I´ve found that there is quite a bit of fine dining here with excellent food and service, and generally a bit cheaper than the US. I´m not talking huge value but more like a $70 dollar quality meal for $50.
I´ve also a fan of the a lot of the cheap little parillas like those you will find along the costanera sur (5 peso chorripan and a million condiments). And I love empanadas, ARS 2.50 for a delicious little pocket of goodness! Can´t go wrong...
Where I think this city lacks is decent mid range restaurants. As far as I´m concerned most of the parrillas are just garbage, and the million and one confiterias that all have identical 20 page menus are generally awful. I haven´t gone out and ordered in one of these kind of restaurants in forever. I´d rather cook at home.
I´ve never gotten parrillas anyway. I like going out to eat because I like experiencing new sensations, dishes crafted like art by the chefs, things I probably would never cook or think to cook en casa. At a parrilla they cook the food the same way I would at home, the only difference is at home I can actually make my steaks rare unlike in most parrillas where every word for rare (vuelta y vuelta, muy muy jugoso, casi crudo, etc) seems to mean slightly pink. The quality of a grilled steak dish has nothing to do with the preparation and everything to do with the quality of the meat, all the chef has to do is not screw up the cooking. So if you have a good carneceria and a parilla, why go pay a lot of money for someone to do exactly what you could do better at home?
I´ve also a fan of the a lot of the cheap little parillas like those you will find along the costanera sur (5 peso chorripan and a million condiments). And I love empanadas, ARS 2.50 for a delicious little pocket of goodness! Can´t go wrong...
Where I think this city lacks is decent mid range restaurants. As far as I´m concerned most of the parrillas are just garbage, and the million and one confiterias that all have identical 20 page menus are generally awful. I haven´t gone out and ordered in one of these kind of restaurants in forever. I´d rather cook at home.
I´ve never gotten parrillas anyway. I like going out to eat because I like experiencing new sensations, dishes crafted like art by the chefs, things I probably would never cook or think to cook en casa. At a parrilla they cook the food the same way I would at home, the only difference is at home I can actually make my steaks rare unlike in most parrillas where every word for rare (vuelta y vuelta, muy muy jugoso, casi crudo, etc) seems to mean slightly pink. The quality of a grilled steak dish has nothing to do with the preparation and everything to do with the quality of the meat, all the chef has to do is not screw up the cooking. So if you have a good carneceria and a parilla, why go pay a lot of money for someone to do exactly what you could do better at home?