Best Carne Restaurants

[earlyretirement]

I love Don Julio but the best steak in the city is at the very exclusive Nuestro Secreto restaurant in four seasons hotel. Their grass fed lomo de bife you can cut with a fork and the flavour is similar to kobe but at 20 percent of the price.

Yes, I really love that place too but when going out with guests from out of town I alway hesitate to bring them to a hotel restaurant. Well very nice and GREAT food they always seem to have more of an authentic experience going to Don Julios. I stopped going to La Cabrera as I've been disappointed the past few times I went.

 

[Churchill]

Yes, of course. When I'm going to a place that's "fine dining" or "exclusive" I don't want to have to deal with low quality, 3rd world bullshit..

3rd world? Come on..............

 

[perry]

Yes, of course. When I'm going to a place that's "fine dining" or "exclusive" I don't want to have to deal with low quality, 3rd world bullshit. Especially when entertaining, if we're seated by a grumpy 60 year old male, then shown a few pieces of hard, store bought bread with garbage "french bread" that's bought from the panaderia around the corner, with half ass criollo & vinegary chimichuri sauce, we'll smile, shake our heads no and leave. That's exactly what's happened at Cabanas Las Lilas (except add in tables full of screaming, smoking Asians, not the type of experience I'm after personally but to each their own).

The dining experience at Don Julio is superior (while none of these places are expensive, Don Julio a T Bone is about 35-40 dollar if I remember right, Las Lilas probably around 45), you're seated by a smiling young lady, attended to by a professional meat connoisseur, then given freshly chopped chimichuri with a fresh baked pan del campo from the same day, before enjoying world class meat.

I do stick to my statement that apart from meat Argentine food is horrible, Argentine diet is vast majority packaged, processed & refined foods (pizzas, pastas, breads, etc), lot's of microwaving, reheating and all around low quality and extremely unhealthy. Hence why Argentina is among the countries with higher cancer rates in the world. Argentine "breakfasts" are joke, various combinations of processed bread, water & refined sugar. In most (except the north) of the country fresh fruit and produce is difficult to get, and in all of the country there is 0 emphasis on natural, organic, non GMO diets. The bad access to high quality food was major determining factor in our decision not to retire in Argentina, and God forbid, the economic situation could make this significantly worse.

I have to say I agree wifh you in the main. I find it shocking the lack of care and quality control of restaurants in Argentina. I grew up in Australia in a middle class greek cypriot family and the quality of food was outstanding in all senses. When I moved to Argentina my biggest shock and disappointment was the lack of love and detail that the typical argentinian mother takes in the preparation of their food.

 

[Stantucker]

I

Yes, of course. When I'm going to a place that's "fine dining" or "exclusive" I don't want to have to deal with low quality, 3rd world bullshit. Especially when entertaining, if we're seated by a grumpy 60 year old male, then shown a few pieces of hard, store bought bread with garbage "french bread" that's bought from the panaderia around the corner, with half ass criollo & vinegary chimichuri sauce, we'll smile, shake our heads no and leave. That's exactly what's happened at Cabanas Las Lilas (except add in tables full of screaming, smoking Asians, not the type of experience I'm after personally but to each their own).

The dining experience at Don Julio is superior (while none of these places are expensive, Don Julio a T Bone is about 35-40 dollar if I remember right, Las Lilas probably around 45), you're seated by a smiling young lady, attended to by a professional meat connoisseur, then given freshly chopped chimichuri with a fresh baked pan del campo from the same day, before enjoying world class meat.

I do stick to my statement that apart from meat Argentine food is horrible, Argentine diet is vast majority packaged, processed & refined foods (pizzas, pastas, breads, etc), lot's of microwaving, reheating and all around low quality and extremely unhealthy. Hence why Argentina is among the countries with higher cancer rates in the world. Argentine "breakfasts" are joke, various combinations of processed bread, water & refined sugar. In most (except the north) of the country fresh fruit and produce is difficult to get, and in all of the country there is 0 emphasis on natural, organic, non GMO diets. The bad access to high quality food was major determining factor in our decision not to retire in Argentina, and God forbid, the economic situation could make this significantly worse.

I guess I have very different tastes than some of you, but I love Argentine food: all the great pastas and sauces, milanesas, tortillas, (I know from Spain but widely available here), the vegetable tartas, empanadas, good chicken, dishes from the north (like pastel de calabaza, humita, the stews), good (even though not great) fruits and vegetables, the ice cream (which is to die for), Argentine sweet potatoes, all the things they make with calabaza. I go to New Garden and buy very nutritious breakfast items. The number of health food store i s growing daily, so you can find healthy option.

 

[perry]

When I first moved here steak was very good in any restaurant as it was 90 percent grassfed meat back in 2004. Feedlot took over and the quality went to hell. I make sure that the meat is grassfed and only very few restaurants including Don Julio. Duhua. and Nuestro secreto source their meats from grass fed cows.

 

[perry]

I

I guess I have very different tastes than some of you, but I love Argentine food: all the great pastas and sauces, milanesas, tortillas, (I know from Spain but widely available here), the vegetable tartas, empanadas, good chicken, dishes from the north (like pastel de calabaza, humita, the stews), good (even though not great) fruits and vegetables, the ice cream (which is to die for), Argentine sweet potatoes, all the things they make with calabaza. I go to New Garden and buy very nutritious breakfast items. The number of health food store i s growing daily, so you can find healthy option.

The best vegetarian restaurant in Argentina is a hole in the wall organic restaurant in El Bolson Rio Negro. They have incredible fresh salads and the best raspberry torta in the universe. Actually El Bolson has the best raspberries in the world in season and if you go there in summer the plaza pagano has organic raspberries. Guindas. Blueberries and other unusual berries. Food depends on soil and due to El Bolson having the least contaminated soil of Argentina with little pesticide residue food tastes much better. There is a restaurant there called La Gorda that has imho the best short ribs and potatoes of Argentina

 

[Ceviche]

When I first moved here steak was very good in any restaurant as it was 90 percent grassfed meat back in 2004. Feedlot took over and the quality went to hell. I make sure that the meat is grassfed and only very few restaurants including Don Julio. Duhua. and Nuestro secreto source their meats from grass fed cows.

Duhau in Hyatt is my fav restaurant in BA.

 

[earlyretirement]

Duhau in Hyatt is my fav restaurant in BA.

I agree this is a great restaurant. The hotel is spectacular as well. Although I have a beautiful apartment close to the Park Hyatt, every year my wife and I will spend a staycation weekend at the Park Hyatt in a big suite.

When I first moved here steak was very good in any restaurant as it was 90 percent grassfed meat back in 2004. Feedlot took over and the quality went to hell. I make sure that the meat is grassfed and only very few restaurants including Don Julio. Duhua. and Nuestro secreto source their meats from grass fed cows.

I TOTALLY agree with you Perry! So true. Back in the late 90's /early 2000's virtually every place had amazing steak. Even hole in the wall restaurants the quality of steak would blow away the quality of most places in the USA except for the really expensive and high end steak houses in the USA. But then quality just kept deteriorating for the reasons that you mentioned. I used to get really great steak at La Cabrera as well but the past few times I went it was just a disgrace. They let the buzz go to their head but quality kept going down.

Now I can routinely get a much better steak in the USA at good steak places than most places in Buenos Aires steak houses. Still there are certain cuts that they just don't have perfected in the USA like Argentina. Love Tira de Asado in Argentina.

As far as quality of food. You know it really really used to suck. Way back when BA wasn't a big foodie city and there was virtually NO diversity of food. It was ALL pasta, pizza, empanadas, steak. No sushi, no seafood, no ethnic food, no taco places, none of all these burger places you see today. Yes, the pasta, steaks and empanadas and milenesas were great but there is only so much you can eat that of that stuff. I was eating steak like 4 times a week.

Today there is are a LOT of different types of food there and I think they have elevated it much higher. Lots of good restaurants now. Still, I don't think it compares to other places. I definitely would disagree with people that say the food all sucks there. They have a LOT of great restaurants there. But you can easily spend as much or more in some of these than you'd spend in the US in some of them. Lots of places there with really good food are prohibitively expensive for locals.

 

[Rich One]

Anyone tried a middle of the road parrilla La Payuca on Arenales ... Good all around service, fair prices and great wine selection..?

 

[perry]

I agree this is a great restaurant. The hotel is spectacular as well. Although I have a beautiful apartment close to the Park Hyatt, every year my wife and I will spend a staycation weekend at the Park Hyatt in a big suite.



I TOTALLY agree with you Perry! So true. Back in the late 90's /early 2000's virtually every place had amazing steak. Even hole in the wall restaurants the quality of steak would blow away the quality of most places in the USA except for the really expensive and high end steak houses in the USA. But then quality just kept deteriorating for the reasons that you mentioned. I used to get really great steak at La Cabrera as well but the past few times I went it was just a disgrace. They let the buzz go to their head but quality kept going down.

Now I can routinely get a much better steak in the USA at good steak places than most places in Buenos Aires steak houses. Still there are certain cuts that they just don't have perfected in the USA like Argentina. Love Tira de Asado in Argentina.

As far as quality of food. You know it really really used to suck. Way back when BA wasn't a big foodie city and there was virtually NO diversity of food. It was ALL pasta, pizza, empanadas, steak. No sushi, no seafood, no ethnic food, no taco places, none of all these burger places you see today. Yes, the pasta, steaks and empanadas and milenesas were great but there is only so much you can eat that of that stuff. I was eating steak like 4 times a week.

Today there is are a LOT of different types of food there and I think they have elevated it much higher. Lots of good restaurants now. Still, I don't think it compares to other places. I definitely would disagree with people that say the food all sucks there. They have a LOT of great restaurants there. But you can easily spend as much or more in some of these than you'd spend in the US in some of them. Lots of places there with really good food are prohibitively expensive for locals.

Australia in the 1960s was a barren place foodwise but this changed with greek and italian immigration who revolutionized australian kitchens. Now in 2018 I do not believe that you can eat so well like you can in Sydney or Melbourne with incredible variety of all cuisines. Australians are very adventuruos people and for this reason the evolution of their cuisine has been espactular. Argentina is a dogmatic society with a culture of devaluing the kitchen and the elaborate preparation of food. This did not happen in Europe or the anglosphere where cooking was held in high esteem. When I first moved here it shocked me that argentinian people put so little emphasis on cooking and this is apparent when you see the lack of attention to the kitchens.

I do believe it is getting better and peoples attitude to different cuisines is more accepting but its far away from Lima Peru. New York. London.or the best foodie city of the world Melbourne Australia.