In June, Mike and I took a trip to Argentina. While in Argentina, one must eat beef and drink malbec. Argentina is home to some of the best beef I have ever ingested. According to the travel books it is due to the cows eating grass versus being corn fed as they are in the United States. The malbec, an Argentine wine, was a wonderful accompaniment to our meals. I am so glad that Mike started to drink wine this year, otherwise I would have had a bottle of wine with each meal by myself.
Should you ever find yourself in Buenos Aires, here are some great restaurants that are highly recommended. La Cabrera is located in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood. The street name is JA Cabrera 5099. This is where we had our first sample of Argentine beef. After waiting all day long for American Airlines to deliver our suitcase that didn't make it on our flight, we ventured out to try this recommended parilla. It was quite delicious. I made the mistake of ordering a dish of beef that was meant for two, unfortunately my Spanish was not good enough to heed the waiter's advice that it would be too big for one person. I did my best to try and finish. At La Cabrera, they also serve a plate of sides and toppings for your beef. Chimichirri sauce was included and is great. I tried to make some at home after our trip and did a decent job.
La Dorita, located in Palermo Hollywood (Humboldt 1905), was another great meal. We ordered a salad, a mixed grill plate for two (we split this one), a bottle of malbec, sparkling water, dessert and cafe con leche. All this food for a total, including tip, of $40 US dollars. The food was great and Mike loved the server because she was so friendly. My only regret is that we didn't buy one of the penguin wine pitchers used for house wine. I love those pitchers and wanted to buy one. However, I didn't buy one in Argentina. When I got home, I found some online that were about the cost of my meal at La Dorita. One night we departed from the beef for dinner and tried a place that the tour book recommended. It was also one of the many magnets on our refrigerator in our rented apartment.
Cumana, is located in Recoleta (Rodriguez Pena 1149, and was a very short walk from our apartment. At this restaurant we tried pizza. It isn't the type of pizza that we are used to in the U.S., but it was great nonetheless. Our waitress, who spoke English to us, recommended a traditional Northern Argentine dessert of cheese and sweet potato sauce. I'd recommend it as well, it was delectable. El SanJuanino, also in Recoleta (Posadas 1515), gave us a great dose of local flavor. It was here that we sampled a huge basket of empanadas with various fillings. We did order entrees on top of the empanadas, but did not need to. The restaurant seemed to be a place where the local Portenos hung out. It is just the type of place that we like to eat in during our vacations.
One final recommendation, La Brigada (Estados Unidos 465) is located in San Telmo. La Brigada was also highly recommended to us. It was by far, my favorite meal in Argentina. The beef was so tender. I also ordered a side of the chorizo (sausage) for us and it was heavenly. La Brigada has a huge wine list. We went with a malbec, though I can't recall which one. The owner of the restaurant owns a wine shop located around the corner. Each time we went to the shop, a total of three times on two different days, it was closed. It was almost comical.
In summary, if you should find yourself in Buenos Aires, these are great places to eat. You should sample all cuts of beef, drink the malbec (my favorite was Finca Flichman), try the empanadas, and absolutely go to an ice cream shop and have the dulce la leche. If you think that Hagaan Daaz makes a good dulce la leche ice cream, you will melt while trying the Argentine version.
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