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The Food in Argentina...FINALLY.

OK, where do I start? Overall, the food in Argentina is fabulous. It really is a mix of European (especially Italian) and South American: the country itself is so varied in culture as well as geography and natural resources and this is definitely reflected in its cuisine. And as B.A. has become a major metropolitan destination, the level of cuisine you can get is as good as the best places in NYC. I had everything from nuevo-cuisine that you can find in NYC, Paris, LA to Patagonian specialities to native Indian stews made from corn; and it was all fantastic. Let's see...how shall I do this? I guess by food category. I'll start with the parillas/steaks. Parillas are the traditional gaucho-inspired grills. Argentinians are quite proud of their beef, which they SHOULD be. I don't think I've had beef as tender and flavorful for the ridiculous price that they charge. The most expensive filet I had in BA was about $15 and was as good or better than any $50 steak I've had at the best places in the US including Peter Luger's. The $5 steaks were great as well: always tender, but the flavor of the beef was amazing. I'm not sure if it was the crazy grilling apparati (is that the plural for apparatus?) or just the way Argentinian cows are raised (and I know nothing about it). I had steak everywhere I went, but the best was at Cabana Las Lilas. It's on a tourist-happy strip by the water in BA, which normally, I would completely avoid, but on the recommendation of guide books and friends, it really seemed like a place I couldn't resist. I'm glad I went. Las Lilas really prides itself on their beef. They have their own ranch where they raise their own cattle. And as it is a top-end restaurant, the meal comes with all the fixin's. I'll try to upload the geeky photos that I took, but I'm far to technologically-unsaavy for it to work (hence, my failed first Argentina blog entry). This is the starter antipasto plate that every table gets for free...there is an asparagus app, a salmon app, roasted tomatoes...ridiculous...and YUMMY. That's the filet from Cabana Las Lilas...sorry, is that sort of gross? And yes, it is kind of embarassing taking photos of your food... I basically had great steaks everywhere. In addition, they serve this thing called "proveleta" at most parillas: it's basically a thick grilled slab of provelone cheese. Damn...I don't have a photo of it. Everyone knows how I feel about fried cheese. Well, this was even better. At first, you think it's breaded or coated in something, but it's actually just a grilled slab of salty cheese and it is damn good. I ordered it everywhere I could. A grilled piece of heaven. I still don't understand how it doesn't end up all gooey. Pastas/Pizzas: Now, you can not throw a rock without hitting a restaurant that serves pasta/pizza. Gnocchi (Noquis) is EVERYWHERE and FANTASTIC. In fact, I read somewhere, that on the 29th of every month, many Argentinians eat gnocchi. I kind of like that tradition, and I think I'm going to start adhering to it. And of course, the gnocchi are either smothered in a rich 4 cheese sauce or else accompanied by chunky pieces of lomo (tenderloin). What's not to like? Noquis con lomo - this was a pre-dinner snack, by the way. One of my other noquis dishes cames with "buckets" of sirloin...how could you not order that? I only had pizza at one place in BA that is a satellite of a pizza place in Italy. Since I've been on an unsuccessful quest to find wafer-thin pizzas that you can find anywhere Italy, I figured this would be a great place to start. It is off the main drag of Avenida Santa Fe and has a great outdoor patio. The pizza was pretty damn good. Very thin, very tasty, but still not as crisp as they can get it in Italy. I don't know what it is. But, I was happy because I can't seem to get close anywhere in the U.S. But I did go at 8:15 PM on a Saturday and almost got laughed out of the place because it was too damn early for dinner. Kind of embarassing, but the lengths I will go to for yummy food. I have no pride. Wait until read my San Juaninino empanada story. Seafood: Patagonia is known for its crab. I had really good crab stuffed ravioli's at a few places in Patagonia and Ushuaia. And let me tell you, the Argentines do NOT skimp on the crab. At the end of the meal, you feel as if you can't eat anymore crab....until the next time...Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the amazing crab stuffed raviolis I had in a hole-in-the-wall that I happened to walk into because another more "famous" and guide-book-recommended place was full. OK, this is long enough. I think I'm going to have to do empanadas, native stews, medialunas, and ice cream (to DIE for) in the next entry. Until then...