Steak Buenos Aires: Dinner for 10!

Guest Post:

Last night Steaks by Luis held it’s biggest event yet!  10 hungry guests showed up around 8:30 to join in on a fabulous picada with a sampling of various meats and cheeses accompanied by a glass (or two) of a spectacular Argentine sparkling wine.  The atmosphere was jovial as the guests mixed and mingled for a half hour getting to know each other better.  Luis, the asador (grill-master) wants you to feel like you’re at home and that you too are a member of his group of friends and family.

After the picada our host took us on a tour through the kitchen where we got to ‘meet our meat’.  Luis left the parrilla and joined us  to explain, in Spanish, what all we were going to be eating.  No worries folks, speaking Spanish is not a prerequisite for this event.  Tomás, our host, was kind enough to translate everything Luis had to say.  There’s something to be said for getting a lesson on Argentine beef from an actual Argentine in Spanish.

Meat

It’s a very different experience being up close and personal with an enormous, perfectly marbled, beautifully colored slab of beef.  Huge hunk doesn’t even begin to describe it; no puny steaks here that’s for sure.  Next to the steaks sat another tray piled high with all sorts of different goodies.  As Luis explained these were going to be our starters.  There were several different types of sausages, ribs tips, and a pork something or other all of which looked delectable.

We returned to the table and our host poured us a glass of white wine which paired well with the ensalada mixta (mixed salad).  As Tomas explained this salad is a staple at any asado but they’ve taken the liberty of jazzing it up a bit by adding fresh slices of orange and a some parmesan shavings.

When our salad course was finished Tomas invited us to step out onto the deck to see up close and personal everything that Luis was doing.  What was so fantastic about this space that the entire place is floor to ceiling windows.  Essentially it’s set up like a theater and Luis and the ribeye along with the parrilla take center stage. I ventured out on the deck and the first thing that hits you is the wonderfully aromatic smoke, a perfect combination of charcoal and meat that makes your mouth salivate profusely.  Next is the sheer size of the enormous grill.  It was a beautiful thing.

We sat back down at the table and not long after, three massive trays with a medley of meats came to the table.  Serving family style, we all help ourselves to the awe-inspiring spread of meats.  With the amount of food served up to this point it was hard to believe that we still hadn’t even come to the main course yet.

The ribeye arrived and our jaws dropped.  Beautifully plated with a homemade tinted salt and a garnish of parsley and paprika I began to devise my plan of attack for the 16 ounces of beef before me.    Perfectly cooked to my liking, I just dove into it eating until I felt like I was going to burst but not long after I knew that the Argentine beef had won.  It seemed as though it was never ending.  When the plates were cleared and I vowed to myself that I wasn’t going to eat anything else for at least 2 days, Tomas announced that we had one final course, dessert.  As it turns out Luis is not only talented with the grill but he’s also a fantastic baker.  To end our meal we were presented with a piece of dulce de leche cheesecake plated so stunningly that it was almost too pretty to eat.  No worries though, I got over this quickly and savored every mind-blowing bite.

All in all it was a tremendous evening filled with good company, great food, and delicious wine.  How can you go wrong with that?

 

Best Buenos Aires Steakhouse: La Cabrera, Palermo Soho

As I was doing research to find a place to eat in Buenos Aires, I came across many recommendations that pointed towards La Cabrera. A restaurant that is located in Palermo Soho which has great dining and shopping options. La Cabrera is known to be the place of excellence when it comes to a good parrilla. Named Best Steakhouse twice in a row definitely speaks a lot about the quality of service and food that this restaurant provides. You can find this parrilla open during the traditional argentine operating hours of 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Before 10 p.m. English is the primary language overheard as tourist fill up all the available seating. Regardless of its popularity and constant mention in travel books, the servers remain friendly and diligent. The only downside of La Cabrera is the fact that their prices are high compared to other Buenos Aires parrillas.  So if you are restricting yourself to only eating at one steakhouse while visiting Buenos Aires, or if you happen to find yourself on a budget like myself and have the need to splurge one day, I recommend La Cabrera.

    This place is considered to have some of the cities best food! The steaks are served to you on wooden boards, in huge portions, along with some condiments like olives, sun dried tomatoes and goats cheese. This particular Buenos Aires steakhouse is not only popular for its food but also for its attentive service. Sizzled with the standard slow-cooked care it sure brings out the flavor of the famed Argentine Beef. As many come to find out Argentina is a country that holds back on spices. The great surprise is that La Cabrera does not refrain from using seasoning like thyme, concasse pepper and vegetable marinade that adds flavor to the beef. What a relief! Many of the entrees are also available in half portions, but they have a trademark variety of side dishes that come add no extra charge with each entree. A couple examples of these side dishes include; a quail-egg potato salad, pureed squash, and tomato-marinated pinto beans.

Their wine list consist of only large wineries but nothing too interesting, you can definitely find a classic Argentine Malbec. I arrived at La Cabrera at 8:30 and people were already lined up outside the door! I recommend making a reservation with them through their website in order to assure a faster service. If you do not get to make a reservation no worries, they do give you sparkling white wine while you wait. Overall it was a good experience and a fantastic meal which I do plan on doing again.

 

Argentina Beef Industry: Global Markets

It is getting harder and harder to find beef from the plains of La Pampa or Buenos Aires Province anywhere else but Argentina itself. In the past decade, the Land of Silver has experienced a vast decline in the amount of beef exports. The trouble began in 2006 when former President Nestor Kirchner implemented a tax increase on all beef exports from 5% to 15% along with stipulations that mandate sales of beef within Argentina to be at not profitable prices in an attempt to increase domestic consumption. This tax hike has sorely hurt the Argentine gauchos’ ability to compete with fellow MERCOSUR members Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay who have benefited greatly from Argentina’s decline from the top.

Argentina’s last great year, 2005, saw exports of 771,000 tons of beef, whereas last year they were only able to muster a measly 183,000 tons. Placing so much emphasis on the domestic market (which is also experiencing declining numbers) has caused 93.6% of all beef production to be consumed within the borders of Argentina. Many economists blame the demise of the industry entirely on government intervention as it has not only hurt the amount of exports but has also had an adverse effect on production levels. Since the restrictions made in 2006, many farmers were not able to afford to keep up with the cost of cattle farming and have switched to soy farming which is relatively inexpensive and more lucrative in comparison. In correlation with the declining number of cattle farmers, so has the number of head of cattle witnessed a downturn.

The country’s historic average falls around 57 million, and now it stands at about 52 million. As the Argentine beef industry continues to take a beating, it is estimated that 130 slaughter plants and 15,600 jobs will be lost. Sadly, foreigners to Argentina will have to make the costly flight to experience a Buenos Aires parrilla (Buenos Aires steakhouse) in order to enjoy the famous cuts of Argentine steak that are bife de chorizo (New York strip), ojo de bife (a specific cut of ribeye), bife de lomo (tenderloin) and tira de asado (short ribs).

 

 

Se está haciendo más y más difícil encontrar carne de las llanuras de La Pampa o Provincia de Buenos Aires. Se puede encontrar carne en otros sitios pero cada vez menos en Argentina. En la última década, la Tierra de Plata ha experimentado una gran disminución en la cantidad de las exportaciones de carne. El problema comenzó en el 2006 cuando el ex presidente Néstor Kirchner puso en marcha un aumento de los impuestos sobre las exportaciones de carne del 5% al ​​15%, junto con las estipulaciones que las ventas de  de carne en Argentina aumentara el consumo interno. Este aumento de impuestos ha perjudicado gravemente la capacidad de los gauchos argentinos para competir con sus compañeros, los miembros de MERCOSUR que son: Brasil, Uruguay y Paraguay que se han beneficiado enormemente de la decadencia del poder de Argentina. El último gran año de Argentina fue en el 2005, vio la exportación de 771.000 toneladas de carne, mientras que el año pasado sólo fueron capaces de reunir unas 183.000 toneladas. Al poner demasiado énfasis en el mercado interno (que también ha seguido disminuyendo cada vez más) ha causado el 93,6% de toda la producción de carne para el consumo dentro de las fronteras de Argentina.

Muchos economistas culpan la total desaparición de la industria por la intervención del gobierno, ya que no sólo ha afectado la cantidad de las exportaciones, pero también ha tenido un efecto negativo en los niveles de producción. Dado que las restricciones hechas en 2006, muchos agricultores no pudieron darse el lujo de mantenerse al día con el costo de la cría de ganado y se han cambiado al cultivo de soja, que es relativamente barato y más lucrativo en comparación. En correlación con la disminución del número de ganaderos, por lo que el número de cabezas de ganado son testigos de la crisis. El promedio histórico del país cae en torno a 57 millones de dólares, y ahora se sitúa en unos 52 millones de dólares. A medida que la industria de la carne argentina sigue tomando una paliza, se estima que 130 plantas de faena y 15.600 puestos de trabajo se perderán. Lamentablemente, los extranjeros tendrán que hacer un vuelo costoso hasta Argentina para poder obtener la experiencia de la parrilla de Buenos Aires con el fin de disfrutar de los famosos cortes de carne argentina que son bife de chorizo, ojo de bife, bife de lomo  y tira de asado.