage the rush and greeting the regulars after closing her own restaurant at the municipal market. Watching her in action you are reminded of a CEO of a fortune 500 company dropping into a remote franchise to get a firsthand look at how things are going on the ground. Don't forget, she is still mom and thus carries far more authority than any CEO. We noticed all the waiters snap to attention when she enters the restaurant and become just a little more stressed.

This is however Don Armando's show all the way. He has kept the classic Araucanía cooking that the rest of the family is famous for, and also developed his own unique plates and presentation.  Traditional menu with wine and aperitifs about $10,000 pesos.

Entreé: oysters, parmesan clams, steamed shellfish soup, and the seafood special is “Ollita Criolla” a combination of pork, beef, sausage, shellfish, simmered together in a pot.

For Chilean fish we recommend the salmon, trout, hake, and the Chilean Sea bass. There are also special traditional Chilean sauces for the fish such as caper, Margarita (seafood and white sauce butter and pepper), Shrimp, and scallops, “al ajillo” or garlic, and “al ali olio” with an olive oil and spice base.

The best from el Criollito barbecue includes special cuts of meats such as the “entrecot” (T-bone steak) and what is called “lomo liso” in Chile which basically is a highest quality cut of fillet in the Chilean tradition.

For side dishes there are special spiced mash potatoes, prepared with the traditional Araucanía Merquen o Merken spice that specially selected and prepared with the best Southern Chilean traditional recipes of the IX region.

Do not miss the specially smoked and cured Aji Chileno or Chilean Chilly sauce served as a dip for the homemade bread and sopaipillas. This sauce involves a very complex procedure to produce through smoking, curing and rehydrating the chillies. All the steps are carefully managed to enhance the smoky spicy flavor of the Chilies. This is simply one of the best flavor combinations we have encountered. It is like the after taste you would get from a mesquite barbecue sauce, without the sugar or honey Flavors. It can not be explained and is very too unique to the El Criollito de Don Armando to be properly compared.

The specialty of the house is the Filete Armando. This is the best cut of fillet and covered in a shrimp white sauce with that unique special personal touch from chef Armando.

Besides the wines you can find the best Pisco Sour in town prepared with freshly squeezed Pica Lemon for the perfect mix. Also try the special old fashion grape brewed spirit, known in Chile as “mistelas”. This is unique to the Southern Chile.

For dessert ask for the Armando Crepe (Panqueque Armando) an exquisite combination of a hot crepe filled with chestnut cream, covered in vanilla ice cream toped with whipped cream and a touch of chocolate sauce, and sprinkle with chopped toasted almonds.

The downstairs of El Criollito de Don Armando is dedicated to the regular guest, with all the wine shelves and the main bar. The upstairs was recently finished as a space for conventions, wedding parties, and for other large groups. It comes complete with a stage raised to for a band, speaker, or tables for the guest of honor, along with a complete bar. He offers for a large group of people a first class cocktail, special dinner, the best selection of fine wines and spirits.

If you are around Temuco in September, and you are lucky, Don Armando holds a once a year exclusive invitation only wine tasting. This started out as just a few friends invited to try some wines and has grown into an annual event for Temuco's elite. Representatives from Chile's best wineries bring out their best selection of special reserver wines in an attempt to win over Don Armando's best clients and friends. How do you get an invitation? We are still working on that.

Each of the restaurants in the El Criollito have their own styles, and compliment each other nicely. For Lunch the original El Criollito or El Criollito II in the Municipal market are perfect. For a relaxing day at the beach with some fine seafood, the Boca Budi Resort near Puerto Saavedra is excellent. However, for fine dining with a fine Chilean wine, the El Criollito Don Armando is where to go for an evening out in Temuco. El Criollito Don Armando is sufficient reason for a stop in Temuco Chile all by itself.