Argentina

[Winot]

Off to Argentina on Friday for two weeks. Mainly Buenos Aires I guess - we'll see how it goes. Will probably pop across to Colonia for a couple of days.

So any recs? Any price level. I've noted Sucre (thanks Jonathan).

Thanks for your help.

[anil]

I have posted about EZE; many of the upscale restaurants have been cropping up in Puetro Mediro (sp?) , there are many traditional parillas - Good steak dinner in EZE is a delight. Colonia in .UR, is worth maybe a weekend -

[LittleMissCrepe]

A restaurant I like a lot is Bar 6, which is in the Palermo neighborhood. It's located at Armenia 1676 between El Salvador and Honduras, about 9 short blocks south of Avenida Santa Fe. It has a hip New York warehouse feel to it with good steak and fun pasta dishes. I had a great pumpkin ravioli there. You can get a starter, main course and split a bottle of wine for less than US$15-20 (closer to $15). The service can veer toward snobby, and they might say you need a reservation, but I've gotten seated there - even on a Thursday or Friday night - without one.

[eatingwitheddie]

El Obrero - since 1910 - in so-so area of La Boca but a great old place - Jorge the waiter has been there 43 years and remembered me from a visit 2 years earlier! Grilled meats, Spanish omelette with sausage and potatoes ---- cheap with good real food and a special atmosphere that money can't buy. With Argentine steaks at this price you can't go wrong.

Oviedo is a classy but not pretentious Spanish restaurant that is professionallty run, full of Portenos, excellent seafood cooking and one of the best cellars in the country. A truly good restaurant in any city!

[maremosso]

I have posted about EZE; many of the upscale restaurants have been cropping up in Puetro Mediro (sp?) , there are many traditional parillas - Good steak dinner in EZE is a delight. Colonia in .UR, is worth maybe a weekend -

Re: Puerto Madero restaurants.

Definitely skip Bice, where the main course arrives while you are still on your pre-dinner drink, and the Patagonian lamb is nuked in the microwave...

Cabanas Las Lilas, as well. The food is good, but you can have a good parrilla just about anywhere in BA. They really should change the quality of their olive oil, which I found much too acidic for my Italian palate. The service is surly, unusual for Argentina.

El Marisol, on the other hand, has a much more pleasant staff - and just about the only restaurant I have found in BA where the steak actually ARE served "jugosos", if that's what you like! Very good quality meats too.

[syzygy8]

Please add more suggestions, folks! I'm going to Argentina for the first time in a few weeks...one of the main purposes is eating and drinking! We'll definitely check out many of the recommendations.

[LittleMissCrepe]

I'm going to take back my earlier suggestion on Bar 6 - I still find the atmosphere a lot of fun, but I've had some boring meals there lately. I second the recommendation for Cabana Las Lilas on Puerto Madero. If you want excellent, much less expensive parrilla in a more neighborhood setting, I like El Desnivel in San Telmo. Yes, it's in all the guidebooks and can be touristy, but the food is fabulous and San Telmo has a lot more character than Puerto Madero.

For pizza and atmosphere, I like Piola (Santa Fe/Libertad), but be prepared to work hard because the knives are really dull (my only complaint). Filo (San Martin 975, around Marcelo T. Alvear in the Microcentro) also has good pizza and is popular with the after-work crowd, so you can even eat dinner there early on a weeknight - like at 8:30 p.m. - and not feel like a total nerd.

Fun places for drinks are Central (Costa Rica 5644 in Palermo Viejo), Soul Cafe (Baez 246 in Las Canitas), Milion (Santa Fe/Parana in Barrio Norte) and Mundo Bizarro (Guatemala 4802 in Palermo Hollywood). These recommendations are all based on ambiance, so unfortunately I can't tell you if the mojitos are any good (they all taste fine to me). Soul Cafe is one of the few places you can hear hip-hop music in Buenos Aires; Milion can be touristy but is in a gorgeous old mansion; and Mundo Bizarro is a neighborhood favorite where you can feel like a Palermo Hollywood regular. (Very dark inside, though.)

The newest places are springing up in the neighborhoods of Palermo Viejo/Hollywood/SoHo. It's definitely worth just strolling around and seeing what catches your eye because I'm always stumbling on just-opened places.

Oh, and if you're ever around Honduras/Bonpland (I think that's the intersection) in Palermo Viejo stop in at Terra, an outdoor cafe, and see if they have freshly baked medialunas. I had some warm out of the oven once and they were heavenly. Terra also has nice homemade lemonade, not that common in Buenos Aires.

Have fun in Argentina! You'll love it here!

[Tee]

I just returned from 10 days in BA (and Colonia, and a side trip to the estancia El Ombu). . .and the following are my jet lagged recollections.

As Jonathon mentioned, Sucre is wonderful. Also worthwhile is its sister restaurant, Gran Bar Danzon (located in Barrio Norte/Recolata neighborhood)--although it notably lacks the suckling pig. Had a lovely starter of "spring rolls" with pulled pork, and a memorable lovely dessert of dulce de leche creme brulee. (to be completely honest, the main escapes me...I assume I had steak!!). Also, a lovely malbec--Anubis 2002.

Cabana Las Lilas was good, although I'm not much of a fan of Puerto Madero--seems to lack a lot of charm. Nevertheless, the starter "snack" was a favorite there.

For cheap eats (kind of a joke, since the exchange rate for americans is so good), Pizzeria Guerrin was great. Excellent empanadas, good pizza, great tortilla. Has stand up service in the front, table service in the back.

We ate twice at La Biela, a cafe near our hotel (Plaza Francia Hotel...very helpful staff, clean decent rooms), near the Recolata. Its apparently the big cafe in BA, but we found that one should stick to drinks, not the foods. The same is true of its neighbor, the slightly less popular Cafe Paix.

We ate mainly in Palermo, as that seems to be the "more happening" restaurant scene. Club de Vino was a fun place--combination wine museum, theater and restaurant all housed in the same facility. Had some excellent rabbit there.

Something called "Cabernet" (also in Palermo) was a lovely, romantic spot. Food was charming.

And Oveido was a favorite early on--very old school service, and the clientele was definitely older. Not a hip spot, is my guess, but a classic one.

But by far, our best meal was at the estancia--el ombu. What a wonderful time--a wood burning stove in each room, riding horses (well, walking them in my case since I'm a novice) during the day, and building up an appetite for lunch...good thing. Lunch is a mult-course affair, with each course consisting of wonderful free range argentinean beef from the estancia. It was like a joke--each time a server entered the room, they had another platter filled with cuts of beef. (Its an interesting platter, I don't know the name, but it contains charcoal briquets underneath which continue to cook the food as served). And no lie, there were 6 or seven "courses" of beef. Even though I was full, the carne empandas were the best I've ever had--so soft they fell apart in your mouth.

If you are planning a side jaunt to Colonia, the sights, not the food should be your focus. There is an excellent parilla (I don't know spanish--the translation seems to be "restaurant that only serves beef") near the water--its very colorful (red and blue and yellow, and stands out in this small town. Be warned that ordering the "mixed grill" will not get you a platter of beef, chicken and veggies...it means "mixed parts of the cow." Lovers of offal will enjoy.

Hope this is helpful. I'm sure you will have an amazing time.

[syzygy8]

Thank you all for sharing some wonderful suggestions. I will definitely make use of them.

Would any of these recommended places require reservations well in advance? As in I should make them now, 3 weeks ahead?

[LittleMissCrepe]

None of my suggestions need reservations except for possibly El Desnivel, just because it gets crowded fast there. They might not accept reservations until the day of, however.

And not to steal Tee's thunder, but I enthusiastically second the recommendation for Club del Vino. You'll probably need a reservation there, just to be sure (Tee, would you agree?). I've never eaten at the restaurant, but I saw a tango orchestra perform there over wine and picada (traditional meat/cheese platter). The group I saw was El Arranque, and if you like tango music (this is the music without dancing), I recommend them.

[Tee]

I wouldn't think you would need reservations, except for possibly a Friday night (and even then, reserving a day or two in advance would work). Its winter/spring, not a high holiday time.

(The other exception i can think of is for Tango shows, you may want to reserve a day or two ahead of time--in addition to Club del Vino, I also enjoyed the classic atmosphere of a show at Cafe Tortoni--although food is marginal).

Enjoy!

[syzygy8]

Enjoy!

←

I can't think of any reason why I won't!!!!!

I'm going to get a map this weekend and start marking off locations. I'll have to color code them by: Must do, Nice to do, If there's time, etc.

Sounds like Club del Vino is definitely a Must do. I wish more of these places had websites.

[anil]

Parilla 1880 in San Telmo is a hidden gem - A small restaurant that is open only for dinner.

[WestOrangeFrank]

Sorry I missed this request for recommendations, if it's too late for you, maybe it can help someone else. This is a North American’s take on the city….

There are a few definites:

La Boca has the best Italian food and pizza - Il Matterello - very good, Martin Rodriguez 517 and Villafane - never had better gnocchi

For traditional Argentine, I need to second eatingwitheddie's recommendation to hit up El Obrero - not as expensive, but traditional, and good. you can get steak and home made pasta here, a great mix of both worlds! Be sure your language skills can get you by. Augustin Caffarena 64 and Pedro de Mendoza.

La Boca is charming, but is not for River Plate fans, and I’d be sure transportation is arranged if you’re dining later. As eatingwitheddie siad, La Boca is the so-so area of BA. The good parrillas have something I've never seen, but have since made alot at home - GRILLED PROVOLONE.

La Recoleta - posh area, but good, has THE BEST steak I've had (and I've seen my fair share of New York City steakhouses. The place was an Orient Express restaurant called La Cabana (not related to La Cabana Las Litas in Puerta Modero - which is very good). Insane – I recommend the porterhouse. They have a website: http://www.lacabanabuenosaires.com.ar/web/...ab_a2a_home.jsp. The waitstaff was on the young side, but the sommelier and manager were very professional and seasoned.

Been to some others in Recoleta, but nothing to write home about (or to eG for that matter).

If you're into French cuisine, check out the restaurant at the Alvear Palace Hotel. We stayed at the hotel, but didn't make the restaurant there. The hotel is truly amazing (and we stayed at a few while we were down there). It's hands down the most luxurious hotel in the city. Louis XVI decor, not too over the top, very serious in service, and the rooms are magnificent. The hotel includes a breakfast buffet, which can be al fresco on the patio, which is of utmost class. No Castellano, no problem here.

As for deserts, get some Iced Cream, they don’t mess around in BA w/ their iced cream. There are many good local chains, we loved El Lido Heladeria in Recoleta, but like I said, they were all good. We had really good iced cream at the beaches of Mar del Plata - which is a whole other topic of food and things to do.

If you’re shopping, and into food, which I assume you are:

Check out El Gato Negro – quality herbs, spices, and blends with a local flavor. Avenida Corrientes 1669, entre Rodriguez Pena y Montevido. Not too far is the House of Cheese (Casa Del Queso) – looking very similar to an Italian deli. You can get fine cheeses here or Argentine microbrews. I recommend the honey ales.

Don’t waste your time in the Patio Bullrich retail mall. Instead hit up the Buenos Aires design (Pueyrredon 2501 y Azcuenaga). It's a home shopping area made up of lots of stores. There’s a culinary store in there that makes William Sonoma look like an easy bake oven store. Another place in the home store mall we liked was La Partida – very outback Argentine style.

The local Malbec favorites are Luigi Bosco (good, and cheap ~US$7) and Rutini (good and cheap, yet a little more ~US$17). For really really good wine, see if you can your hands on a bottle of Estiba Reservada Catena Zapata 1999. Unlike the USA, the prices of wines at restaurants and wine stores are closer than in the USA. If anyone is able to send me up some of this non-exported wine, please send me a PM, we can work something out! (maybe a David Letterman t-shirt? – j.k. I’m flexible).

If anyone from eG is interested in more details, please let me know.

[frassinetti]

Hi All! I'm in BA, and I know of this place witha view ...... A terrific dinning option

I wanted to delight all my senses this night. I thought: were can I go? The

perfect dinner place was to be found in the hottest neighbor in BA, Puerto Madero.

I have heard of the outstanding Comega building's restaurant. I've even been

once, many years ago, when I was a young man. I was to discover that the

memory of that event was still fresh in my mind, the minute I stepped inside

the fabulous building.

Taking the elevator to the 19th floor restaurant filled me with anxiety and

emotion. One of the best oriented restaurants in the city, for its nearby

the River Plate's shore and for its height one can enjoy one of the best

views of the city, the river and the sparkling sky while enjoying a

delightful meal.

I had the pleasure of sitting at the best table in the place, number 18. As

the head waiter led me there I began to wonder why would they define this

particular table as the top one. I finally got it as I got there, for its

orientation couldn't be better, in the very center of the gorgeous

bow-window, I had the best possible view! There are just no words to

describe it.

I consider myself a well equipped journalist, with a broad vocabulary -and

when it happens that I can't find the words I often have the precious help

of my dictionaries and books-. however, for the first time in a long time I

was completely speechless! The beauty surpassed all possible words

available. And moreover, it's not so common for a local to be bewitched by

his own city, but it happened.

I enjoyed a marvelous dinner with a broad smile, feeling complete and happy.

Oh! What an experience to treasure. It was a feast to all my senses.

Just one floor above this fantastic restaurant, I found to my surprise there

was a sushi bar for the chick and fun people of BA with a fantastic box like

appearance and its rectangular window to the north, on a sunny day you can

see the coast line, ships... an other perspective to enjoy the majestic

Buenos Aires. Hopefully I'll soon return to enjoy this outstanding view and

cousine!

Bob Frassinetti.

[halland]

La Recoleta - posh area, but good, has THE BEST steak I've had (and I've seen my fair share of New York City steakhouses.  The place was an Orient Express restaurant called La Cabana  (not related to La Cabana Las Litas in Puerta Modero - which is very good).  Insane – I recommend the porterhouse.  They have a website: http://www.lacabanabuenosaires.com.ar/web/...ab_a2a_home.jsp.  The waitstaff was on the young side, but the sommelier and manager were very professional and seasoned.

Been to some others in Recoleta, but nothing to write home about (or to eG for that matter). 

←

Just out of curiousity, how much is dinner at La Cabana?

[WestOrangeFrank]

La Recoleta - posh area, but good, has THE BEST steak I've had (and I've seen my fair share of New York City steakhouses.  The place was an Orient Express restaurant called La Cabana  (not related to La Cabana Las Litas in Puerta Modero - which is very good).  Insane – I recommend the porterhouse.  They have a website: http://www.lacabanabuenosaires.com.ar/web/...ab_a2a_home.jsp.  The waitstaff was on the young side, but the sommelier and manager were very professional and seasoned.

Been to some others in Recoleta, but nothing to write home about (or to eG for that matter). 

←

Just out of curiousity, how much is dinner at La Cabana?

←

Hmm, minus the wine, it wasn't too far north of $100 US for two, which is considered very pricey for the region.

[syzygy8]

This post is a long time coming, but I'll try to size up where we ate, what we ate and our impressions of assorted restaurants in Buenos Aires. This comes from two trips there, in Sept/Oct 2004 (two travelers) and Mar/April 2005 (three travelers). In some cases my notes are not very complete (too busy stuffing ourselves) and only list what we ordered and not necessarily more details about the dishes. Some restaurants that we really enjoyed (Sucre) are not even in the notebooks and were scrawled on paper that I have not yet found. After 9 months, I'm not going to try to recall any missing pieces. Some of the notes are still in the Spanish that we wrote down directly. Others we translated. All prices, where noted, are in US dollars.

I will say that Buenos Aires is a food lover's paradise these days for folks using dollars. There are very talented chefs preparing a variety of foods of all kinds of styles and presentations. Naturally, the beef is the best in the world. Nothing comes close and don't even pretend it does! And if you think something comes close, I'd sooner take the $5, perfectly cooked cut from Argentina over the $50 or more cut elsewhere anyday. (All of our beef was cooked a punto.)

Meals that would be $100 - 200 a head in NY can be had for $25 - 50 in Buenos Aires. All meals (particularly dinner) generally include appetizer, entree, dessert, a bottle of wine and a digestif.

I've only been there twice now, so I may be incorrect with some locations/neighborhoods.

Restaurant Central - Palermo Hollywood

We had lunch. Not very busy. Open restaurant space with an open kitchen that you walk past as you enter. You can eat on couches along the back walls. Tables in the center. There's an outdoor courtyard with service too. Magazine racks on the walls. Help yourself. Funky unisex restrooms with the sinks in the corridor.

Appetizers we ate:

Arepa de Maiz Blanco con Salteado de Portobellos, tomates confit, cebollas caramelizadas y queso brie.

Clasico seviche de langostinos con batata dulce sobre verdes.

Mains:

Salmon rosado sobre tartita dulce de choclo y panceta, puntas de esparrago y emulsion de cilantro.

Tortelli de espinaca y ricotta con salsa suave de pomodoro.

Postre:

Torta tibia de chocolate con helado de crema.

Chiquilin - San Nicolas, cor. Montevideo y Sarmiento

Another lunch. We really liked this place. Seemed like a workhorse type restaurant. Did a little bit of everything and did so with care. Not much in the way of flair, but very competent. They recommended the beef and we didn't stray from that. Fantastic frites! Very nice, helpful servers, with an old world feel. Brick/red walls, natural wood and brass fittings.

I had a half bottle of Vasco Viejo for $2.50. The Mrs. had a half bottle of Lopez Malbec for $5.00. We both liked the Lopez more. www.bodegaslopez.com.ar

Meals came with a starter salad, and we each had a beef entree. I had the bife de ojo w/frites and the Mrs. had the bife de lomo. We were very happy with our selections. On the table were self-serve bowls of chimichurri that reminded me so much of the self-serve pickles you always used to get at any deli in NY. This was our first taste of chimichurri on the home turf and we loved it. Jalapenos, garlic, parsley and a little oregano all chopped fine and blended in oil.

(Some general observations about Buenos Aires were placed in our notes here that I will indulge you with. We only saw one SUV, a Jeep Cherokee. On the radio, there were almost no ads. Chain restaurants were almost non-existent. They're there but not to any great degree. No smoking tables are in the worst locations of restaurants, never by a window either).

Oviedo - Recoleta/Barrio Norte

Dinner here at a Spanish (northern) restaurant. Seafood the speciality. White tablecloths. Again, another professional, old world style restaurant. Not particularly happy that they kind of bunch English speakers into the same area, but I can understand why. I think. My best guess is that there are only a limited number of servers that understand English so they need to put all of us with poor Spanish together. I found this got much better on my second trip, where I had improved on my Spanish before returning to BA.

Starters:

Grilled squid

Empanada Gallega. The empanada was a bit expensive, considering the time and effort in creating it, but I don't think it was worth it.

Mains:

Hake

Cod

(Don't recall how they were prepared)

Wine: Finca La Anita Chardonnay 2001

Dessert: Marquis de castano. Two slices of chestnut "cake" with cream.

Il Matterello - La Boca

Went here for lunch on a Sunday shortly before the Boca Juniors match. Arrived just in time, too as the place filled up shortly after we arrived. Reminiscent of many Italian restaurants, but I don't recall checkered tablecloths. Great pasta.

Mains:

Ravioli Genovesi al tuco. (carne de vaca, cerdo, pollo (yes a meatfest!) verdura, queso, hongos). $4.75

Lasagna bolognese. (ragu bolognese, salsa blanca, parmesano). $6.00

Wine: It was just some glasses of box wine, malbec Selk'nam. Nothing special, but good.

Desserts:

Della Nonna, crema pastelera de vainilla y chocolate. $3.25

Crostata con pera. $2.00

Excellent espresso and a glass of Sambuca for $1.65

Parilla 1880 - San Telmo

This has become our absolute favorite restaurant in BA. We see no need to go to somewhere like Cabanas las Lilas for a beef-fest when 1880 puts out such excellent food, drink and service. This is THE place to go for your big steak meal. (Be careful with the salt shakers. There are many holes and it pours fast!)

Starters:

Chorizo-a snappy casing and big chunks of meat and fat. Not very spicy. Perfect texture.

Empanadas - the meat mixed with egg and quite tasty. The dough crumbled like a pop-tart!

Meat:

My ojo de bife was as big as my head and cooked perfectly to a delicious medium rare. Hot, tremendously juicy, and incredibly flavorful.

The Mrs. had the lomo de bife, which we referred to as the world's largest filet mignon. Quite lean and tender as expected, but packed a good bit of flavor too!

We also had a huge plate of fritas. Crispy and great consistency. (This is where we learned of the salt shaker issue, because they needed some salt).

Wine:

Trumpeter Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. From the Rutini family of wines, this bottle is found easily in the US and costs here about $8.99.

Dessert: Panqueque de manzana al rhum. Tasty apple pancake/crepe. Heavy on the rum! It could use a dollop of cream to balance it out. Flambeed at our table.

Confiteria Ideal - Suipacha entre Sarmiento y Corrientes

Stopped in for coffee as it was near our hotel. Ended up staying to eat because we got busy watching the tango dancers practicing on the first floor. Beautiful interior that is falling apart. Building is circa 1910. Tons of dark, original wood, brass fans on the walls, brass chandeliers and sconces. Huge mirrors. Peeling paint and ornate ceilings. Not touristy of faux in any way and a very interesting contrast to Cafe Tortoni. Stay for the atmosphere and the show, not the food.

Olsen - Palermo Hollywood

Scandinavian-inspired. Huge list of vodkas by the shot or bottle. We sat on a front deck at a candle-lit table. The whole place kind of reminded me of a ski chalet for some reason.

Starter: 3+6 (tres mas seis) Smoked salmon, lump caviar, smoked trout and 6 corn pancakes with sour cream. $10.00

Mains:

Paprika smoked trout w/parsley and lemon mash, soft egg, avocado, apple and almond crumble. $8.00.

Smoked pork shoulder with pickled peaches, blue cheese and hazelnut sauce, brioche and grilled radicchio. This dish was really good. Loved the peaches.

Wine: Rutini Malbec '03. Not a standout.

Dessert:

White chocolate creme brulee w/citrus and mint salad and carmelized pistachios.

Rhubarb tart w/coconut ice cream.

Dora - Retiro/Centro

Another Spanish restaurant, but this one much less formal than Oviedo. An open floor with lots of long tables crowded with many families of all ages. As the servers leave the kitchen, they pass by a dude at a computer and they call out what dishes they are carrying to which table. The dude at the computer tracks it and that's how your check is calculated. We got a really good vibe in this place and really felt that we found a spot popular with local families.

Starters:

Chorizo - Excellent!

Calamari

Mains:

Grilled cod in Basque sauce.

Grilled trout w/garlic and parsley.

Lomo. (yes, I had the beef, even though they're more known for their fish).

Wine: Alfredo Catena, La Mision Malbec 2001

Chiquilin, again

Dinner at Chiquilin this time. More beef. Two orders of Ojo de Bife and one of Lomo de Bife. Wine: 2002 Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec. Sweet, yet bold. (?). www.luigibosca.com.ar.

La Brigada - San Telmo branch

There are several branches of La Brigada, and I believe the San Telmo one is the original. We went there only because we kept calling to Parilla 1880 and couldn't get them to answer the phone to make our reservation. So we thought we couldn't get there, so let's go somewhere else for another beef fix. We chose La Brigada, and while we liked it, it had nothing on 1880. Lots of regulars come here and you can see the love expressed upon them from the owner. Our server, while courteous, just seemed to be going through the motions with us and was not overly helpful and seemed slightly disinterested in us. A far cry from most other restaurants we enjoyed. The beef was indeed very good. Huge portions at excellent prices. I don't have more details, except our wine was Cadus Malbec 2000 ($60.00, seems high, but that's what the notes say!)

(Some more observations tucked in the notes here, this time on wine. Can't recall exactly what it means but..... Las Ormigas/Reserva 2002. Try this one. Los Arboles Navarro Correas Cabernet Sauv/Malbec 2004. 2002, excellent year for Mendoza wine.)

Parilla 1880, again

They answered the phone and we got in! Our server was Miguel, who was the exact opposite of the server at La Brigada. Took his time with us and was truly helpful in putting up with my Spanish. He wanted us to have a great time.

Starters:

Chorizo

Mixed green salad

Mains

Bife de Chorizo

Lomo.

Entrana.

The Bife de Chorizo was the best choice and we all were jealous of its "owner." Clearly the best flavor of the bunch. My lomo was excellent still, and was perhaps the most tender steak I've ever encountered. Look at it just the right way and it cuts itself for you. The entrana came with a layer of tough fat/membrane that was hard to cut, but the meat itself was delicious. They offered to remove that layer for us to make it easier, but when it came back it was slightly overcooked. We didn't mind though. We had plenty of meat on our plates for us all to get stuffed.

Wine: 2002 Luigi Bosca Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. ($20.00) We went through at least two bottles of this!

We went to Sucre twice, once on each trip, and we really liked it. Hip, funky and great food and drink. Trust the sommelier. I wish I could find my notes for it but I can't. If I do, I'll add it in.

One other place to note, if you're heading towards Peninsula Valdes, here's a restaurant in Puerto Madryn worth mentioning.

La Cheminee - Puerto Madryn, Chubut

Tucked on a side street not far from the beach. Walk through a small entry garden to the door of what looks like a simple house. (It was dark when we got there).

Starters:

Langostinos grillee sobre blinis y crema acida. ($5.00)

Ensalada del campo - tiras de ave, verdes, huevos pochee y panceta tostada. ($3.25)

Mains:

Grilled sea bass with 4 grilled scallops in the shell over carrot puree with julienned red pepper and zucchini.

Seafood and vegetable lasagna.

Wine: Half bottle of Valmont tinto blend.

No dessert, we were too full, but the chocolate mousse with whiskey salsa sounded interesting.

Can't wait to go back and eat more!

Edited June 15, 2005 by syzygy8 (log)

[Gaucho]

In my book, the best place for French fare at an affordable price in the city can be found in La Lucila (neigbourhood). The restaurant is called Atelier. The food and service are excellent, but the place is very small so reservations are a must.

[syzygy8]

In my book, the best place for French fare at an affordable price in the city can be found in La Lucila (neigbourhood).  The restaurant is called Atelier.  The food and service are excellent, but the place is very small so reservations are a must.

←

Gaucho, would you be kind enough to share more about this restaurant. I'm unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Where is it in relation to the more well-known ones? Can you share more about the menu and atmosphere of Atelier?

[Gaucho]

La Lucila is located in the north of Buenos Aires, its one of the better off suburbs close to San Isidro. If you drive from Recoleta, depending on traffic it will be around 25 minutes.

This restaurant is small, it has maybe 10-11 tables and the menu is short and to the point. They feature two signature dishes, one is duck and another a tenderloin dish. Their excellent appetizers usually include one outstanding terrine or a homemade pate with spiced breads that are always very good. The decor is adecuate, simple and functional, with a little art on display. Service is very good, although Im not sure the English hability of all the staff will be up to par. Whenever possible, the main courses are brought to the tables by the Chefs.

The wine list has been recently expanded, and includes wines from other countries (not only Argentina). One special mention re. wines is that you can get The Dead Arm Shiraz (DArenberg), a "cult" (?) wine from McLaren Vale area of Australia.

As a final note, L'Atelier has an optional BYOB policy, with a very reasonable corkage fee of $8 (pesos eight) per person.

L'Atelier - Bistro

Av. del Libertador 3836

La Lucila

Tel. 4005-5244

reservations are a must

Edited July 13, 2005 by Gaucho (log)

[LoveToEatATL]

Hi All! I'm in BA, and I know of this place witha view  ...... A terrific dinning option

I wanted to delight all my senses this night. I thought: were can I go? The

perfect dinner place was to be found in the hottest neighbor in BA, Puerto Madero.

I have heard of the outstanding Comega building's restaurant. I've even been

once, many years ago, when I was a young man. I was to discover that the

memory of that event was still fresh in my mind, the minute I stepped inside

the fabulous building.

Taking the elevator to the 19th floor restaurant filled me with anxiety and

emotion. One of the best oriented restaurants in the city, for its nearby

the River Plate's shore and for its height one can enjoy one of the best

views of the city, the river and the sparkling sky while enjoying a

delightful meal.

I had the pleasure of sitting at the best table in the place, number 18. As

the head waiter led me there I began to wonder why would they define this

particular table as the top one. I finally got it as I got there, for its

orientation couldn't be better, in the very center of the gorgeous

bow-window, I had the best possible view! There are just no words to

describe it.

I consider myself a well equipped journalist, with a broad vocabulary -and

when it happens that I can't find the words I often have the precious help

of my dictionaries and books-. however, for the first time in a long time I

was completely speechless! The beauty surpassed all possible words

available. And moreover, it's not so common for a local to be bewitched by

his own city, but it happened.

I enjoyed a marvelous dinner with a broad smile, feeling complete and happy.

Oh! What an experience to treasure. It was a feast to all my senses.

Just one floor above this fantastic restaurant, I found to my surprise there

was a sushi bar for the chick and fun people of BA with a fantastic box like

appearance and its rectangular window to the north, on a sunny day you can

see the coast line, ships... an other perspective to enjoy the majestic

Buenos Aires. Hopefully I'll soon return to enjoy this outstanding view and

cousine!

Bob Frassinetti.

←

Bob, am I missing the name of this restaurant? It sounds fantastic!

Thanks,

Patti

[LoveToEatATL]

Hi All! I'm in BA, and I know of this place witha view  ...... A terrific dinning option

I wanted to delight all my senses this night. I thought: were can I go? The

perfect dinner place was to be found in the hottest neighbor in BA, Puerto Madero.

I have heard of the outstanding Comega building's restaurant. I've even been

once, many years ago, when I was a young man. I was to discover that the

memory of that event was still fresh in my mind, the minute I stepped inside

the fabulous building.

Taking the elevator to the 19th floor restaurant filled me with anxiety and

emotion. One of the best oriented restaurants in the city, for its nearby

the River Plate's shore and for its height one can enjoy one of the best

views of the city, the river and the sparkling sky while enjoying a

delightful meal.

I had the pleasure of sitting at the best table in the place, number 18. As

the head waiter led me there I began to wonder why would they define this

particular table as the top one. I finally got it as I got there, for its

orientation couldn't be better, in the very center of the gorgeous

bow-window, I had the best possible view! There are just no words to

describe it.

I consider myself a well equipped journalist, with a broad vocabulary -and

when it happens that I can't find the words I often have the precious help

of my dictionaries and books-. however, for the first time in a long time I

was completely speechless! The beauty surpassed all possible words

available. And moreover, it's not so common for a local to be bewitched by

his own city, but it happened.

I enjoyed a marvelous dinner with a broad smile, feeling complete and happy.

Oh! What an experience to treasure. It was a feast to all my senses.

Just one floor above this fantastic restaurant, I found to my surprise there

was a sushi bar for the chick and fun people of BA with a fantastic box like

appearance and its rectangular window to the north, on a sunny day you can

see the coast line, ships... an other perspective to enjoy the majestic

Buenos Aires. Hopefully I'll soon return to enjoy this outstanding view and

cousine!

Bob Frassinetti.

←

Bob, am I missing the name of this restaurant? It sounds fantastic!

Thanks,

Patti

←

Bumping in the hopes of an answer! We leave on Friday!

[sapphos]

Ooooh, I'm just salivating thinking of having succulent, grass fed beef again!

[Gaucho]

Im wondering if anybody here tried out Ateliere.... curious to hear your opinions on your dining experience.