As I walked along the long hallway into the restaurant, I felt like I was entering into my own jazz-aged, sepia-toned movie. Originally a home built in 1913, a three storey mansion is now the location of Milión, a restaurant and bar that is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Just as this piece of neoclassic architecture has managed to survive the test of time, so has the restaurant inside. In spite of its opening during Argentina’s recession in 1999, Milión’s popularity grew, withstanding the 2001 economic crisis. A decade later, Milión’s anniversary is not only a representation of its success as a business, but an example of an innovative concept dreamed and realised.
Since its inception, its founders, Osvaldo ‘Oz’ Gonzalez, Diego Pérez Morales, Silvina Messina and Ernestina Pais wanted to create an ever-evolving location for art aficionados and lovers of Argentine cuisine, with a hint of the Mediterranean. Although each of the founders had extensive backgrounds in the arts, they lacked experience in the restaurant business. Out of the four owners, only Diego had knowledge in the culinary arts. It was Diego’s uncle who owned the mansion, which Diego then inherited.
“In seven months, when everyone thought we were crazy, we opened up the place,” says Diego. Although the building is almost a hundred years old, the owners kept most of the inside and outside structure intact, thereby providing a uniquely antique style juxtaposed to the modern apartments, kiosks and clothing stores along Paraná.
Silvina describes the first years of the restaurant’s survival as a learning process during which they took “el camino más largo” (the longest route) to achieve success. Wanting to be more than just the financial owners of Milión, Silvina says that each of them devoted time to organising events, learning what to put on the menu and concentrating on even the smallest of details such as picking flowers.
In addition to their involvement in every aspect of Milión’s inception, the owners initially gained much support from their connections in the art world, relying on word of mouth instead of foreign publicity. Since then however, Milión’s worldly status has grown, and the bar regularly features on lists of ‘Top Ten bars to visit in Buenos Aires’. Oz says that a key to keeping this place trendy is working like “kids playing”. By this he means that while economic success is of course essential, since he comes from the art world, the idea of play and fun is equally important to their restaurant.
In December, the anniversary month, Milión is to host an array of activities inside its candlelit walls. From June, the bar has been displaying art from around the world, joining the ‘Gallery Nights’ circuit on the first Friday of every month, where local talent and foreign is showcased, such as renowned Argentine artist Marta Minujin. As it keeps growing in popularity, Milión opened up La Boite, a space on the third floor dedicated to hosting a range of live shows from musicians to actors. In choosing their musical selection, the owners say they look for the avant-garde and artists keen on musical experimentation. During dinner expect to hear an array of lounge-style music that ranges from Frank Sinatra-style croons to samba beats.
To celebrate its anniversary, the restaurant has also added more samples of Latin American flavours. While a typical dinner for two might reach around $100, there is always the cheaper option of tapas. I tried the Peruvian dish complete with anticuchos (skewered meat) and ceviche.
Sitting down for a drink, one can also contemplate one of the restaurant’s more famous works, ‘Mártir’ by Marcos López. As a striking portrait of a man with a knife through his heart, it will lead to a conversation starter for any who choose to visit the bar.
Just as many locals refer to this current world economic crisis as something normal to them, the same seems to apply for Milión. This combination of thought-provoking art with a mix of laid-back ambience and plentiful food portions seems to be the unique trait that keeps Milión thriving through yet another economic crisis of worldly proportions.
Milión is located on Paraná 1048 between Av. Santa Fe and Marcelo T. de Alvear, open Monday-Friday from midday and weekends from 8pm. Happy hour is from 6-9pm. For reservations or for events call Mariana Rosales from Monday-Friday 11am-5pm, on 4815 9925. www.milion.com.ar. Wi-fi is available. Use it to check out the facebook group for the restaurant’s notorious house cat, Emilio (group name: Fan de Emilio Milion).