It’s a classic place in La Patternal, a few blocks from the old Argentinos Juniors stadium, among century-old trees, low-slung houses and neighbors who keep up the habit of bringing out their deckchairs and making some friends on the sidewalk. In that neighborhood frozen in time, with Maradona’s face repeated on the walls, the Roussos, a family of Italian immigrants originally from Calabria, installed the canteen. Chichilo For nearly seven decades, with the intention of staying forever.
It all started when Francesco Russo, “Nono,” crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1920, just after the First War. On a one-way, third-class ticket, he boarded at the Beverello pier in Naples, and during the 17-day journey he slept on crude mattresses on wooden beds, and ate little and poorly. But the conditions did not matter: Francesco was ready to change his life by betting on that unknown, but promising, country, to which he intended to invite his family in a short time. Argentina was a huge and rich country.
He arrived with what he was wearing, but he did not lack the ability to work. At first he took different jobs. Later, once his wife Maria Rosa arrived, they ventured into the gastronomic field. The idea was to try their luck at preparing the Calabrian dishes they know so well.
Thus, they began by renting a small warehouse in San Cristobal to which they gradually added some tables so that customers could drink wine accompanied by some typical southern Italian snacks, such as crusty bread drizzled with olive oil as well as some hot sauce, olives and a typical Calabrian soppressata. It was a success.
After a few years, there will be a move to Floresta, and finally the possibility of settling in a larger location that Russo and his children and grandchildren will never give up: the corner of Camarones and Terrero.
Canteen Chichilo It was officially founded in 1956 under that name (an affectionate diminutive of Francesco), but it already had years of experience in the field, and its path has remained intact through several generations of Russians.
The goal was to maintain the same original spirit of the founders: offering high-quality, abundant, homemade food and a familiar treatment of customers. Cacio Russo, the major’s grandson, currently in charge of the institution, guards those principles in which strict tradition prevails. Example: in Chichilo, To know the menu, you don’t have to scan the QR code, you can call Cacho. He is the one who carefully lists the daily dishes and explains their content in detail if you ask him.
In principle, home-cooked food can’t be omitted “unless they want me to get angry,” he jokes. What does this entry consist of? It can be classic: homemade salami, provolone cheese, olives and bread Fatou is at homeall accompanied by vermouth that evokes the roots of Calabria. There’s more. Cacho has a soft spot for the popular traditional Italian snack Antipasto, It is the same as spice. You can choose from sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil and spices. Roasted bell peppers with garlic powder, tongue, chard sandwiches, palarese beans, chicory olives, cheese with olive oil and oregano, and even pickled artichokes.
They also offer two dishes that almost no local restaurant has on their menu: Bordeaux-style snails and Provençal-style double-breasted frogs. But there are some recipes that are a very well-kept secret in the family, for example snails. What they recommend is that it be very fresh, and accompanied by a sauce made with tomatoes and red wine (they have something else, but they don’t reveal it). Another must-see is the frogs imported from Cordoba, Maradona’s favorite dish. in Chichilo They serve them fried and Provençal style.
Homemade pasta was always produced on the premises on Mondays, when the canteen was closed.
In the living room there is an oval table where each of their specialties is kneaded. “the The fusillis al fierrito are prepared one at a time using a knitting needle – notes Ernesto Fontes Russo, the grandson who serves as the cantina’s unofficial spokesman. “We also have egg noodles, gnocchi, sorrentino and cannelloni,” he says. To accompany them they make over 22 sauce options. The classic, with toco and basil pesto, which they call scarparo here; Another is the Principe di Napoli (white sauce, filetto, ham, mozzarella, chicken and topped with a fried egg).
Once the pasta was finished, according to Russian tradition, up to nine people were seated at the main table. “The family gathers around that table, and I always picture my grandmother making pasta, giving us orders, organizing the production,” says Ernesto. “We all helped.”
Grandmother, Estrina Figliomeni, Cacio’s mother, was a spirit Chichilo For many years. She was the one who controlled the preparation of recipes from the kitchen. Without his approval nothing can be shipped. The marriage of Dona Estrina and Don Francisco, the son of the immigrant Francisco, marked the second generation of the family of Russians in charge of the winery. He died at the age of fifty due to a heart attack, and his wife continued to live without giving up. Grandma Esther, “Nonna,” as the locals affectionately called her, was in the kitchen until she was 83 years old. The emotional warmth she transmitted still persists despite her absence.
“She had a special relationship with El Diego, and he was like her student,” Ernesto Russo recalls. Maradona discovered the canteen when he was playing for Argentinos Juniors; then, Chichilo It was like a second home, where he celebrated his sporting successes and also his birthdays. “He was a fan of Provencal frogs – Ernesto continues – and the Sorrenches. When he went to play in Naples, he missed the frogs so much that he asked his assistant to take them frozen to Italy. The frogs arrived and a few days later the Neapolitan chef called the canteen to see the recipe, because Diego wanted them Provencal style while Esther was preparing them.”
On the walls of the room hung signed shirts from Maradona and other Argentinos Juniors stars. “For Chicello with all my love,” says one, signing it with the number 10.
popularity Chichilo It spread over the years. Now customers are not only from La Paternal, they come from other neighborhoods. In the summer you should add tables on the sidewalk. Perhaps its attractive power has to do with the fact that it conveys the same aesthetics, the same flavors, as it did when it started. My dear Nonna’s scraper, her mesh, and an old flour sifter are all on display. They are things that remember and honor the origins.
in Chichilo The relaxed atmosphere is maintained at other times. “Our secret – Ernesto’s adventure – is to continue as we started, offering the same sauces, the same verito fusilli, the same love that Estrina put into what she did. All of this is transmitted, people come to eat and enjoy the friendly attention. Little Ciccillo sums up the bustling, happy atmosphere of a Calabrian restaurant and the warm atmosphere of a family gathering.”
Shrimp 1901, La Paternal.
Open Wednesday to Friday from 10:30.
Saturdays, noon and night. Sundays, noon only.
(No reservations)
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