The decor is minimalist, but that's not why you're here, and by 10:30pm the place is crowded. We have a favorite waiter; to get him (he seems to be on during the week only) as you enter, go towards the counter in the rear and turn right into the backroom. Then turn right again and find yourself a table in the three rows nearest the front windows. A bonus: this is the nonsmoking area.

He's a slightly stocky man with nicely trimmed black hair. At first he seems a bit gruff, but he has a wonderful sense of humor. He's in charge of 36 seats among tables of two and four that get shoved together to accommodate larger parties. There are no busboys. In addition to serving, he clears and resets his own tables. The man is constantly on the move. He never writes anything down when he takes your order and sets the food before the person who ordered it. No "who gets what?" here.

You know you're in a neighborhood BA restaurant when:

1. The menus are badly beaten up but serviceable.

2. The tablecloths occasionally have old cigarette burn holes from prior service at the other end of the room.

3. The waiter knows many of the customers.

Cervantes' portions are huge and easily shared. The waiters are very good at not letting you order too much. And they'll wrap the surplus to take home.

Our all-time favorite meal is pollo provenzal con papas fritas. This is a baked chicken leg and thigh with more french fries than two can handle, all drenched in a buttery garlic and chopped parsley sauce. Yeah, I know, not exactly the healthiest, but you only live once, and at just over US$2, it's one of the all-time greatest bargains.

When ordering beef, stay away from the chorizo steak, which can be tough and greasy. Instead, order bife de lomo, a tenderloin.

With our waiter's guidance, my wife ordered the above chicken. I ordered the lomo steak solo ("solo" = no potatoes, would be too much food). We shared a large salad, had a bottle of local red wine called Carcassone, and shared an ice-cream dessert (three big scoops), all for just over $20, tip included.

In BA, you can order a salad with just the ingredients you want: lettuce (chopped), tomatoes, carrots (grated), and others; a Spanish language guide is helpful. The only dressing that seems available in BA is a small wire basket of bottles of oil and one or two types of vinegar.

The wine, Carcassone, is just an ordinary local table wine, a blend, not vintage. There are certainly much finer local wines that we had at other places, but somehow Carcassone fits Cervantes.

Another time we shared the pollo con papas (baked chicken with potatoes), a mixed salad, a 650 ml. bottle of beer and two desserts, all for just over US$9, tip included.

A normal tip in BA is 10% to 15%, but our man earns and deserves 15% to 20%.