Buenos Aires, Argentina - The Food

The food in Buenos Aires is incredible. This news is coming from a steak and wine guy so you'd think you should take it with a grain of salt, as you should, the salty steaks are the best. Everywhere we ate had some of the freshest and most tender cuts of meats I've ever had and it was impossible to order a wine that wasn't worth downing to quench your thirst from the delicious salty meats. Bottom of the wine barrel in Buenos Aires is closer to middle of the road here in Peru. If you love Malbec, you can't go wrong. And in case you are not full after all that delicious steak and smooth wine, you can eat dulce de leche (milky caramel) in the form of ice cream. Dulce de leche is incredible and is a staple breakfast on bread.

Sarah's birthday dinner at Pinuccio & Figli

As excited as I was to eat every steak in the city Ron Swanson style, we were somewhat on a budget, as we are English teachers in Peru. However, we had a chance to go out for two nice dinners during our one week stay in Buenos Aires. The first was to celebrate Sarah's birthday at Pinuccio and Figli on Avenida Honduras in Palermo. We originally had our hopes set on an Indian restaurant that ended up being closed. Good thing for us, Palermo has no shortage of restaurants. We wandered the streets and debated until we settled on this stereotypical looking Italian restaurant after taking a look at the menu.

There was nothing stereotypical about this place. First of all, there was a cold appetizer bar where you paid per gram of two dozen or so dishes at a buffet table. If you guessed the weight correctly, the would give it to you for free. None of us guessed correctly but we still enjoyed the idea.

The steak here was out of this world. I ordered a Lomo Fino that was cooked perfectly and incredibly tender. There was a homemade yellow sauce with chives that I made sure to mop up with their ridiculous potatoes. They were crispy on the outside and almost mashed on the inside. Each plate was around $15 US and well worth it. I highly recommended going here for their steaks if you find yourself in Palermo.

As an old and upscale side of the city, Palermo is full of great food and delicious parillas (grills). None more famous than La Cabrera. It's popularity has tourists and locals alike booking days in advance at two different locations a couple blocks apart. I had multiple friends who have been to Buenos Aires recommend going to La Cabrera. We were told it's a little expensive but we should make reservations because it's worth it. So we went online to choose a time to find out that it was closed the whole week we were there. Fortunately for us, we decided to stop in on our last night around 6 PM and found them open and preparing for a busy night. We were just early enough for them to seat us before the nightly reservations would fill all the seats in the restaurant. We were incredibly lucky. Let the fancy meat feast begin.

Overwhelmed by steaks and side dishes

The food was great. They served countless condiments and side dishes from spicy sauces, to mac and cheese to miniature pickles for no extra cost. The massive chunks of steak we got were deliciously salty cuts (although slightly under-spiced for my liking). I will also say that the service was lacking if not borderline rude, however, I do appreciate they let us in without a reservation. I can definitely see why people recommend this place for the true Buenos Aires parilla experience and ambiance. It was a fun experience with all the condiments to experiment with and combine into new flavors. Whereas, the steak at Pinuccio and Figli was simply served as it was with one sauce and for less money.

I'd still recommend going to La Cabrera as it's worth the experience and the cuts of steak are pure and rich. Even the fat melted in your mouth. However, I think Pinuccio and Figli is an overlooked gem and the better value in Palermo. I think what it comes down to is that you can't go wrong ordering a steak in a restaurant in Palermo. Even the less known places stand a chance to serve you one of the best steaks you've ever savored.

One of our cuts at La Cabrera

San Felipe - our favorite decently priced Malbec