Dining out in the steak capital of the world

I’m neither a gourmand nor a gourmet, and food was never excessively important to me. My only sin is named: sweets. 

Until a couple of months ago, I preferred to go on without food for days, if there was the perspective of an exquisite dessert at the end of the week. Add to this that I belonged to the group of the holly vegetarians for over five years, and you’ll have the image of someone who should definitely feel lost, in a country which favors cow-sized steaks. Luckily people change! 

Since I’ve tried my first steak, and officially ended the: will not touch meat period, can’t stop praising the creativity of the Argentineans when it comes to preparing their parilla.

My first try was at Miranda in Palermo Hollywood (Costa Rica y Fitz Roy), and although each of my porteños friends told me that the choice wasn’t the luckiest one, I was confident that never ever, had I eaten something more juicy and delicious than my first Argentinean steak.

Today I’ve tried a couple of places around town, and to be honest I feel that every steakhouse or family owned restaurant has tender steaks, perfectly flavored…still haven’t decided if you should blame this on the meat, or the Argentinean cooking tehnic. 

One thing I understood in the months lived in Buenos Aires, is that Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood are amazing barrios for shopping and enjoying the crazy nightlife, but when it comes to dining out, the majority of the restaurants here, seem to focus more on dazzling interiors and having a fancy crowd as costumers, than the meals in your plate. 

Don’t get me wrong: food is not bad, but rather too European or too Manhattan like! Still there are some great places for dining out in Palermo; I prefer La Cabrera (Cabrera 5099).

Recoleta has flamboyant restaurants, which clearly have that parisienne allure to them, perfect for international businessmen and bankers. 

The neighborhoods of Caballito and La Boca, hide their own culinary treasures. 

Another of my latest obsessions is named: empanadas, having a clear preference towards the once with cheese or ham. My favorite empanaderia is La Cupertina (Cabrera y Godoy Cruz), which also makes the best tamales.

Note to myself: you need to leave Argentina before you become a frightening carnivore, beef eating, fat monster!