La Embajada
By Scott Millsop
Something Savory Awaits at La Embajada
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When you walk in the door at La Embajada there are subtle surprises. It is located in a strip center on Springboro Pike, next to a Manpower office, an audio/video store and a dance school. So perhaps you would expect a walk-up counter, tourist photos on the walls and seating designed to be comfortable for no more than an hour. Well, set aside your expectations because what you’ll find are glass topped tables, handsome wooden chairs, warm, inviting sundown colors. There is a seating arrangement with comfy chairs and a coffee table in the center of the room, with books to read, with a colorful carpet below and a delicate mobile lamp above. Monica, one of the owners says, “I was going for cute. Not so much elegant. But cute.”
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Photos by Bobby Tewksbury
There is music along those lines too. Piano. Jazzy. Maybe South American? Very atmospheric. Subtle. The walls on two sides are windows and they leave them uncovered so there is plenty of light. There is an aroma in the air that is pleasant and stirs the senses, it is somehow unexpected too.
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“It is savory.” Jorge tells us. “Argentinian cuisine is savory. People think because it is South American the food will be hot and spicy. But that is not what we do. The flavors are European. “ “We came from the boats.” This is an Argentinian expression, a way of describing the people. Most of us have no preconceived notions about Argentina, but it is usually a surprise to learn that the population has a 97% European background, mostly Spanish and Italian. There is a lot of history to consider but let’s leave that for now. It is a large country, the fourth largest country in the Americas, but almost everyone lives in the capital city. Buenos Aires is very cosmopolitan, known for its cafe culture and rich cultural life. Away from the city is open land. We foolishly asked Jorge if it was forest or jungle. He said, “No. It’s like Pennsylvania.” And it follows from that that it is cattle country. There is a banner outside La Embajada that says “Steak House.” They are not kidding. You can get a 30 day dry aged steak here (advance arrangement required) and that is a rare, exquisite experience. For our purposes, consider the appetizer we’re getting, a soft dough topped with a creamy cheese, jalepenos and honey and a root vegetable pan fried with parsley and garlic. Here’s that word again, savory.
Cooking and food service are guided by many factors. Often at Ethnosh we hear that the source is Grandma’s kitchen, or a desire to recreate food from another place, another home. Here then is the next surprise, the cuisine at La Embajada arises from a professional expertise in engineering. (You will not likely encounter that again in your foodie journey.) Jorge was an engineer, electronics, with decades of experience as a project manager. NCR brought him to the US and left him here in some reshuffle. Now (luckily for us) he’s a restauranteur.
Part of the charm of Ethnosh are the background stories of the restaurant owners. That is certainly the case at La Embajada. We mentioned that there is a sitting area in the middle of the room with nice chairs, a coffee table and books. Jorge wrote those books. Some are novels, some are think pieces. Some are in Spanish and some are in English. We also mentioned the breezy music playing in the background. Jorge wrote and played that music. (ASCAP and BMI fees for the rights to music are every bar and restaurant owner’s peeve. Jorge engineered a solution by using his own music to go with the very creative food.)
And then you should know that Monica is the real character in this place. She is all laughter and energy and eye contact and friendliness. The restaurant is very much her personality. She met Jorge when he was playing in a band in Argentina and they’ve been together ever since. Jorge’s path was engineering and Monica was a teacher. There was a time not long ago when they were operating as an underground restaurant. A pop-up food service allowed them to build a following. They also hosted dinner parties at their home, inviting travelers from many countries to experience Argentinian food.
Now it is our turn.