You could easily spend 500-600 pesos per person (or more) in a place like Cabana Las Lilas. Personally, I have eaten there a couple of times and will probably not return. Way too expensive for what I got when visiting. The last time was an ojo de bife that was full of gristle! I don't remember another time I've had a rib eye that was gristled, and I couldn't eat a good 1/3 of the steak! I don't remember what I had the first time, but I remember being unsatisfied for the price that time as well, though not as bad as the gristled ojo de bife from hell.
But I don't think of Puerto Madero as "downtown" - more like a place apart. Maybe that's how tourists think of it, though, and if that's the case, then the cost mentioned on the blog might be reasonably accurate. But comparing a lot of places there to good quality doesn't necessarily follow, these days.
I go to places like Parilla Pena where I can get out of there for 200-250 pesos these days, at least with a couple of sodas and chorizo as an entrada (I don't drink wine, just don't care for alcohol itself). I was just in there last Friday with some buddies and we were all pleased with the quality of the meat, and, believe it or not, the service! The place was pretty busy and we were seated upstairs. The waiter who attended us quite literally jumped (I mean, really, he would leap forward quickly from his station when he saw something that needed doing) to bring us things, clear plates, bottles or what-have-you.
Of course, there's a hole-in-the-wall place called di Carlos on Paraguay near Pena that is about half the price. I don't eat the beef there very often because it's often not all that great (but ask and they're usually honest about how things are that day), but matambrito, bondiola and grilled chicken are almost always superb and go for about half the price of Parilla Pena.
As far as truly "downtown", I 'm not sure what would be considered downtown, but I'd think Microcenter and maybe at least some of San Telmo would qualify? There are a number of well-known parillas there that don't get over 300 pesos per person, at least about 6 months ago (might be higher now). El Establo is a place I used to like, although their bife de chorizos and ojo de bifes weren't up to my standards many times, but they grill a mean matambrito de cerdo and mixed brochettas (not to mention their pizza is reasonably good and they have some really good suprema choices). El Establo is about the most expensive I've eaten at "downtown" and they may be approaching the 400 peso mark nowadays (estimating based on previous costs, and good beef cuts only at that price), but I haven't eaten there in quite a while because they were passing that cost vs value mark a good year or two ago.
La Brigada in San Telmo I guess is another "downtown" place, but I haven't eaten there in about 7-8 months. Last time I got out of there for just over 200 pesos with a lomo a la pimienta and cream potatoes (does no one here understand how to make cream potatoes? Heh).
Thing is, to me $45-50 USD doesn't buy a much better meal than something half that price, in my experience, here. And when I do parillas for our sometimes-Friday night dinners, I grill ojo de bifes (about 350 grams per person easily), chorizos and fries and we set out chips and dip before dinner, we serve iced tea, sodas and beer (and someone usually brings a couple bottles of wine) with dinner, coffee afterwards and sometimes someone buys a desert and we pay (well) a couple of ladies to come the following day and clean up. We split the cost at the end and it has never exceeded 250 pesos, the normal is 200 pesos. Not to brag, but you can't get a steak with dinner as well-prepared, for the price, anywhere I've been.
I understand that restaurants have overhead and all, but they also buy in bulk at good prices and have a volume of customers to help with the prices. To me, a meal that goes over, per person, what I can serve to a group of 8-10 people, buying my supplies from Disco (not so cheap, but quick and easy), a restaurant ought to be able to do at least 50% more expensive.
For the price, I'd rather go to Parilla Pena or di Carlos and pay a reasonable amount of money for reasonably authentic Argentine parilla than go to Caban Las Lilas or a private place, unless the experience is out of this world...
