Taking about breakfast in Buenos Aires is all well and good, but we all know what people to come to Argentina to eat.
Meat.
Meat in Argentina goes alongside football as a national obsession, and when it's this good you can see why. Throughout Argentina you are hard pressed to walk along a decent sized street without seeing several restaurants offering grilled meats, from small cheap places looking like greasy spoon cafes, to expensive restaurants.
When it comes to beef, Buenos Aires is probably the best place in Argentina (and therefore the world) to eat it. Located in the north of the Argentinian Pampas (the vast flatlands where the nation's cattle are kept,) the beef that flows into Buenos Aires kitchens is fresh and succulent. Elsewhere in Argentina the lamb gives this beef a run for it's money, but in BA beef is king, and there are plenty of restaurants dedicated solely to the cooking to excellent steak, the parrillas.
We went to two parrillas whilst in BA, Don Julio and Gran Parrilla del Plata.
Don Julio is located in well heeled Palermo, and was our first parrilla in BA. The restaurant is decked out in wood, with customer signed wine bottles lining the walls and leather coverings on the tables. As it was out first steak we both opted for the classic - Bife de Chorizo, or sirloin steak.
Succulent and tender do not come close to describing these massive steaks. Melt in your mouth is a bit of a cliche, but in this case I'm going to have to use it, as I think these steaks may have been what the phrase was invented for. To top it all off, the wine (a Malbec that unfortunately I can't remember the name of) was excellent.
Our second parrilla, on our last night in BA was Gran Parrilla del Plata. Set in lively San Telmo, this parrilla again opted for a very traditional, warm atmosphere. We were determined to try some unusual cuts, and out waiter looked at us funnily and told us we should go for the good cuts (lomo or bife de chorizo, sirloin or fillet). Instead however we opted for entrana and vacio - skirt and flank. Entrana is a tin cut, which is quite tough, but full of flavour.
Vacio or flank is an unusual cut with a layer of fat on one side. When grilled the fat melts into the meat, making it a very tender and flavourful cut, and not one I've ever eaten before. We enjoyed them both, washed down with a bottle of Fin Del Mundo Gran Reserva blend.
As a meat lover I was very much in my element in Argentina. Kate loved every minute of it, but by the time we left BA for Santiago was getting meat fatigue, and was very thankful of the fish soups and cerviche of Chile!
Tom
Meat.
Meat in Argentina goes alongside football as a national obsession, and when it's this good you can see why. Throughout Argentina you are hard pressed to walk along a decent sized street without seeing several restaurants offering grilled meats, from small cheap places looking like greasy spoon cafes, to expensive restaurants.
When it comes to beef, Buenos Aires is probably the best place in Argentina (and therefore the world) to eat it. Located in the north of the Argentinian Pampas (the vast flatlands where the nation's cattle are kept,) the beef that flows into Buenos Aires kitchens is fresh and succulent. Elsewhere in Argentina the lamb gives this beef a run for it's money, but in BA beef is king, and there are plenty of restaurants dedicated solely to the cooking to excellent steak, the parrillas.
We went to two parrillas whilst in BA, Don Julio and Gran Parrilla del Plata.
 |
| Don Julio |
 |
| Bife de Chorizo |
Succulent and tender do not come close to describing these massive steaks. Melt in your mouth is a bit of a cliche, but in this case I'm going to have to use it, as I think these steaks may have been what the phrase was invented for. To top it all off, the wine (a Malbec that unfortunately I can't remember the name of) was excellent.
Our second parrilla, on our last night in BA was Gran Parrilla del Plata. Set in lively San Telmo, this parrilla again opted for a very traditional, warm atmosphere. We were determined to try some unusual cuts, and out waiter looked at us funnily and told us we should go for the good cuts (lomo or bife de chorizo, sirloin or fillet). Instead however we opted for entrana and vacio - skirt and flank. Entrana is a tin cut, which is quite tough, but full of flavour.
 |
| Entrana |
Vacio or flank is an unusual cut with a layer of fat on one side. When grilled the fat melts into the meat, making it a very tender and flavourful cut, and not one I've ever eaten before. We enjoyed them both, washed down with a bottle of Fin Del Mundo Gran Reserva blend.
 |
| Vacio |
As a meat lover I was very much in my element in Argentina. Kate loved every minute of it, but by the time we left BA for Santiago was getting meat fatigue, and was very thankful of the fish soups and cerviche of Chile!
Tom
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