Buenos Aires Recommendations

[ulterior epicure]

[i wrote this for a couple of "novice travellers," so please excuse the side travel notes. However, I thought it might be a useful guide to eGulleters who are interested in eating in Buenos Aires. The report is based on a visit in February, 2005. Enjoy!]

Here is a list of Buenos Aires restaurants that i visited. I kept a restaurant journal on my travels. I hope you find this helpful. All of the restaurants I've listed are very clean and most feature linened tops. I tended to eat at the better restaurants - but with the exchange rate being so favorable, I would suggest that you "treat yourselves" to some better meals. Here is some helpful advice:

1. Remember, dinner will probably not be served until after 7pm at the earliest. Most restaurants will not even begin to have diners until around 10:30pm. If you're not within walking distance from your hotel, you're better off having the restaurant call a taxi for youa t night. Make sure you have cash on hand for cab rides.

2.Be aware that many places include wine in the price of set menus - so make sure you're not going to be charged for wine.

3.Salads are usually very generous in size - look for hearts of palm, avocados as well as beets. You should seriously consider ordering salad at every meal since it is cheap and entrees tend to be meat-heavy and not include vegetables. Cheese is also very good and abundant.

4. Argentinian food is heavily influenced by Italians. So, there's lots of pastas, pizzas and meat "Milanese" style meats (breaded and fried). Mostly, they are famous for their grilled meats ("asada" = bbq). Some items you should definitely try before you leave: steaks, empanades (meat filled pastries - like a calzone), helado (their gelato), dulce de leche (national dessert - it's like caramel) - mostly featured in their "alfajores," and "yerba mate" tea that they drink out of a hollow gourd (prounounced yer-ba ma-tay), and their salads - very fresh and good.

5. Of course, steak is perhaps the most famous food in Argentina - and is VERY inexpensive (considering the exchange rate). Beware that steak (red meat) portions tend to be VERY BIG - so you and baba could probably split a large steak. Beef, lamb and goat are more popular - pork less so. Fish is also very good. Also, the Argentinians eat a lot of offal (innards), such as tongue, brain, kidneys, sweatbreads (thymus glands - one of my favorites), heart, and intestines. Usually, the meats are grilled and you should specify what doneness you would like your meat prepared... I usually asked for "jugoso" (which means "juicy" - but it means rare). If you see the word "Parilla" - that is the Argentinian word for "Steakhouse."

Here are some useful food words:

"Molleja" (glands - like sweatbreads)

"Crudo" (rare - usually referring to fish)

"Jugoso" (juicy, or rare - for red meat)

"A punto" (medium rare)

"Cocido" (medium to well-done)

"Chorizo" (sausages)

"Bife de lomo" (filet mignon)

"Bife de chorizo" (sirloin strip steak)

"Milanese" (breaded and fried - it's an Italian influence)

"Empanada" (Argentinian calzone)

6. Also, know that meals often times include a generous "cover" plate - in addition to bread, they often provide a small plate of appetizers... there's a "cover charge" for this, so it's not exactly free - but it's a part of your bill regardless - so you should take advantage of it (the most generous one is at Cubana Las Lilas - see below); it is usually refillable - so you can usually get pretty full off of this and then split an salad and entree between the two of you - but do not just go and eat the cover without ordering, it's probably pretty rude.

7. Tipping is nominal - if you are particularly happy, or if you are in a fancier restaurant, you should tip more - but make sure it's not already included in your bill! Read your guidebooks and see what they say.

8. Desserts are skippable - although you should try their alfejores (you can buy them in an little convenience store for about $.75 US) - they are chocolate covered cookies sandwiching dulce de leche (caramel), which is their national specialty. Most all of desserts will feature dulce de leche and it can also be used as a spread on toast (used kind of like peanut butter).

9. I would skip dessert and get their gelato (they spell it "helado" - and prounounced just like it spells). It is usually VERY inexpensive and the smallest cone ($1-3 US) includes TWO flavors. I learned quickly that the first flavor you say will be in the cone and the second flavor you choose will be on top, so your first choice flavor portion will be more - so make sure you say your favorite flavor first. One flavor you MUST try is their "Super Sabayon" - it is a custardy liquor that is rather strong, so baba should be careful. I have provided two of my favorite heladerias in the listing below (you should make it to both).

10. Water should be okay to drink - BUT their bottled water is SO cheap that I usually just got mineral water at restaurants. You can order "agua sin gas" (water without gas) or "agua con gas" (water with gas). A lot of restaurants (especially at dinner) include a wine - but I always asked to substitute mineral water because I don't drink alcohol.

Here is the format for my restaurant listing:

Restaurant Name (Neighborhood)

Address (or website).

Price in US$ per person including tax and tip, and usually includes at least two courses each (ie. soup/salad/appetizer and entree).

Description

Palermo: This neighborhood is farthest from the City Center, but easily accessible by taxi or bus (if you can figure out the system). There are two sections - Viejo ("old") and Hollywood. I would suggest going during the day - the night is safe, but it's mostly young party crowd. The restaurants are VERY good and rather cheap - but VERY crowded later at night. It's a popular "yuppie" hangout with trendy locals. The neighborhood offers lots of little shops and boutiques - so I would recommend doing this during the day and having lunch at one of the places below:

Olsen (Palermo)

Gorriti 5870

Lunch: $8-12 Dinner: $17-30

VERY good Swedish food - also very nice outdoor eating area. The food is VERY good and rather inexpensive for lunch. It's kind of hidden and tucked away, but definitely worth a visit... highly recommended. I recommend their beef/venison, which I had and it is VERY good. The lunch is a set menu and usually comes with a small salad, a starch, and sometimes a small cup of soup. The souffle at night is very good and large.

Bar Uriarte (Palermo Viejo)

1572 Buenos Aires (name of the street)

http://www.baruriarte.com.ar/uriarte/default.htm

Lunch: $10-18 (Entrees are at most $7)

This price includes a generously sized appetizer, salad andn entree. I had too much food! Two people could definitely split an appetizer, salad and entree and be full. I would recommend the the bruschetta appetizer (toasted french baguette with various toppings that runs about $2.50) or the rabbit appetizer (two large rabbit legs). For salad - I had a beautiful smoked salmon arugula salad. For entree - I HIGHLY recommend the pork ravioli - it was AMAZINGLY GOOD!!!!!!!!! I can't guarantee that these items are still on the menu - but maybe you could ask the chef to prepare them for you. The desserts here are supposed to be very famous, but I didn't try them.

Freud & Fahler (Palermo)

Gurruchaga 1750

Lunch $7-9

This is a small restaurant but features pretty good food. $7-9 will get you a salad, entree and drink. It's really nice, and very affordable for lunch.

Social Paraiso (Palermo)

Honduras 5182

Lunch: $6-9

This is a very inexpensive set-price lunch which includes your choice of soup or salad and an entree. It's small and very quaint. I didn't eat here, but wandered by many times. It is very affordable and the food seemed good.

De Olivas y Lustres (Palermo)

Gascon 1460

Dinner: $15-25

This dinner place features a 15 course meal for about $18. It's a lot of little food tastings and is quite affordable - it features everything from lamb's tongue, blood pudding to fried olives and a very nice dessert sampling. The restaurant is small and in a rather hidden street - but it has a homey, cute atmosphere. I would highly recommend getting a cab if you want to go.

City Center: This is in the heart of city and extremely walkable from your hotel (Embajador). This is where the Obelisk, Opera House, and Casa Rosada (Pink House - their presidential residence) are located... as well as the most busy shopping district (Avenida Florida and Corrientes). There are many small fast-food style eateries if you are looking for something cheap and inexpensive.

Chelo (City Center)

I forgot the address - but it's on a corner about a block away from the Crowne Plaza Hotel (see Tomo 1 restaurant below)

Food Lunch/Dinner $3-8

VERY inexpensive cafe/eaterie - features large salads (very healthy and fiilling), sandwiches as well as larger plates and pizza. It is good and convenient to the City Center - it's right on the main avenue not far from the Hotel Embajador (maybe six blocks).

Tomo 1 (City Center)

Hotel Panamericano (Crowne Plaza - maybe 7 blocks from Hotel Embajador)

http://www.tomo1.com.ar/ingles/default.htm

Lunch is less expensive, but dinner can be pricier - about $50 for three courses.

This was the nice fine dining restaurant that the two sisters run (very famous). The food is very good, and the view is nice (if you get a window table - it overlooks the opera house)

Cafe Tortoni (City Center)

http://www.cafetortoni.com.ar/

Food: $5-15

It's the oldest and MOST famous cafe in Argentina - many famous writers and tango singers have frequented this landmark. You should go in and get churros with hot chocolate dip, or coffee. It's kind of pricey - but can be cheap if you limit yourself to an afternoon snack. The atmosphere is very grand (old) and it is a nice place to take a break - especially if it's hot outside. Try the churros and hot chocolate.

Puerto Madero: This is the newest part of Buenos Aires and is a city effort to revitalize the river walk. It's kind of like Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica except it's mostly restaurants (and some retail). It's a stretch of about a mile long. The buildings are very modern - usually restaurants/stores on the ground level and condos/lofts above. It's very safe, busy and close to the City Center all day from noon until night - so it's a great option for evening dining. The best thing about this strip is that it is scenic along the river side - featuring the famous "Harp Bridge" - or the Bridge of Women. The restaurants tend to be a little more expensive, but they are very nice and offer a great option for outside dining as you can sit on the riverwalk (very nice). The other side of the riverwalk (you can cross the bridges to check it out) is unexciting - mostly apartment and office buildings and some very very new modern luxury hotels.

Cubana Las Lilas (Puerto Madero)

http://www.laslilas.com/english.php

Lunch/Dinner $12-25 (for salad and steak)

This is one of the most famous steakhouses in Buenos Aires - very popular so go early. If it is nice weather, I would highly recommend sitting outside on the deck where you can overlook the river walk. As well, although the prices are a little higher - you an baba should go and split a big steak and a salad (very big salads). That way, you could both have salad and steak and much cheaper - the price is very affordable for steak considering the exchange rate. I like the atmosphere and the break and crackers are good. As well, they give you a VERY nice plate of smoked salmon, vegetables, olives, and cheese to begin your meal - it is refillable and is included in your bill (take advantage of this - you could get full on this alone BUT you should order some food as this is just your "cover"). WELL worth the price. Also, be sure to ask if you can get a small (or half) portion of meat - for instance, I ordered a half portion filet mignon - that cut the price in half. I remember they have a very good beet salad and an avocado salad.

Katrine (Puerto Madero)

Bulevar Alicia Moreau de Justo 138

Food: Lunch $10-30 (for salad, steak and dessert)

This is pricier - but it is very good. It is just a few doors down from Cubana Las Lilas along the riverwalk. If the weather is nice, you should sit on the deck so you can look out on to the riverwalk. It's very nice, elegant white table cloth service. It is more expensive, but very nice. Lunch was served with a very nice cut of salmon pate (included in the cover).

Bice (Puerto Madero)

Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo 192

Food: $? (probably between $10-20)

I didn't visit this restaurant - but I heard it is one of the best Italian restaurants in Buenos Aires. It is a world wide chain kind of like Cheesecake Factory/Bravo. I think it's probably more affordable just because it's mostly pastas.

Freddo Heladeria (Puerto Madero)

I don't know the exact address - but it is along the riverwalk right across from the Bridge of Women (the one that looks like a harp).

http://www.freddo.com.ar/

Gelato: $2.50-5

This is right along the riverwalk near the Bridge of Women. It's a pricier gelato place, but very good and worth the extra money. The portions are larger and the selection is rather good. I think it's the second best heladeria in the city (its sister store, Persicco in Recova is better - see below). You MUST try their "Super Sabayon." It's nice to go to lunch at one of the other restaurants along the Puerto Madero and then get gelato here afterward and walk around the riverwalk to exercise a litte for digestion.

Recoleta: This is the Beverly Hills are of Buenos Aires. This is as pocket of wealth. There are lots of high-end retail stores and hotels - as well as the famous Recoleta Cemetary (where Evita is buried). It is also where you will find the famous Flower Sculpture (the one that opens with daylight closes up at night).

Persicco Heladeria (Recova - western part of Recoleta)

Corner of Cerrito 1567 and Avenida Liberatador

It's worth a trip - you can probably walk there from the Recoleta Cemetary - and there are some shops around there).

http://www.persicco.com (click on "Ingresar," or "Enter")

Gelato: $2-6 for GENEROUS scoops.

This was my FAVORITE gelato place in all of Buenos Aires. I visited my last FOUR DAYS in Buenos Aires because it was that good. This is also where I bumped into the manager who gave me a whole bucket of gelato for free! Their staff got to know me because I came in everyday and ended up giving me a lot of free ice cream - they're very nice. The most amazing thing is that there are over 80 flavors - I would highly recommend at least getting one scoop of the "Super Sabayon" - it has liquor so baba may want to be careful. It is the sister company of the more popular "Freddo" chain. Very similar. You MUST visit at least once, if not more!!!!!!

La Bourgogne (Recoleta)

Inside the Palacio Alvear Hotel (the most expensive hotel in Buenos Aires)

http://www.alvearpalace.com/1024/ingles/r_bourgogne.htm

http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-bo...aurant/bondoux/

Dinner: $45-60

This is a very very very very fine dining restaurant - in fact, the best in Buenos Aires. The dinners are expensive, but worth it if you want to treat yourself. My six course meal was $60 US - and included caviar service, a salad with huge prawns, sea bass, rack of lamb and two desserts... The service is wonderful. You need to be dressed up (jackets for men), so it may not be feasible. If you order a la carte, you could probably get out of there for $25-30 per person for just an entree and perhaps sharing an appetizer - if you do, get the seafood salad appetizer (I forgot what it was called), but I think for around $12 you get a VERY generous portion of shellfish, smoked salmon, prawns, oysters, and crab/lobster... very beautiful presentation. This is the ONLY Relais Gourmand restaurant in all of South America.

San Telmo: This is a more remote neighborhood which is sort of poorer - so it's probably best avoided late at night. This area is famous for their outdoor antique market and street vendors selling trinkets and other locally made items. It's very crowded during the day, and there are lots of street performers. It's very safe during the day. You can get there by subway at the stop Constitucion. I would recommend spending an afternoon walking about and shopping, then having dinner and then going to the tango show afterward at Viejo Almacen. You will have to get a taxi home, however.

La Brigada (San Telmo)

465 Estados Unidos (Spanish for United States)

Dinner: $5-12

This is an extremely affordable steakhouse. It gets very crowded at night and is popular with tourists, so go earlier (you'll have to anyway if you go and see the tango show afterward). I remembered that they featured a "steak for two" dinner - I think it was around $12 US TOTAL and was basically a huge plate of two or three different grilled cuts of meat - it was probably big enough to feed three or four people. When I went, I tried a lot of different things - whatever you do, be very careful about ordering because some of their cuts of meat aren't what is described in English on the menu... for instance, I ordered the wild boar chops - and I literally got a fatty rack of ribs with little meat. If you don't get the "dinner for two" - then I would recommend ordering a salad, and then an appetizer - try the lamb tongue which was very good. If you are adventurous, their sweatbreads (baby goats' thymus glands) are good - taste like kidneys but not as tough, very tender and tastes kind of like liver. Or else, it's safest to stick with their beef steaks.

El Viejo Almacen (San Telmo)

"The Old Warehouse" Tango Show

http://www.viejo-almacen.com.ar/english/show.html (you can reserve tickets online - but there may be an additional charge)

Tango Show: The website says that it's $40 per person (w/o dinner) and $55 per person (w dinner), but I don't remember my ticket being that expensive. For the extra fifteen dollars, I decided to go to a restaurant and eating... I don't know how the food is at this place - the nice thing is that your meal is on the first floor of this place so you don't have far to go after eating to get to the show. However, the restaurant I ate at (La Brigada) was only a few blocks away and I easily got to the show without having to hurry.

This is probably one of the most famous tango performances in town. The price includes a free glass of champagne - but I asked for mineral water instead (w/o extra charge). I would recommend going earlier during the day and buying your ticket ahead of time in the ticket office around the corner from the main door. It's in a more remote part of San Telmo, and probably not very safe late at night (don't worry - there will be LOTS of tourists with you after the show). To get home, you can get a taxi - but you can also ask your hotel or the ticket office to buy a shuttle bus ride home - they have shuttles after the show designed to take tourists back to their hotels - they group you by neighborhoods, so make sure you get on the right shuttle. The show lasts about 11/2 hours long. It is VERY cold inside, so make sure you take an extra sweater.

La Boca: This neighborhood is one of the oldest (and poorest) in Buenos Aires. It's definitely worth a visit - but it is only safe during the day. It's famous for its multi-coloured buildings. It's kind of like the Carribbean. I think the best way to see this is as a part of a half-day tour that takes you by bus - they'll usually drop you off and give you 30 mins. to wander around on your own - it's very small (a few blocks) and consists mainly of touristy shops (overppriced) and cafes. It's more of an experience than anything. You should go, but remember - I would NOT linger around here after 5:30pm. There aren't any restaurants here to speak of except for the world famous "Patagonia Sur," which I didn't ge to visit.

[saltshaker]

Nice posting! I'd second a lot of the recommendations.

A couple of thoughts...

I'd go later on your estimate of opening time for restaurants. For non-tourist places, it's relatively common that they don't open until closer to 8:30 or 9:00. If you simply must eat earlier, you're limited mostly to the Centro (business district) area where many places cater to business travellers, and Puerto Madero, which caters to tourists (for a price).

Not all of Recoleta is "a pocket of wealth," with pricier restaurants. There are many great value restaurants especially in the northern part of Recoleta where I live, Barrio Norte.

I'd disagree on La Boca. It has some outstanding "local cuisine" restaurants, both at lunch and dinner - some of the more "authentic" food you'll find in the city. And while I wouldn't want to walk around La Boca at night, taking a cab to and from a restaurant is, I would say, fairly safe (most restaurants will call a radio cab for you when you're ready to leave). Regardess, because of the touristy nature of the center of the neighborhood, many of the places are open at both lunch and dinner. The couple of blocks of bright colored buildings with touristy shops are a very small part of this historic district. There are some great museums to visit (the Martin Quinquela museum is outstanding), as well as things like river tours to be taken from here.

Edited November 3, 2005 by saltshaker (log)

[Apicio]

Thanks to Ulterior Epicure and Saltshaker. I'm going back to BA this spring linked with extended visits to Cordoba and Mendoza. Would either of you guys have feed info on those cities?

[ulterior epicure]

saltshaker.

i would LOVE to hear recommendations in la boca - i didn't seriously scope it out when i was there, so i shouldn't have been so hasty with my review. however, i did write it for some friends whom i didn't think would be much interested in that neighborhood.

u.e.

Nice posting! I'd second a lot of the recommendations.

A couple of thoughts...

I'd go later on your estimate of opening time for restaurants. For non-tourist places, it's relatively common that they don't open until closer to 8:30 or 9:00. If you simply must eat earlier, you're limited mostly to the Centro (business district) area where many places cater to business travellers, and Puerto Madero, which caters to tourists (for a price).

Not all of Recoleta is "a pocket of wealth," with pricier restaurants. There are many great value restaurants especially in the northern part of Recoleta where I live, Barrio Norte.

I'd disagree on La Boca. It has some outstanding "local cuisine" restaurants, both at lunch and dinner - some of the more "authentic" food you'll find in the city. And while I wouldn't want to walk around La Boca at night, taking a cab to and from a restaurant is, I would say, fairly safe (most restaurants will call a radio cab for you when you're ready to leave). Regardess, because of the touristy nature of the center of the neighborhood, many of the places are open at both lunch and dinner. The couple of blocks of bright colored buildings with touristy shops are a very small part of this historic district. There are some great museums to visit (the Martin Quinquela museum is outstanding), as well as things like river tours to be taken from here.

←

[akwa]

which is the restaurant of donato de santis

[Silly Disciple]

which is the restaurant of donato de santis

←

That would be Verace, in the Belgrano neighbourhood:

Verace

Federico Lacroze, Av. 2173 - Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Tel: 4772-3355

reviews are not terribly favorable though.

[saltshaker]

Top recommendation in La Boca would be Don Carlos at Brandsen 894. Classic portena restaurant. But no menu. They just cook and serve, and cook and serve, and cook and serve, and... don't plan on a short lunch or dinner...

:-)

[syzygy8]

saltshaker.

i would LOVE to hear recommendations in la boca - i didn't seriously scope it out when i was there, so i shouldn't have been so hasty with my review.  however, i did write it for some friends whom i didn't think would be much interested in that neighborhood.

u.e.

←

I enjoyed the pasta at Il Mattarello. More on my visit to there and other restaurants in BA can be found here.

[akwa]

which is the restaurant of donato de santis

←

That would be Verace, in the Belgrano neighbourhood:

Verace

Federico Lacroze, Av. 2173 - Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Tel: 4772-3355

reviews are not terribly favorable though.

←

any links to reviews?

[Silly Disciple]

which is the restaurant of donato de santis

←

That would be Verace, in the Belgrano neighbourhood:

Verace

Federico Lacroze, Av. 2173 - Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Tel: 4772-3355

reviews are not terribly favorable though.

←

any links to reviews?

←

some of them come from comments from friends. Hoever, if you google the restaurant name plus "buenos aires" or similar you'll get some of the reviews (in Spanish).

[Ronaldoebt]

Hello !

I will travel to BA in July 9-16 and i really want to now some interesting places to go there!

I will certainly go to Sucre and Palacio das Papas Fritas to lunch ahahah!

Where is the best places to go there ? And the best meat ? I love the Chorizo meat !!!

A nice place to buy wines ?

And Cabanas de Las Lilas is a good place ?

[saltshaker]

You might want to look back at some of the previous threads where we've talked about these recommendations at length.

But, in short, to answer your questions - Sucre is a great place, lunch better than dinner unless you like a really noisy, busy atmosphere - which it tends to be at night. You'll have a good, solid local meal at the Palacio de las Papas Fritas - nothing to write home about, but good. For better - I'd go to El Trapiche, Don Julio, El Yugo...

Las Cabaña las Lilas, as we've discussed at length is good, though not great, and by BA standards it's overpriced.

[tupac17616]

My friend wrote about 20 or 25 places in BA, including Cabaña las Lilas and Sucre, on our site

[LoveToEatATL]

One of the best meals I had in B.A. was at a place called Juana M. It's located in a converted orphanage and lit with nothing but candles at night.

Here's a link to a review:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/buenosaires/D55858.html

[The Blissful Glutton]

Although I was born in Rio, I had never been back to South America since my family first immigrated here when I was 2 years old. So, I was ecstatic when my Dad told my sister and I they were going to Argentina for his birthday—skiing in Bariloche in Patagonia has always been a dream of his and he has been in full on "travel the world" mode since he retired last year. You know I was on it in a New York minute. We had plans to go to Rio beforehand but ran into trouble with getting me a visa since I gave up my Brazilian citizenship when I became a U.S. citizen. I was bummed but still excited at the prospect of seeing Argentina in the winter. We stopped in Buenos Aires, which I can only describe as Madrid minus the pretension. The people were so genial and the town so full of color despite its grayish winter pallor. When it came to food, I had four things on my mind: A sandwich de migas, some alfajores, lots of steak and Italian food. I definitely got my fill. I am honestly too lazy (and work-crazed) to reproduce the entire post here (there are some videos, photo descriptions and links to restaurants on my original blog post) but I did want to post some of my pictures and keep the thread going for others who are planning a trip here soon since this website has provided me with such great information in the past. Hope you enjoy!

Our first meal was at Piegari which can only described as the best family-style Italian meal I have had in ages outside of Italy. Every 29th of the month is "Gnocchi day" so we picked a great night to come and ordered the gnocchi of course!

Fresh pasta with amazing seafood

Spinach gnocchi

Strawberries with meringue and ice cream

Lunch the next day was at La Biela, a place my parents used to frequent on their trips to Buenos Aires when they were living in Rio. A cute cafe on a nice street with plenty of options and they even have a guy that comes around to shine your shoes while you eat.

Eggs with ham and french fries

Steak sandwich

I have no will power when it comes to baked goods and made a beeline at the first sign of these:

Alfajores!

We met up with some friends of my parents for a steak dinner at La Cabaña Steakhouse with some of my parents' friends who had some funny stories about them and my folks at Carnaval. Scandalous! But I digress...on to the steak.

My prime ribeye

Puffy papas

The next day was a a stroll through Palermo and Old Palermo. Such a nifty neighborhood with great boutique shopping and cool homes. I snapped this of the city when we were walking to lunch. A nice man told me it was probably not the best neighborhood to have a camera out in. This was not the first time a local told me crime was bad and to hide my valuables. We went to for lunch to Grappa, an Italian restaurant located in a renovated industrial building. Good--not great--food but a pleasant lunch none the less.

Fresh spinach fettucine with meat sauce

Flan casero which our waitress said was good but nothing close to her grandmother's...LOL.

In keeping with our Italian feeding frenzy we went to yet another Italian restaurant for dinner, Sottovoce. Very old school spot complete with Frank Sinatra tunes and some killer pastas.

Pappardelle with mushroom cream sauce

Pasta with Bolognese sauce

The next day we woke up way to early to travel to Bariloche, a skiing town in Patagonia.

But, first, the BEST PLANE FOOD EVER:

Sandwich de migas

This was was waiting for us when we arrived. Gorgeous.

The view got even better the next day but that night was the culinary highlight of the trip. Meat, meat and more meat at El Boliche de Alberto. Imagine a little restaurant off a windy, snow covered street with huge crowds waiting for a simple menu of expertly prepared meat and a great bottle of Malbec. We ate here twice it was so good!

The man on the right is Alberto, himself

Bad lighting and a flimsy point and shoot are a lethal combination but the food was so amazing. Simple and cooked well. You cannot beat that.

And one final view of the mountain so you can understand why my picture taking came to an abrupt halt as I settled in with a good book and the iPod. Beautiful.

Edited August 12, 2008 by The Blissful Glutton (log)

[Gaucho]

As Ive posted elsewhere on the internet.... Cabania Las Lilas is probably the biggest tourist trap in this city... grossly overpriced and also very inconsistent with quality of food and service. Wines are also crazy (pricewise) plus they have less than one third of the wines they say on their telephone book list... and the vintages are never the ones printed..... shameful for a place with the laurels that CLL is supposed to have collected.

[edmundcarver]

Hi I have just got back from a month in Argentina, the cuisine across the entire country is fantastic, and there are lots of seriously good restaurants but one particular place I feel compelled to recommend was La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar in San Telmo Buenos Aires. The tasting menu of 11 courses has touches of molecular gastronomy (liquid nitrogen, sous vide etc), but is essentially just really good ingredients inventively cooked, often with an Argentinean theme. A particular highlight was an egg yolk in filo pastry with truffle shavings.

[AlexForbes]

I think that today it's pretty much agreed on that nobody is serving food as good as the Vineria Gualterio Bolivar's. On top of being great, it's relatively cheap!

[Corinna]

I'm leaving for Bs As in less than a month, so these recommendations are very helpful and relevant. Keep them coming!

l

[Ronaldoebt]

Casa Cruz was the best restaurant in BAs for me ! Excelent meal and wines!

I have the photos from my diner there...

This was a Pumpkin Sorbet with tangerine syrup!

Octopus with Passion fruit pure and bacon crisps... Superbeb!

This was a shrimp in cocunut cream, with lemongrass oil and a light pasta that i can`t recorded...

Oh this was so good! It is a foie gras terrine, with mustard , apples and honey !

I can´t remember this dishes below

The last one was a Scallops with chorizo, cauliflower and pear pure and crisp garlic

[saltshaker]

I'd have to disagree on La Vineria, and virtually everyone I know who's been there would also disagree - it's pretty, but the food is mediocre at best. If you're into the molecular gastronomy thing, Moreno is a far better option quality-wise, though admittedly far more expensive. And if you're just looking for really good, creative restaurants, there are many that are far better - Pura Tierra, Urondo, Sucre, Thymus, Tegui and Casa Cruz among them, and all for roughly the same price, or less.

[AlexForbes]

SaltShaker, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I've only heard great things about the Vineria. One of my close friends, who is a Rio foodie/blogger, is one of a few that have raved to me about the place. Here is her dish-by-dish account:

Vineria Gualterio Bolivar blog post, dish-by-dish

[Alchemist]

Hi, I am heading down to B.A. in about a month. I am looking for the market/food cart scene. Is there a night market where there is a plethora of "street meat". Are there specific vendors that do one thing really well? I will take a $10 cab for a $1 dollar piece of meat.

Thanks,

Toby

[argentinadave]

This may come too late, but Buenos Aires doesn't really have a whole lot of cart street-food. You can go to la Costanera (by the river) and get "choripans" (chorizo sandwiches) and other meat sandwiches from carts, but that is about it. You will see a few of these around different areas, particularly at night.

If you are willing to make the trip I recommend a parrilla (kind of barbeque house) that is very basic, but has arguably the best meat in Buenos Aires. It is called Los Talas del Entrerriano - you can get different cuts of Argentine beef. suckling pig, sweetbreads, homemade chorizos and morcillas (blood sausage), etc. It is amazing, no tourists, very good, cheap and gets increidbly full on weekends. Go early - around 12:30 midday. You can look it up here: http://guiaoleo.com/detail.php?ID=2166

Enjoy!

[KatieLoeb]

Toby:

I hope this reply isn't too late for you either, but I just got back from B.A. and Mendoza a couple of weeks ago and found the level of gastronomy there quite elevated. Best meals in B.A. were at Palacio Espano for killer Spanish food (the Sweetbreads w/Shrimp & Mushrooms in Champagne sauce were to die for. Best Surf & Turf EVER!), the tasting menu at Moreno (which at about $55/person is a bargain for that many courses and level of cuisine) and a lovely Easter dinner shared with an international group of fellow diners at Casa Saltshaker, hosted by Saltshaker who posts in this forum quite frequently. I had a pretty good steak at La Cabrera in Palermo and a great lunch at a Parrilla on Defensa in San Telmo called El Desnivel. El Desnivel was very reasonably priced and the meats were better than other places at twice the price. Homemade spinach pasta with pesto delicious too.

If you're looking for a decent cocktail, visit Portezuelo in Recoleta (the bar @Moreno also makes a creditable cocktail), just outside the walls of the cemetery. Address = Vicente Lopez 2160. Ask for Juan the bar manager. He's awesome. Tell him his new best friend Katie from Philadelphia sent you. His English is limited, but many of the other staff can interpret for you if your Spanish isn't fluent. They have a ridiculously well stocked bar and a nice list of classic cocktails as well as many of signature drinks of their own creation. Great wines by the glass selection as well. A great bar I spent many nights in while in B.A.

Don't know if you have plans to visit Mendoza while you're there, but please contact me directly if you do. I have the name and contact info of the best tour guide/driver EVER. My trip truly would not have been the same without him and he hooked me up with some of the best appointments at wineries I wouldn't have even known existed, no less whom to contact to visit. I got the red carpet private tours in many places and was received as family simply because I was his client. Fantastic.

Have a great time! I want to go back already. It was wonderful and a country I hope to be able to explore more thoroughly in the future.