Argentinas Best Restaurant

[perry]

This is a topic that has a lot of interest for many here expats and tourists alike . What do you believe to be Argentinas or Buenos Aires best restaurant to be ?

The list of the worlds top 50 restaurants has just be released with no entries from Argentina but one from Brazil http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners/d-o-m which comes in at a impressive Number 18 .


I believe that Argentina has the some of the worlds best ingredients and can produce great food but lacks creativity that can outshine some of our neighbours like Peru and Brazil .


I have heard about 1884 restaurant in Mendoza and its superb food . I like to know if any members have eaten there
http://www.1884restaurante.com.ar/


I like to hear very much of any new restaurants and any restaurants in the provinces that have star quality.

 

[perry]

I like to hear from long termers like Sergio, Steve, and others of restaurants that stand out from the rest.

 

[sergio]

I don't agree with Perry that Argentina has the best ingredients. Cheese and dairy products in general are far from the best. There is little variety in cheese and what is available is far below European standards. While certain cuts of beef can be quite good and easy to obtain, other types of meat are either hard to get or of lesser quality than can be found in the US or Europe. You need easily accessible top quality ingredients. Far too much is difficult to get to deveolp a serious food culture or run a restaurant. Then there is the problem of tastes. Plain food is the norm in Argentina. It's a hard habit to change.

 

[Davidglen77]

There is a really good SPANISH restaurant in Congreso on the corner of Hipolito Yrigoyen and Combate de los Pozos, directly behind El Congreso Nacional. Both the seafood (huge variety) and meat dishes are top notch. I probably have had some of my best meals there. I highly recommend it. "LA GRAN TABERNA" Combate de los Pozos 95, right at the corner of Hipólito Yrigoyen. The service is not of the modern type, mostly career waiters in their 40s and 50s dressed in white shirts and black pants, somewhat formal in their demeanor not warm and fuzzy but efficient and helpful when needed.

 

[French jurist]

I don't agree with Perry that Argentina has the best ingredients. Cheese and dairy products in general are far from the best. There is little variety in cheese and what is available is far below European standards. While certain cuts of beef can be quite good and easy to obtain, other types of meat are either hard to get or of lesser quality than can be found in the US or Europe. You need easily accessible top quality ingredients. Far too much is difficult to get to deveolp a serious food culture or run a restaurant. Then there is the problem of tastes. Plain food is the norm in Argentina. It's a hard habit to change.

Well, meat is better in Argentina than in Europe for an obvious reason : while in Europe, meat is usually taken from "milky cows" that get too old to produce milk, in Argentina, it comes from cows that were specifically raised to produce meat.

Beef cuts : I ask my butcher specific cuts at time (and told him too about "steak tartare", he was horrified!).


As for the best restaurants, in France I had the chance to eat at a few of the top ones (ones where you pay up to 1.000 USD per person with wine) like Hotel de Crillon, Prince de Galles and so on.

Here, I tried Tomo Uno back in 2002 (before I came to live) but most of all, I went to one of the restaurants that probably belongs to the top 3 or top 5 in Argentina : "Le Sud", in the Hotel Sofitel.

I went there when the previous Chef was still there (Thierry Pszonka) and it was really "Grande Cuisine" :
What is "Grande Cuisine" : it's when, after you start tasting a plate, you still discover after a few minutes eating it new flavors.

Now, the new Chef seems even better but I didn't try him yet (I'll take my next GF there though ). This new Chef is named Olivier Falchi :


Here's a brief bio in castellano (Best Chef for all Argentina in 2006, best Chef for Latin America in Mexico, 2007, and so on... :
MIEMBRO DE LA ACADEMIA CULINARIA DE FRANCIA

MIEMBRO DES TOQUES BLANCHES INTERNATIONALES

Fue elegido el Chef del año 2006 por la Academia Culinaria Argentina (Tendencias Gastronómicas, Miembro de la Academia Culinaria de Francia y Miembro de Toques Blanches Internationales

Obtuvo el Premio al Restaurante rëd Resto & Lounge, del Hotel Madero by Sofitel, como Revelación del año 2006 por Tendencias Gastronómicas. El Primer Premio en el concurso “Manos a Las Ollas 2007”, seleccionado para participar en el “Gran Concurso culinario latinoamericano Azteca 2007”. El Primer puesto a La Copa Azteca de Cocina en México Octubre 2007 -Seleccionado para el Bocuse d’Or 2009. Y el Premio Mejor restaurante de Hotel 2009, Le Sud para la revista Cuisine et Vins

Fue Profesor del Post grado de Cocina francesa en el Instituto Gastronómico del Sur y Responsable de la capacitación de los docentes de la escuela Celia de Córdoba.

Participó en el “Encuentro de Cocina Andina en Jujuy” y en el “5° y 6° Encuentro Internacional de Gastronomía regional” organizado por Celia -Escuela Integral Gastronómica- Córdoba, Argentina.

Estuvo en el Ciclo “Cocina en vivo” en el Canal Utilísima y en el programa “La huerta de Mónica D’Anvers” en El Gourmet.

Chef assessor del ganador del concurso de cocina latino Americano Graffigna Gato Dumas 2009 y del ganador del concurso de cocina Argentino organizado por la marca de aceite Oliovita 2009

Estuvo nominado para el premio de Mejor restaurante Sofitel de América 2009 ž

There's a degustation menu with a good selection of various plates + one glass of wine (free refills for Frenchies , at least it's what I got when I went there) that must be running around 300/400$ per person right now.
Of course, if you choose plates "à la carte" plus a good bottle of wine, expect to pay around 1500$ for 2.


I mentionned this to Perry when we met at "Les Anciens Combattants" (was not too impressed by the quality btw... Furthermore the supposed-to-be "girolles" mushrooms were not girolles, there were a few but mixed with champinones de los pinos) : During the low season, it probably would be possible to negotiate a degustation dinner for 12/15 people for a reasonable price (maybe 200/250 per person). Not sure that could be obtained but I can give it a try.

Bon appétit!

 

[perry]

I don't agree with Perry that Argentina has the best ingredients. Cheese and dairy products in general are far from the best. There is little variety in cheese and what is available is far below European standards. While certain cuts of beef can be quite good and easy to obtain, other types of meat are either hard to get or of lesser quality than can be found in the US or Europe. You need easily accessible top quality ingredients. Far too much is difficult to get to deveolp a serious food culture or run a restaurant. Then there is the problem of tastes. Plain food is the norm in Argentina. It's a hard habit to change.

Well you have some points but the reality is that the potential is incredible for Argentina to have some of the worlds best cuisine. The land of Argentina is the worlds most productive and can produce incredible variety of foods that few are aware of that are high in proteins and low in fats.

For example berries ie raspberries, boysenberries, elderberries and 100s of other varieties are so common in Patagonia but in Buenos Aires very little is offered. The berries I have eaten in El Bolson and the meals made with them were the best I have eaten in the world .

In regards to meat . I believe that grass fed beef from the Argentinas pampas is the worlds tastiest meat hands down . Just a little salt and this is heaven for me . The problem is that we have been commercialised and most meat available in the Capital Federal is now grain fed meat with the taste of hormones in the beef . This is a new development and certainly a very sad one as the commercialisation of our food industry by mass producers including Monsanto have caused a huge detriment to Argentina produce.

Seafood is also incredible in Argentina and I have tried some of the best fish in my life in Iguazu and Tierra Del Fuego . The oceans around Argentina are pristine and the lakes and rivers of all the provinces very abundant in sea life . If you can try some of fresh water fish recently caught you will understand .

Milk products and cheese products are a poor example of the possibilities of Argentine potential. For a country that can produce some of the worlds best icecream certainly it can lift its game with Cheese.

Vegetables organically grown from the source in Argentina are very flavourful and if you try Mendoza tomatoes and olives you will understand the flavour possibilities.

 

[Amargo]

While certain cuts of beef can be quite good and easy to obtain, other types of meat are either hard to get or of lesser quality than can be found in the US or Europe.

Well, you went too far this time. Most of your posts are really critical of Argentina - mostly forgetting that Argentina is a developing country.
Argentine beef is world-famous for a reason: it is simply the best.

 

[slightly]

You might find site useful: http://noshba.com/palermo/

 

[soulskier]

I would include Butterfly Patagonia, located outside Bariloche, to this list.

 

[Gringoboy]

'Argentina is a developing country...'?????????
What the fuck?
This country has had years to develop itself. What planet are you living on Amargo?
Also, Argentine beef USED to be world famous. Not any more.
Over the last few years the quality has declined markedly and it's not just me saying that.
My brother has been coming to see me every year for the past five years and even he commented on it.
Maybe most of the decent beef is now being exported. Who knows?