Puerto La Boca
2060 India St. (Little Italy)
619-234-4900
Happy Hour: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 1 to 8:30 p.m., Sundays

Let’s Get Happy! | Dr. Ink

Named after an Italian neighborhood in Buenos Aires, the flavors of Argentina are captured at Puerto La Boca, located without coincidence in our own Little Italy. The family-run operation, famous for steaks teased up with garlicky chimichurri sauce, provides an affordable dabble into several traditional appetizers and wines of South American persuasion during happy hour.

Stick within the bar area and appetizers are 30 percent off their regular prices. Several wines by Crotta from Argentina’s Mendoza Valley sell for $3 per glass, while drafts and wells cost only 50 cents more. Or if stiffer alcohol is needed for mustering the courage to bite into a dark, inky link of blood sausage, the martinis are available for $6 apiece.

Visiting with a wino friend, we imbibed exclusively from the Crotta collection. The 2010 Malbec featured a young fruit flavor, mild tannins and a less-intense finish compared to those produced by such names as Alamos or Clos de los Siete from the same region. Newcomers to this original Bordeaux varietal will nonetheless appreciate its mild body, especially when paired with meaty nibbles.

“Pretty good” was how my cohort described his Crotta Cabernet, known better for its affordable price than the spicy, blackberry pith inherent to Napa cabs. But for $6 a round, and with generous pours in each of our glasses, we weren’t complaining.

Complimentary warm bread with olives, herb butter and chimichurri sauce is slipped under your nose upon ordering drinks. Though satisfying and sustainable if you’re drinking on a semi-empty stomach, we proceeded nonetheless to a few appetizers that turned up rather salty.

Mushrooms sautéed in white wine and garlic were the saltiest, with the coarsely ground blood sausage ranking a close second. Beef and chicken empanadas were tamer, providing homespun flavors from their light pastry casings and stew-like fillings. My favorite in the lineup was a chubby link of chorizo, made with beef and pork and sporting a wine-friendly grilled flavor. Compared to Mexican versions, the spices were milder and herbier.

Puerto’s bar lounge is roomy and staffed by Latin bartenders suited in dress shirts and vests. If choosing to extend your Argentinean experience beyond happy hour, the white-linen dining room sits just a few steps away, provided the drink deals don’t leave you walking in zigzags.

CALIFICACIONES:

Bebidas: 4

House wines include several Argentinean varietals by Crotta, which appeal more to casual wine drinkers than connoisseurs. The discounted well drinks and martinis, we’re told, pack a reasonable punch.

Food: 3

Someone in the kitchen was using a heavy hand with the salt, which showed up strongly in sautéed mushrooms and blood sausage. The food otherwise tasted of decent quality, particularly the lean chorizo and homemade empanadas.

Valor: 4

Drink and food discounts average 30 percent. In addition, free bread, olives and chimichurri sauce are included with drink orders.

Servicio: 4

Wines were poured quickly. Food arrived fast. But you may need to ask about the drink and appetizer specials, as the staff didn’t voluntarily explain them to us.

Duration: 5

Happy hour continues past sunset on Monday through Saturday, and you have all day on Sundays to grab a taste of Argentina on the cheap.