Steak Buenos Aires: Las Cabras

           

             Las Cabras, located in the trendy, restaurant-packed neighborhood of Palermo Hollywood, comes highly rated on many of the tourist websites such as Trip Advisor, etc.  Here’s what I have to say about Las Cabras in short, it is by no means the best place to go for a steak in Buenos Aires, the service can be absolutely poor (and that’s compared to Buenos Aires standards) and most of the time it takes longer to get a table than it does to actually eat your meal.  Having said this I can’t knock the fact that you can get an entire meal- I mean so much food that you won’t want to eat for days- for a really great price.

            I first went to Las Cabras a couple years ago.  I was with a group of 10 hungry friend and we were looking for a good but cheap parrilla to get what we would consider an argentine steak. We arrived around nine thinking that we had arrived early; which for Argentine standards we had.   We were greeted with a long line of people the spanned what seemed like the entire block (this of course is a complete exaggeration but we were impatient and hungry).  We elected a representative to go in and see about wait times.  She reported back that the wait for such a large group would be at least an hour but with little deliberation we decided to wait it out because we were already here and the reviews were so good that we couldn’t miss it.  An hour and a half goes by and we’re still waiting.  Finally we got seated and we quickly placed our orders: beef and pinguinos (penguin shaped pitchers) of wine all around.  Commence waiting round 2.

  

            I ordered Bife de Chorizo and my friends followed suit minus the token vegetarian that we brought along.  She ordered a mess of grilled vegetables, which is rare for a parrilla in Argentina to offer such a wide selection of veggies so that was a major plus.  On that note they also stand out as a parrilla who offers salteña food.  When our meals arrived we were pleasantly surprise by the mass quantities of food that ‘bife de chorizo’ came with.  Not only did the beef come with rice, but it also came with french fries with a fried egg on top, a purée of squash and some grilled peppers.

 

            We finished our meals, which we enjoyed and then had to play the ‘can you get the waiters attention to ask for the check’ game – the waiter won rounds 1 through 6 but eventually we overcame and we paid and were on our merry way to gallivant around the city. In summation, while the food is plentiful and the prices are very cheap, it’s not a place that the food itself would bring me back to time and time again.  But, the atmosphere is lively and if you’re with a group of friends it’s a fun place to go and drink oodles of wine, hang out and have a cheap dinner.

 

Steak Buenos Aires: La Cabrerra a different kind of Parrilla

Over the years, La Cabrera, a steakhouse in Buenos Aires, Argentina located in the vibrant neighborhood of Palermo Viejo has made quite the name for itself.  On just about any and all restaurant guides talking about parrillas for Argentina’s capital it is going to be listed within the top 5 parrillas (steakhouses) in Buenos Aires.  There’s never a lull at this place and when I say never, I mean never.  It’s slightly cramped and can be a bit noisy but it’s all part of the ambiance and it just goes to show you that the food is good enough to be bringing in all these mass quantities of people.  It’s certainly turned into a touristy type of joint.  According to Lonely Planet is one of THE places to eat a good steak if you’re coming to Argentina hungry however you need to take note of the fact that although it offers delicious quality Argentine beef it’s not a place that you’d find many locals.

            La Cabrera was created and is run by Gastón Rivera who has generated an image for himself as something more than just a parrillero.  He pushes the limits on asado grilling up all of the favorite but paying attention to the little details as well.  He pries himself on inventing new flavors and dishes constantly challenging the idea of plain old grilled meat.  It is this has set him about from all those who are set in their wonderful but traditional ways of asado.  He has been so successful in this that they’ve had to open up another location not more than a couple blocks from the original location.

            Rivera, although a parrillero, also considers himself a chef.  He works meticulously with each and every section of this parrilla from the building to the food to the staff in order to create a brand that will not only satisfy his customers but it will satisfy him as well.  It’s easy to see that when you walk into his restaurants.  You feel as though you’re in for an excellent treat and that they want you to enjoy every minute of your stay at the restaurant.  From a young age he had a passion for cooking thanks to his grandparents.  The he and his grandfather would go to some of the finest restaurants in Mar del Plata enjoying not only the food but also the experience.  This is a focus that Rivera has made a priority of his.  Another aspect that has defined Gastón as a chef is the emphasis his grandmother put on exposing yourself to new things.  These two influential people in his life helped him truly find what it was that he wanted to share with other people when it comes to cooking and therefore he created La Cabrera.  He has done such a fantastic job of representing these two influential people in his life.  When you’re at La Cabrera it’s almost as if you can feel their essence.

  

 

Argentine Steak Sauce: Origins of Chimichurri

Salsa chimichurri, two words that roll off the tongue and are ever present at any authentic Argentine steak dinner.  Upon researching the history of this traditional condiment from Argentina I discovered some wildly imaginative reasons for its existence, as well as the origin of its name.

Argentina is well known for its beef.  Along with colonization the Spanish settlers also brought with them cattle and thus the beef-centered cuisine of Argentina was born.  As the story goes, these Argentine cowboys a.k.a gauchos wandered the lands living as nomads, slaughtering the cattle and cooking the fresh meat over an open flame.  Obviously at this time popping over to the local supermarket for some A1 steak sauce wasn’t an option and so in living such a minimalist lifestyle one has to adapt and make due with what is available.  Originally chimichurri probably consisted of dried parsley and oregano as well as some garlic, oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper.  Today, however, chimichurri recipes vary greatly.

Now to the name, here’s where the story gets a bit fuddled.  My favorite that I’ve heard so far is that it was created from a mixture of English, aboriginal and Spanish words.  After the British invasions of Rio de la Plata the prisoners are said to have asked for a condiment for their food.  According to the story what they said was “che-mi-curry” which in rough translation is hey give me condiment.  Others claim that the sauce name can be attributed to an English or Irish soldier named Jimmy who joined in the fight for Argentine independence.  His sauce was called Jimmy’s curry, which was difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce, and so it became chimichurri.  Another possibility, suggested by Steven Raichlen, is that the term was derived from the Basque word “tximitxurri”.   This word loosely translates to “a mixture of several things in no particular order”.  Due to the fact that there is a Basque presence in Argentina and they are well known animal herders it’s probably fair to assume that this is the most logical and probable of all three stories.

So what’s so fantastic about chimichurri? This savory sauce will not only fill your kitchen with the rich aroma of fresh herbs and spices but it will send your taste buds into a fit of ecstasy.  This easy to make herbaceous salsa will earn you some serious culinary cred and there’s no real cooking involved!  Next time you’re looking for a quick addition to practically any meal I highly recommend throwing together a quick batch of chimichurri.  I can guarantee that your guests will be raving about how fantastically fresh and flavorful it was.

 

Argentine Beef Cuts vs American Beef Cuts

If any of you have ever lived in, been to or at least heard about Argentina, you will be aware of the famously high quality steak. The steak cuts are slightly different to what you will come across in your favorite BBQ house in the States! Although the quality of the meat may not differ too much from meat of a Texas BBQ, but Argentines’ really have it down to a T the art of how to grill and salt a steak.

Steak House in the USA

A classic style steak house in the United States can’t be beaten by much. But if you should come down to Argentina, getting to a parilla out of the city or even a parrilla in the city is a must do. (However, please don’t confuse this with a traditional Argentine asado, which is not to be found anywhere in the city for visitors, it only happens at the homes of Argentines).

La Cabrera is a well known ‘parrilla’or steakhouse in Buenos Aires.

Below is a picture highlighting the cuts of beef used generally in the US and other regions such as the UK.

As you can see, the area around the neck is divided into more parts.

The (roughly and most common) five different types of steaks you will see in Argentina are Bife de Lomo (tenderloin). Entrana (skirt steak), Asado de tira (short ribs), Vacio (flank steak) and Bife de chorizo (sirloin). There are several other beef cuts that we will write about over the coming days and months, but these are the principal players.

The Bife de Lomo is the most expensive cut, it’s big, tender and juicy. Lomo is a must try at least once, but can often lack a bit of flavour. It is also, ironically, the absolute least Argentine cut of beef. You will basically never find this at any real Argentine asado specifically because it is rather flavorless. Where you will find it is in “milanesas” which is schnitzel or “chicken fried steak”, which is a very common lunch and dinner food in Argentina. It is also a cut that is considered beef for children since it is soft and easy to cut and chew. How ironic!

 

La Entraña

The Entrana is not as large as lomo or bife de chorizo, so is a great choice if you don’t think you’ll finish off a larger option. This is a favorite among the Argentines’ and is a more flavorful, thinner cut of meat. Not the most tender of cuts, between a lomo and a matambre.

The Asado de tira, or ribs, is where you will also see another main difference to the states. In Argentina, the ribs are cut a lot shorter. They are packed full with flavour and are nice and crispy. This is *the* cut of Argentine beef, and can be found at our little Steak events that we do here in Buenos Aires.

The Vacio, or flank steak, probably won’t be found outside of Argentina/Uruguay. This cut will have a coating of fat on the outside, but none on the inside. When cooked to perfection the fat goes crispy and keeps the inside tender and juicy.

The Bife de Chorizo is big a juicy with tasty exterior fat. Just make sure you get it in a good place. as a cheap Bife de Chorizo will be fatty and not so worth it.

A Matambre is another Argentine meat that is popular in Argentina. However is renowned for it’s toughness. So get your jaw prepared!

No matter which cut of Argentine beef you choose, it will certainly be a memorable experience!

 

Argentina Steak: Salt & Asado

When it comes to seasoning the meats that are to be grilled, Argentina is about as unimaginative as it gets. No sauces, no rubs, no glazes. You might get some lemon juice and black pepper on pork dishes, but the only seasoning that is used is salt. The saving grace is that because the meat is so good, it’s never necessary nor even desirable to add any non-beef flavours. But that reliance on salt means that it is hugely important, in ways that perhaps are not apparent at first glance.

First off, the salt that is used in Argentina is rather unique in the size of its grains. Larger in diameter than table salt but smaller than sea salt, sal parrillera or entrefina is a happy medium that leaves the meat just right. The size of the salt grains is such that it draws out the water in the meat more effectively than the fine and thick grain versions, meaning that you effectively achieve the desired effect with less salt. It comes down how the grain of salt interacts with the meat – too large and you need a whole bunch of salt to cover the meat because of the reduced surface area, and if it’s fine you end up over salting because of the greater surface area to volume ratio. The sal parrillera allows you to salt the meat with the knowledge that you will get the desired effect of drawing the water out without salting excessively.

So, armed with your sal parrillera and once the meat has been trimmed, you spread the salt out evenly on the meat on both sides but without really rubbing it in. If the salt is simply sitting on top of the meat, that should be enough to have an effect, which will be a noticeable pooling of liquid around the pieces of salt. A large piece like a vacio or tira de asado will require a small handful of salt, roughly. A small handful of salt is admittedly a terrible unit of measurement, but this is the nature of doing an asado. It’s down to judging the piece of meat in front of you and how to best tackle it. Naturally, there will also be differences on how salty people prefer their meat.

Once you have salted your meat, you can now let it sit happily at room temperature for an hour or hour and a half before grilling. It shouldn’t need any more salt unless someone at the table has a major salt addiction. This, of course, is a contentious point.

In Argentina there are as many styles of asado as there are parrilleros. Some will salt immediately before grilling, some will let the salt sit for hours upon hours, some will knock the salt off before grilling, and some will only salt while the meat is already grilling. Each approach is probably based on tradition and inertia rather than any kind of food science or methodical system of testing results, but nonetheless you will hear everybody feverishly defend their own style as the best. The proof is in the pudding, and so I encourage you to try different approaches to see which you like best. As long as you are using sal parrillera, you can rest easy knowing that you are using the parrileros of Argentina best and only friend. And to be frank, that seems to work out just fine.

 

Best Buenos Aires Steakhouse: La Brigada, San Telmo

With a name as memorable as La Brigada (The Brigade), this institution of Buenos Aires steakhouses inevitably pops up when discussing where to get a great, if perhaps expensive, cut of beef. Sitting in the picturesque San Telmo, La Brigada is famous for it’s colita de lomo (tail of tenderloin) so tender that it can be cut with a dull spoon by the waiter upon arrival at your table. A steakhouse with no need for steak knives is clearly worth paying attention to.

Rest assured, you will be provided with steak knife at La Brigada, along with a fun, if perhaps a little stereotypical decor of soccer paraphernalia and very attentive service. This steakhouse has oriented itself towards the tourist segment of the Buenos Aires meat market and has figured it out, as the many rave reviews attest. Of course, Argentines know their beef and so you will also hear the porteno accent mixed in with the English, German and Portuguese. They have an extensive and unique selection of cuts to choose from (colita de lomo for example is not common and they will have been known to grill up that most American of cuts, the mighty T-bone, known as Bife-t here) and the winelist is long, if perhaps quite heavy on the big and well-known Argentine bodegas. A notable difference is that they actually have a wine service and will be happy to accommodate requests for decanting that big-bodied Malbec. In a word, this place is polished. Polished and geared towards fine dining on great grass-fed beef.

Illustrious visitors to La Brigada include John Cusack and U2’s very own Bono, so you can start to imagine the hype around the place. And of course the prices match the hype. Old-timers will also remember La Brigada when it was a much smaller steakhouse not only because it was more charming but also because perhaps the grill was better prepared to handle a smaller quality of steaks. On my last visit, the actual grill was nowhere in sight, which may suit some diners but I always enjoy seeing the grill and how the meat is being prepared.

Nonetheless, La Brigada is a must-do on any serious tour of Buenos Aires’s best steakhouses. It consistently takes in hungry and demanding customers and returns them back to San Telmo’s cobbled streets happy and ranting about ludicrous notions such as meat that can be cut with a spoon. If you don’t believe them, it will be well worth your time to see what the fuss is about.

 

Best Buenos Aires Steakhouse: Parrilla Pena, Congreso

There are plenty of steakhouses in Buenos Aires. Finding one is usually a matter of staying the course in until you run into one. However not all of them are memorable, to the point where a lot of them fuse into the mess of images and smells that make up our memories. And that’s why it’s always special when discussing Parrilla Pena with friends, that they always recognize it and eagerly agree that it’s worth going.

Located in the not super great area near Congreso, Parrilla Pena is always noisy and packed with portenos doing their best to meet their weekly quota of beef consumption. The lights are a bit garish, the tables and chairs squeezed together and the menu relatively short and straightforward. But that doesn’t matter much because as you arrive you walk past the grill and you’re already transfixed by the promise of a good meal. And on top of that, you get a complimentary fried empanada so tasty that it immediately focuses your mind back on the task at hand.

You won’t find much comprehensible or useful English on the menu and the wine list is a touch more diverse than at comparable steakhouses but certainly not a strength. At least the wines are fairly priced, a nod perhaps to the fact that they aren’t providing a stellar wine service.  The wines are stored on shelves right under the ceiling, obliging the waiters to bring bottles down with a clasping contraction that makes the whole process a bit more fun. The service is again, simple and straightforward and not the selling point. That’s the meat.

Simple, straightforward, tasty

The last bife de chorizo I had at Parilla Pena was spot on. I asked for it medium rare and it came as requested, not simple for a relatively thick steak. The tira de asado has a good reputation here as well. The provoleta is good, if not the best, and the salads are typically Argentine – underwhelming for anyone looking to have salad for dinner at an Argentine steakhouse. The meat and fries portions are large and so you are unlikely to leave hungry. This is an Argentine steakhouse that doesn’t bother with fancy preparation, presentation or posturing – it is built on a reputation of repeat customers and focusing on what they do best. The prices, accordingly, beat almost anything you can find in Puerto Madero and Palermo.

This is the steakhouse that you try after you’ve been around the block in Buenos Aires a few times. It’s not tailored for visitors looking to be introduced to the great world of Argentine steak. But give it a shot when you’re comfortable and you might just fit in as one more meat-obsessed porteno.

 

Argentina Steak: Vacio in Buenos Aires

Vacio, or flank steak, happens to be the main entree in the first authentic asado (steak dinner) that I experienced here in Buenos Aires. It is taken from the abdominal muscles, between the spare ribs and the hips. These muscles get a lot of work and tend to contain a lot of nerves. Therefore, this particularly thin cut has a tendency to be relatively tough as opposed to cuts like bife de lomo (tenderloin) which, as the name suggests, is very tender due to lack of use. However, if cooked in the correct manner, as I was taught, you will be rewarded by a juicy and flavorful steak.

 The difference between vacio and cuts like ojo de bife (a derivative of the rib-eye) lies with the distribution of the fat. Ojo de bife contains what we call marbling which is internal lines of fat that dissolve and add flavor to the meat when cooked. Vacio simply has an entire layer of fat along one side of the enormous cut. I say enormous because the flank steak is placed on the grill in its entirety. In my case, I watched the porteno (Buenos Aires resident) who was teaching me the way of the asado cook a 3 kilogram slab of vacio all at once.

 After building a large fire in the parrilla and allowing it to burn down to hot coals, my instructor lowered the rack to just above the flames and set the vacio with the fat side down on the grates. I asked him how long we would have to cook as he was salting the top side over the fire. He estimated that it would be around 45 minutes. This, to me, seemed like an extremely long time over a very hot fire even if it was a large piece of meat, but who was I to disagree? Sure enough, 35 minutes later when it was time to flip it and cook the other side, we found the entire surface was a charcoal black color. What I did not realize then was that the layer of fat is cut off before it is served. Cooking vacio in this way actually allows the meat to cook through while the fat tenderizes and flavors the beef. All that remained to be done was browning the other side and our vacio was ready, tasty and juicy as ever.

However, there as many methods as there are parrillas and parrilleros so don’t be alarmed if your cut of vacio isn’t e cooked in this way. While it is standard for the fat to be placed down towards the heat first, it is also common for the vacio to be exposed to a medium-low heat quite a few centimeters off the burning coals. This approach slowly melts the layer of fat, leaving a relatively thin but crunchy exterior considered by a delicacy by many. The entire piece is then flipped over and cooked to the desired cooking point.

Every parrillero has their own way of preparing vacio. All you need to do is keep in mind that done right, whichever way that may be, its a treat and well worth asking for and if you are brave enough, to grill at home!

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Vacio es la primera entrada que he comido aquí in Buenos Aires durante mi primer experiencia con el asado argentino. Este parte esta sacado de los músculos abdominales, entre las costillas y las caderas. Estos músculos necesitan un montón de trabajo y tienden a contener una gran cantidad de nervios. Por lo tanto, esta delgada corte tiene particularmente una tendencia a ser duro en oposición a cortes como bife de lomo que,  como su nombre indica, está muy sensible debido a la falta de uso. Sin embargo se cocina de manera adecuada, como me enseñaron, que serán recompensados ​​por un filete jugoso y sabroso.

La diferencia entre el vacio y cortes como ojo de bife se trata en la distribución de la grasa. Ojo de bife contiene lo que llamamos marmoleado. Todo lo que es líneas internas de la grasa que se disuelven y añaden sabor a la carne cuando se cocina. Vacio tiene simplemente una capa entera de grasa a lo largo de un lado del corte enorme. En mi caso, he visto el porteño (residentes de Buenos Aires) que me ensena la forma de cocinar el asado una losa de 3 kilo de vacio a la vez.

Después que el fuego de la parrilla sea listo, tienes que dejar que se queme a los carbones calientes, mi instructor bajó la cremallera hasta justo por encima de las llamas y establecer el vacio con el lado de la grasa hacia abajo en las rejillas. Le preguntado cuánto tiempo tendría que cocinar, así que decidió salando la parte superior sobre el fuego. Estimó que sería de alrededor de 45 minutos. Esto, para mí, parecía un largo tiempo sobre un fuego muy caliente, incluso si se trataba de un gran trozo de carne, bebió ¿Usted estaba muy en desacuerdo?

Efectivamente, a 35 minutos más tarde, cuando llegó el momento de darle la vuelta y cocine el otro lado, encontramos toda la zona era de un color negro carbón. Lo que hice entonces no estaba darse cuenta que la capa de grasa que se corta antes de que se sirve. Cocinar de esta manera vacio En realidad permite que la carne a cocinar a través mientras que ablanda las grasas y sabores de la carne de vacuno. Lo único que quedaba por hacer era dorar el otro lado y el vacio estaba preparado, sabroso y jugoso como siempre.

 

Best Buenos Aires Steakhouse: Siga La Vaca, Puerto Madero

There is no doubt that there are better parrillas around Buenos Aires but Siga la Vaca combines Argentine food in a buffet format. A successful combination, taking into consideration the crowds that pour into Siga la Vaca on a regular weekday night. Due to its high success you can bet on finding several locations around Buenos Aires, they even have an express option which is their version of fast food. It’s a big location that can easily accommodate large groups with hearty appetites. It’s an ideal choice for those looking for a good value, loud atmosphere and would like to share dinner with a group. You can rest assured that they keep their salad bar fresh and full. You have the option of receiving one beverage, which can be a bottle of wine, a pitcher of beer or soda.

You really do get your moneys worth at Siga La Vaca and I strongly recommend it for those who enjoy buffet style dining with an argentine twist. The waitress was friendly and to my surprise strapped all of our handbags onto our chairs for security purposes, knowing that our bags were secured actually allowed me to enjoy my dinner.

The atmosphere is not too formal and you can bet on quick service! They have a good meat selection with a long front grill exposing a mountain of meat, with just about everything your heart could desire. From chicken to intestines, everything is up for grabs. I definitely enjoyed picking around and trying each one of the different meats on the parrilla, which really allowed me to appreciate the difference between all of the different cuts.

The greatest thing is that they are all accompanied by selections of appetizers, salads and fries without limits.For being an all you can eat parrilla they sure don’t cheap out with the desserts. That being said my favorite part was ending my meal on a sweet note, I had an excellent chocolate lava cake with ice cream. Without a doubt I enjoyed every second of my meal and left the restaurant with the urge to go back soon. So if you’re looking for a buffet style argentine meal at a great value, Siga La Vaca is a Buenos Aires parrilla must do.

 

Argentina Steak: Morcilla in Buenos Aires

In a traditional Argentine asado (steak dinner), you will find that the main entree is preceded by a series of “aperitivos”. These can vary from the delectable provoleta (grilled provolone cheese) or your choice of several different kinds of sausages (chorizos, rinones, chinchulines y mollejas) generally comprised of achuras, or offals. Perhaps the most popular amongst Argentines would be the morcilla, known in English as blood sausage.

This particular sausage tends to be difficult for some to swallow as it is most definitely not for the squeamish. I was lucky enough to try my first morcilla without knowing what it was. Had I known what I was getting into as I sat down for my first authentic asado in Buenos Aires, I may not have given it a chance, but now that I have tried it I continue to go back for more. If you can handle the unique texture of the this “achura”, you will be rewarded by a multitude of flavors hitting you at once. This mixture of pig’s blood, ground up pork, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, paprika, rice, bread crumbs, and nuts truly is one of a kind.

Be prepared, however, to shop around to find a morcilla that appeases your taste buds as recipes vary from butcher to butcher. Expect the sausages to be very dark in color, ranging from dark reddish brown to very dark brown.

These Argentine embutidos (sausages) will come pre-cooked and, therefore, do not require very much cook time making them ideal for an appetizer. At a Buenos Aires parrilla (Buenos Aires steakhouse) morcillas are cooked on lower heat, so as to not break the casing, until the outside becomes crispy and the inside reaches a pleasantly warm temperature. You will not need to add any sort of sauce or seasoning since the ingredients within provide all of the enticing flavors. Morcilla criolla (the larger of two sizes (the other being bombon)) has also been known to be served as a sandwich called morcipan. You can also find morcilla dulce which adds raisins and more nuts to the mix for a sweeter taste.