A Good Restaurant In Ba? Yes, It's Possible!

[kosta]

For the record, I'm not a frequent-restaurant-client but still for the last 15 months visited some and was never amazed by the quality of food they serve here. These restaurants look very nice, are owned by Spanish, or Italian descendants, but the food was always surprisingly mediocre. The only exeption was "Las Pizarras" on Thames 2300 that served nicely prepared meals that were not necessarily traditional argentine cuisine (but still meat-oriented). Still it wasn't something amazing.
I don't want to list the disappointing-quality high-cost restaurants here, but all of them left me with an impression of bad invested money. (the only that do not qualify for this category are cheap bars which serve the same quality for 30% cost, like "chan-chan")

Well, that was until we visited "Honor y Causa" in Palermo Hollywood last weekend (cabrera esq carranza). What we got there was really, really good (and for BA standards - double-fantastic!), original, prepared with care and according to some new, modern-cuisine inventions (such as say molecular cuisine). We had also a nice conversation with chef, as he's a person willing to chat with the clients. Also important - they have very reasonable prices there - for a 2-dish dinner for 3 people + 2 bottles of Los Alamos Malbec we paid less than 650 ARS (without dessert). Entradas we're espacially fantastic and cooked very carefully and served with delicious salsas. For the main course I had a deer and I'm very happy with it Anyway, I recommend.

And by the way - do you folks agree with my general impression about the BA restaurants? Like I said, I haven't visited top positions here but still eaten in some supposedly good (La Brigada? Prosciutto?) and was disappointed.

 

[jackbower]

names of dishes you had? pictures? alot of words but im still looking for the food review

 

[Jaredberryman]

For the record, I'm not a frequent-restaurant-client but still for the last 15 months visited some and was never amazed by the quality of food they serve here. These restaurants look very nice, are owned by Spanish, or Italian descendants, but the food was always surprisingly mediocre. The only exeption was "Las Pizarras" on Thames 2300 that served nicely prepared meals that were not necessarily traditional argentine cuisine (but still meat-oriented). Still it wasn't something amazing.
I don't want to list the disappointing-quality high-cost restaurants here, but all of them left me with an impression of bad invested money. (the only that do not qualify for this category are cheap bars which serve the same quality for 30% cost, like "chan-chan")

Well, that was until we visited "Honor y Causa" in Palermo Hollywood last weekend (cabrera esq carranza). What we got there was really, really good (and for BA standards - double-fantastic!), original, prepared with care and according to some new, modern-cuisine inventions (such as say molecular cuisine). We had also a nice conversation with chef, as he's a person willing to chat with the clients. Also important - they have very reasonable prices there - for a 2-dish dinner for 3 people + 2 bottles of Los Alamos Malbec we paid less than 650 ARS (without dessert). Entradas we're espacially fantastic and cooked very carefully and served with delicious salsas. For the main course I had a deer and I'm very happy with it Anyway, I recommend.

And by the way - do you folks agree with my general impression about the BA restaurants? Like I said, I haven't visited top positions here but still eaten in some supposedly good (La Brigada? Prosciutto?) and was disappointed.

It all depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for really fancy cuisine, I think restaurants here are a bit behind. But I think you can still find some nice "common" restaurants, small restaurants that have good "daily" plates. The key here is to go to restaurants when they are not too busy. If you do, you will get bad service, bad food, because the restaurant will be so overloaded that they will cook your food wrong. I went once to la Parolaccia, supposedly great pasta, but it was so crowded that they left my pasta completely undercooked and it nearly made me sick. It also depends on what exactly you are ordering. Some restaurants have some plates they do well, and others they suck at. For instance, you mention Proscuitto. I have gone there and eaten at lunch and gotten sorrentinos with drink and dessert as a lunch special for about 50 pesos, and it was absolutely excellent. But if you go at night or order something that is not pasta, it may not be that good, because the place will be full, they'll be in a rush, and only pasta is their forte.

There are literally thousands of restaurants here and you can find any and every variety. Also, sometimes you might go to one, and it was great, next time you might go and order the same things, and it will suck. This is the way things are in Capital Federal. There are so many people, and a restaurant, instead of just charging a bit more and going slower with the food, tries to process the 50 million clients at their door. For this reason I have basically quit going to restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights, as there is no point anymore. I will get bad service, and in all likelihood, food cooked in a hurry.

 

[PhilipDT]

It all depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for really fancy cuisine, I think restaurants here are a bit behind. But I think you can still find some nice "common" restaurants, small restaurants that have good "daily" plates.

Really? I've had the opposite experience. At the high end, I've found the food is consistently better tasting and better value than the "common" restaurants which are almost universally crap. I've never had a less than utterly spectacular meal at Chila in over 10 meals.Even with the latest price jump Hernan Giaponni restaurant is still a value that is almost impossible to beat not just here but around the world. I've only eaten at ilatina once but it lived up to the hype and I'm dying to go back. I'll miss the delicious parillada de mariscos and the more relaxed and less pretentious attitude of le mistral but Elena is living up to the mantel of excellent cooking.

On the other hand every time I go to a "common" restaurant I get terrible food and its expensive to boot! Speaking of prosciutto, I went the other day out o absolute necessity because I was starving and everything else was closed. I ordered an appetizer, pasta and 1 glass of wine and it came to 120$ and that was with a 20% discount. The pasta which was a shrimp fettuccini came out drenched in far overcooked and over salted cream sauce, the shrimp tasted like they had been frozen and were served with the intestines still inside and slightly overcooked. It was truly disgusting and it wasn't even close to cheap. Don't even get me started on the average parilla here...

 

[scotttswan]

the only place i'd really write home about is http://www.restoelbaqueano.com/

 

[NYKate]

We went to an incredible restaurant, Unik, http://unik.pro/. The chef worked in California for a long time and came out of the kitchen to speak to us because he found out I was from the US. We had the Huevo Cocido as an appetizer and the chef sent out amazing basque morcilla and other goodies. The owner is French and, if you like furniture and design, there is an interesting story behind his collection in the restaurant, his personal collection of furniture and the design of the restaurant.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

For an excellent meal, not cheap but good value for money, try Belgrano's Pura Tierra (http://puratierra.com.ar).

 

[Napoleon]

These restaurants look very nice, are owned by Spanish, or Italian descendants, but the food was always surprisingly mediocre. The only exeption was "Las Pizarras" on Thames 2300 that served nicely prepared meals that were not necessarily traditional argentine cuisine (but still meat-oriented). Still it wasn't something amazing.

Went to Las Pizarras tonight for dinner. My former roommate's mom was thanking me for the nearly 3 years of being a good roommate/sounding board/voice of reason to her son who has now gone back to England for grad school. (By the way, I'll be selling stuff soon, because I have too much stuff and am downsizing.)

Wine: Desierto Pino Noir 2007 AR$120-ish
Water: Agua con gas AR$16
Appetizer: Rabbit Pate w/apple confit (I think) ~AR$55-AR$60-ish
Her Main Course: Liver with stuff (NOT for me) ~AR$80-ish
My Main Course: Some kind of lamb drumb stick thing (3) w/grilled veggies ~AR$85
Dessert: Maracuyá Creme Brulee x 2 AR$35 each

Whatever the breakdown, it came out to AR$446 before propina. It was yummy. Not "BEST MEAL I'VE EVER HAD!" but very tasty indeed. And I didn't drop a single peso, so there's that.

I'll keep people posted on the down-sizing sell-off. I've got some of his things as well that I need to get rid of.

 

[nlaruccia]

I've never tried La Rosa Negra in San Isidro, but everyone I know who has been there says it's excellent. I like La Brigada, La Mirasol, Piegari in La Recova is very good and Fervor on Posadas st. Has delicious fish. They say the French restaurant inside the Hotel Palace Alvear and the Sofitel are the best but I've never tried them.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Who says the food aint no good here !!!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/travel/31hours.html?pagewanted=all

I like the one that are open till 1AM in the morning...