Food in Buenos Aires

During my trip, I spent a total of sixteen days in Buenos Aires. I cooked for myself, a grand total of once. I lost about fifteen pounds whilst travelling in South America, but if it wasn't for everything I ate whilst in the capital of Argentina, I probably would've dropped a total of twenty-five.

Fittingly, my first meal in BsAs featured a gigantic steak. I paid A$88 for a twenty-ounce (give or take) slab of beef, mashed potatoes, a glass of house red, and a creme caramel for dessert. That's about twenty-five dollars Canadian. That meal also turned out to be the second most expensive meal I would have in Argentina. On my third night, I found a local, non-tourist joint and had a large steak, mixed salad, papa fritas Provencial (fries covered with herbs and garlic), a half-litre carafe of red wine, and a giant bread pudding for A$45. That's about C$12. There is a hole-in-the-wall place just off Corrientes, on Esmerelda, that dishes out bife chorizo (more steak) for a mere A$12, or three-bucks-fifty in Canuckian money.

It was cheaper for me to grab a charcoal-grilled, succulent, grass-fed steak in a decent restaurant in Buenos Aires; than it is for me to buy a raw, mediocre, corn-fed sirloin in a supermarket in Toronto.

I ate a lot of steak in those sixteen days.

A Little Sampling of Way Too Much Food @ Siga la Vaca

The only thing better than meat off the parilla, is unlimited meat off the parilla. Tenedor Libres are Argentina's answer to the all-you-can-eat buffet. One of the better tenedor libre joints in Buenos Aires is Siga la Vaca in the Puerto Madero district. Despite the ritzy location and the good quality of the food, meals at Siga la Vaca (literally, 'Follow the Cow' in Spanish) are one of the better deals in town. A meal can be had during lunch -- including salads, bread, appetizers, meat, dessert and an entire bottle of wine per person -- for A$45. The only thing missing were wheelbarrows to carry out overstuffed patrons at the end of it all. This ridiculous meal served as my birthday lunch.

Tenedor Libre, Chinese-Style

Speaking of tenedor libres, there were more then a couple of cocina china places around the Centro area of town. That's right, I went to a Chinese buffet in Buenos Aires. As it turns out, seafood fried rice, Shanghai noodles and spring rolls don't go too badly with Argentine steak, chimichurri sauce, and an empanada or two.

Greasy Argentine Mozzarella Pizza

Argentinians love cheese on their pizzas. Every pizza place will have a Roquefort pizza on their menu. I like Roquefort, but Roquefort on pizza sounded a bit much. I did try one piece while I was in Argentina, but the best thing I can say about the experience is that it wasn't entirely inedible. When I did feel like a ludicrous amount of cheese, I much preferred the standard Argentine mozzarella pie. There was a place right next door to the Hostel Suites Obelisco that served up slices of greasy cheese pizza that walked that fine line between amazingly delicious and utterly nauseating. Needless to say, those slices were fantastic drunk food.

(And this paragraph is where I first realised that there are no good synonyms for the word, 'pizza'.)

The Only Kosher McDonalds Outside of Israel

A Kosher Big Mac Meal

On my first go-around in Buenos Aires, I deliberately, purposefully, sought out this McDonald's in the JPG Abasto Mall, above the Carlos Gardel Subte station -- just so that I could say that I'd eaten at the only Kosher McDonald's outside of the state of Israel.

Predictably, there are no cheeseburgers, milk shakes or ice cream on the menu, and the restaurant is closed from sundown Fridays until Sunday morning (for the observation of the shabbat).

I ordered the Big Mac meal. It tasted like just about every other Big Mac I've eaten. Except without cheese.

The Grills @ Cabana Las Lilas

A 2003 Alfredo Roca Family Reserve Pinot Noir (right next to my pre-dinner Sapphire Tonic)

No post on the topic of food in Buenos Aires would be complete without a mention of Cabaña Las Lilas. This place is generally considered the best -- and one of the most expensive -- parillas in town. This was where I chose to have my one splurge meal in South America, paying two-hundred-and-five pesos for a pre-dinner gin & tonic, a wide range of tapas-style nibbles that came with the servicio de mesa, a ribeye steak, a half side of mashed potatoes, and a half a bottle of 2003 Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir.

Quite Possibly the Best Steak I've Had in My Life

God, that was a good steak.

I'm not going to say anything more other than: Go eat there if you ever find yourself in Buenos Aires.

Hell, just go to Buenos Aires and eat, period.