Steak Buenos Aires: what and how to order at a parrilla?

Once of the unmissable experience people who travel to Argentina would like to try is a good steak cooked on the grill. We have all heard words like parrilla or asado and having an Argentine steak, cooked in Argentina, by an Argentine chef and maybe paired with a Argentine malbec is something any meat lover would be dreaming of!

Choosing the restaurant would probably be the first challenge. As you will see, there is no shortage of parrilla restaurants in Buenos Aires. A bit of clarification first. Exactly as the word asado has several meanings, the word parilla can refer to the actual grill used to cook meat or a restaurant that serves asado. Well, let’s say that Steaks by Luis is fully booked tonight and that you cannot wait, that’s very unfortunate but you will have to go somewhere else (few restaurants reviews on that blog if you are looking for adives!). Once there, comes the next challenge: ordering.

You will quickly notice how extensive are usually the menus. Steak is actually a very generalized term. While it applies to beef there are so many different parts of the cow that when you’re faced with the actual decision of what kind of steak you’re going to have it can be a bit daunting. You will also very quickly notice that the menu is also in Spanish, which somehow can make your ordering even more challenging.

Here are the translations of few terms you will surely face. Never too good to be in front of your beloved one, going mute and looking like you are trying to read the New York Times in Chinese. You can only ask the waiter to come back so many times!

• Bife de Chorizo – Sirloin Steaks. Typical Argentine steaks. But nothing to do with the sausage called chorizo too!

• Ojo de Bife- Ribeye

• Bife de Costilla- T-Bone Steak

• Bife de Lomo- Tenderloin

• Matambre- Flank Steak

• Cuadril- Rump Roast

• Entraña – Skirt Steak.

• Vacio – Flank Steak

• Bife Angosto – Porterhouse or Striploin Steak.

• Cuadril– Rump Steak. Commonly used in sandwiches.

• Tira de asado: short ribs

While there are plenty of other parts to the cow this very generally covers the common cuts available at all parrillas. For a more extensive list have a look here.

Now that you have ordered your preferred cut with success (congratulations!), the next thing you will be asked is how you want it. Because no matter what cut you have ordered, you will be asked anyway. Don’t go mute there either, you nearly made it! And good luck to explain your preferred cooking point with your hands! Here in Argentina you have three choices: jugoso, a punto and cocido.

1. Jugoso (pronounced “hoo-GO-so”) literally translates to juicy which for an english speaker would translate to rare.

2. A punto (pronounced “ah-POON-tow”) would be similar to a medium in English

3. Cocido (pronounced “coh-SEE-doh”), how most Argentines prefer their bifes (steaks), is the equivalent of well done

Something to note about cooking points in Argentina is that they are compared on a scale that starts much closer to well done than anywhere else. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that if you like your steak medium and you order a punto you’re most likely going to get a steak with little to no pink in the middle because on an Argentinian scale that’s a medium. Your best bet if you like some pink is to go a little less cooked than you prefer and if it’s underdone you can send it back and have them cook it a minute or two more. However, I wouldn’t suggest ordering your steak blue or vuelta y vuelta as it’s called here unless you’re looking to get funny looks all around. (Side note: if you happen to be at a place that caters more towards tourists you might have better luck at actually getting a steak cooked how you ordered it).

Now you can enjoy the easy part: waiting on your food sipping on wine. Buen provecho!

 

LA TAPA DE ASADO! TERRIBLEMENTE BUENA!!!

Tapa de Asado: Uno de los terriblemente (aquí en Argentina lo terrible puede ser muy bueno también) mas solicitados cortes de carne del país. Pese a toda la investigación que he hecho (incluyendo comer una gran cantidad de carne de res), yo nunca había encontrado un equivalente en otro idioma acerca de este maravilloso corte. Asado, como ustedes saben, si alguna vez han leído algo sobre este blog, se refiere a la barbacoa al estilo argentino. Esto no se debe confundir con la tira de asado, que es otro corte de carne. Esta es solo una primera pista en cuanto a de donde viene la Tapa de Asado.

Tira de asado (también conocida simplemente como Asado, a modo de abreviación) son las costillas de la res cortadas transversalmente. La tapa de asado se refiere esencialmente a la carne que cubre la parte superior y la parte delantera de estas costillas. Dependiendo de cómo uno lo prefiera, se puede pedir tira de asado, con o sin tapa. Sin embargo, es más común pedir estos cortes de carne por separado. La tapa de asado es un corte sin hueso de forma rectangular. Suele ser muy gruesa y tiene una gran capa de grasa a un lado. Ese costado de “grasita” no es muy grueso, y ademas es comestible. El resto del corte es bastante magro de todas formas. Otro aspecto interesante de La Tapa, es que por lo general, dependiendo de su calidad, suele ser bastante más barato que otros cortes destinados a la parrilla por lo que siempre es una ventaja.

Si me preguntan cual es la mejor forma de comer La Tapa, seria un delicioso punto JUGOSO. Cuando se cocina más allá de este punto tiende a ser fibrosa y dura. Incluso aquí, en Argentina, donde generalmente se piensa que comer un bife jugoso puede llevar a la muerte, dicen que es más común cocinar este corte menos tiempo que otros. Si bien no es la mas tierna de las carnes, es absolutamente asombroso la cantidad de sabor que esta maravillosa pieza nos puede brindar. Eso si! Extrema paciencia a la hora de cocinar en la Parrilla. Tarda más que cualquiera de los otros cortes tradicionales parrilleros. Yo recomiendo cocinar a calor medio-bajo sobre las brasas por alrededor de media hora por cada lado. Cuando cocinamos correctamente la tapa de asado a la parrilla es una magnífica elección.

UN APLAUSO PARA EL ASADOR!!!

 

Steak Buenos Aires: El Fuego

Everybody knows that an Asado is only as good as the fire it is cooked upon. The steak in Buenos Aires is so good it makes you think that they must be doing something right when it comes to the flames.  Over the years I’ve been introduced to quite a diverse array of techniques for prepping the primal cooking agent.  In the USA, a popular sight is circular charcoal grills which allow the the fire to dictate the timing, unless they sacrifice flavor for convenience with the use of a gas grill (such a travesty).  They’re also pretty big on smoking meat there for long periods of time (which is incredibly tasty, but doesn’t really factor into this discussion).  In other part’s of South America, a mix of charcoal and wood is a popular touch, and in fact Chileans very often start with a charcoal base and add wood when needed to keep the heat of the fire going later into the grilling process.  But the Asado kings of Argentina have a completely different way of taming the heat, which yields abundant flavor as well as constant controllable temperature. Oh… and we don’t need wood either! (We do burn it to make charcoal and embers, but do not place burning wood under our food!)

The majority of Argentinian Parrillas (Grills) are constructed with a corridor on the side, separated from the grilling area itself.  This is where the fire is created, using large bountiful chunks of charcoal placed in an elevated metal basket.  The fire is started below the basket using anything that burns quickly (paper, cardboard, etc.) and the coals quickly ignite and reach an immensely hot ember stage in no time.  It is at precisely this moment, that the stage I like to refer to as the “Whack-A-Mole Stage” begins.  Because the individual Charcoals are so large, they need to be broken up.  The raging fire can be batted down from the top, forcing the embers to break and leaving smaller more maneuverable chunks of heat below the basket where the fire was originally ignited from.

Now if that wasn’t a strange (and lets not forget brilliant) enough start, the next Argentinian curve ball will catch you even more off guard.  Most people from around the world would agree that the coals start below the irons (or grate), but not us, not here.  Here we do it our way, and the coals start on top! How else are you supposed to properly heat up and sanitize the cooking surface? From the bottom? Are you nuts? (as you can see this sentiment goes both ways so if you’re not form here let’s just agree to disagree!) Anyways, the coals start on top and can be pushed off the back edge of the grilling iron and spread out underneath using the same shovel used to remove said coals from the Whack-a-mole drop zone.

The nice thing about this technique is if you ever need more coals throughout the cooking process you just bat away and scoop some more from below the basket before evenly applying them to the existing bed of coals below the irons.  Aside from that, having the coals do the cooking instead of the flames allows only the iron to char the meat.  The separation of the raging fire from the cooking coals allows the continual controlled use of heat for cooking, and avoids unnecessary charring that can taint the natural flavor of the meat.  So whether you think your marinade, dry rub, or other secret recipe is the only thing that can make a proper Asado, its all going to be a lost cause if you don’t know how to tame the fire beast.  Do yourself a favor, and take notes from the Argentinian style of fire taming, it can only make your personal recipe better.  That I can guarantee!

 

Asado en Buenos Aires: Asado – Qué y Cómo?

Ya lo dije antes y lo voy a volver a decir, el asado no es una barbacoa! Nunca lo fue, nunca lo será. Ohhh…los intentos y tribulaciones de los traductores y el verdadero significado de una palabra que cambia de una lengua a la otra, pero esto ya es un divague. De todas maneras, si uno está aunque sea apenas familiarizado con este blog o es su primera vez aquí, es con orgullo que confieso que somos lo que se podría decir unos “obsesivos del asado”, y con toda la razón. Probaste el asado? No? Bueno, ya habrás escuchado acerca de Steaks by Luis, este tremendo restaurante a puertas cerradas con la mejor carne y los mejores vinos de bodegas boutique. También escriben un blog realmente grandioso :P. Una vez más parece que me fui un poco por las ramas…

Entonces, el asado, la no-barbacoa de Argentina es prácticamente la cosa más argentina que uno puede hacer aparte de beber Fernet con Coca de una botella plástica cortada al medio con la camiseta del Diego (Maradona) mientras te tomás un bondi, así que sí, el asado es como una religión.Claro, no tiene nada que ver con La Virgen, Jesús o Él, pero la devoción hacia el asado es comparable, de hecho como coincidencia el asado es costumbre realizarlo los domingos. Mientras que el asado parecería algo tradicional y sencillo, NO, no lo es! Y nunca se te ocurra decirlo, jamás jamás! Es una obra de arte, y hay ciertas reglas que se deben seguir:  

1. La Parrilla

Con el fin de tener un buen asado se va a necesitar una parrilla adecuada. La clásica Weber no se va a adaptar aquí chicos y chicas. Para un buen asado argentino, a menos que usted lo esté haciendo a la criolla que es otro estilo totalmente, vas a necesitar una parrilla de ladrillo adecuada. Lo ideal es una bien grande, con bastantes hierros bien macizos acanalados para separar la grasa de la carne y regulables para medir la cercanía a las brasas. Otro aspecto importante de esta “parrilla” es que tenga un área separada en la que podamos preparar el fuego y trasladar las brasas más fácilmente a donde cocinamos la carne..

In order to have a really good asado you’re gonna need a proper grill. Weber isn’t going to cut it here guys and gals. For a proper Argentine asado, unless you’re doing it a la criolla which is another style entirely, you’re going to need a proper brick parrilla. Ideally it’s huge with a large grate will somehow catch the grease from the meat and the height can be adjusted. Another important aspect of this ‘grill’ is that it must have a separate area in which to built the fire and burn the brazas/ coals.

2. No, no usamos fuego para cocinar la carne. 

Bajo ninguna circunstancia se utiliza la llama para cocinar carne a la parrilla en un asado tradicional. Ya sea que elijamos carbón o leña depende de cada uno, pero nunca debe haber llamas debajo de los hierros. Siempre se debe cocinar a las brasas. Esos carbones al rojo vivo que gritan “peligro, no me toques” son el ÚNICO método de cocción para un asado. Un fuego constante debe mantenerse y para regular la temperatura de cocción iremos añadiendo más carbón a medida que el día avanza.

 

3. Sólo la mejor carne 

En Argentina no se anda con jueguitos a la hora de comer carne … de vaca, de cerdo o pollo o la carne en general. Mientras que los cortes pueden tener nombres y un aspecto muy diferente a lo que uno está acostumbrado, hay algunos con los que, básicamente, no nos podemos equivocar. Un favorito popular es  el bife de chorizo ​​también conocido como solomillo o New York Stripe Steak para los angloparlantes. Otras posibilidades incluyen el Vacío, el Ojo de Bife o Cuadril.

4. Achuras, más importantes que los bifes 

A pesar de lo que puedan llegar a pensar, el bife no lo es todo en Argentina. Las Achuras, que podríamos llamarlas entradas de parrilla, son absolutamente esenciales en un Asado. Entre ellas, las más conocidas son el Chorizo (salchicha tradicional argentina para el asado), Morcilla (salchicha a base de sangre), Chinchulines (intestinos), Mollejas, y algunos otros como riñones o sesos. Pero lo que jamás puede faltar es la Tira de Asado, una forma de comer costillas en las que el corte es transversal, tenemos más carne y sabor, para el argentino es un despropósito que no haya de este corte en un asado.

5. Cantidades 

Este es así, no les voy a dar un número exacto, pero les puedo decir que cuanta más carne haya, mejor. La fórmula dice que  hay que calcular alrededor de 500g por persona, eso sería suficiente. Sí, eso puede parecer mucho, pero Argentina tiene una de las tasas de consumo de carne de vacuno per cápita más alto: 68 kilogramos por persona al año.

6. El aplauso

No se sabe bien por qué, pero en Argentina la gente aplaude al final de las películas en el cine (si es buena), o cuando un avión aterriza (no importa si fue un vuelo normal, siempre se aplaude al aterrizar). Y claro, lo mismo se aplica para el Asador (aquel que cocina el asado). Si te gusta lo que comiste, hay que demostrarlo. Tradicionalmente, cuando la carne se sirve y todos están contentos alguien grita: “UN APLAUSO PARA EL ASADOR!!” y ahí viene la ovación de los comensales contentos.

 

Steak Buenos Aires: The Fire!

Everybody knows that an Asado is only as good as the fire it is cooked upon. The steak in Buenos Aires is so good it makes you think that they must be doing something right when it comes to the flames.  Over the years I’ve been introduced to quite a diverse array of techniques for prepping the primal cooking agent.  In the USA, a popular sight is circular charcoal grills which allow the the fire to dictate the timing, unless they sacrifice flavor for convenience with the use of a gas grill (such a travesty).  They’re also pretty big on smoking meat there for long periods of time (which is incredibly tasty, but doesn’t really factor into this discussion).  In other part’s of South America, a mix of charcoal and wood is a popular touch, and in fact Chileans very often start with a charcoal base and add wood when needed to keep the heat of the fire going later into the grilling process.  But the Asado kings of Argentina have a completely different way of taming the heat, which yields abundant flavor as well as constant controllable temperature. Oh… and we don’t need wood either! (We do burn it to make charcoal and embers, but do not place burning wood under our food!)

The majority of Argentinian Parrillas (Grills) are constructed with a corridor on the side, separated from the grilling area itself.  This is where the fire is created, using large bountiful chunks of charcoal placed in an elevated metal basket.  The fire is started below the basket using anything that burns quickly (paper, cardboard, etc.) and the coals quickly ignite and reach an immensely hot ember stage in no time.  It is at precisely this moment, that the stage I like to refer to as the “Whack-A-Mole Stage” begins.  Because the individual Charcoals are so large, they need to be broken up.  The raging fire can be batted down from the top, forcing the embers to break and leaving smaller more maneuverable chunks of heat below the basket where the fire was originally ignited from.

Now if that wasn’t a strange (and lets not forget brilliant) enough start, the next Argentinian curve ball will catch you even more off guard.  Most people from around the world would agree that the coals start below the irons (or grate), but not us, not here.  Here we do it our way, and the coals start on top! How else are you supposed to properly heat up and sanitize the cooking surface? From the bottom? Are you nuts? (as you can see this sentiment goes both ways so if you’re not form here let’s just agree to disagree!) Anyways, the coals start on top and can be pushed off the back edge of the grilling iron and spread out underneath using the same shovel used to remove said coals from the Whack-a-mole drop zone.

The nice thing about this technique is if you ever need more coals throughout the cooking process you just bat away and scoop some more from below the basket before evenly applying them to the existing bed of coals below the irons.  Aside from that, having the coals do the cooking instead of the flames allows only the iron to char the meat.  The separation of the raging fire from the cooking coals allows the continual controlled use of heat for cooking, and avoids unnecessary charring that can taint the natural flavor of the meat.  So whether you think your marinade, dry rub, or other secret recipe is the only thing that can make a proper Asado, its all going to be a lost cause if you don’t know how to tame the fire beast.  Do yourself a favor, and take notes from the Argentinian style of fire taming, it can only make your personal recipe better.  That I can guarantee!

 

Steak Buenos Aires: Gran Parrilla del Plata

Gran Parrilla del Plata is a little piece of history located in the neighborhood of San Telmo. During the 30’s it was used as large butcher shop called Grandes Carnicerias del Plata. Eventually it converted into a restaurant with the old spirit of Buenos Aires. The owners felt compelled to keep the old world charm and history so they merely adapted the original name.

For me the real draw of this parrilla is the atmosphere. The building itself has been refurbished but they’ve kept bits and pieces of it’s former glory paying tribute to it’s butchering days with the original butcher’s hook, the old meat slicer, the glazed tiles and the original majolica and calcareous floor tile from the 20’s. It’s got a very vintage feel with jazzy music you might find from that era. It’s not a place that I would openly classify as touristy, although it certainly is, but there’s something about this place that’s charming. Maybe it has to do with the close connection you feel to the meat that’s about to order, a sort of start to finish process with your beef.

At Gran Parrilla del Plata I felt they emphasized the starters quite a bit. As is classically Argentine the appetizers are of great importance. They recommend the pork sausage, kidneys and veal tripe. Fair enough that this may not appeal to the masses but this is a good place to step out of your comfort zone and conquer the unknown. Their complete offal mix offers a nice variety of options to try if you’re in the mood for something classically Argentine. Something unique that I discovered about Gran Parrilla del Plata is that they offer fish a la parrilla which isn’t something you typically find at a parrilla in Buenos Aires. Besides this they are vegetarian friendly with their homemade pasta dishes.

My personal experience here was a pleasant one. When I arrived I was promptly seated but the service in true form was very slow and somewhat inattentive. The waitstaff, however inattentive they were, were very friendly when it was actually time to take our order. I ordered entraňa which was recommended to me by the waiter along with a side of garlic fries. The meat came out well cooked and seasoned. The fries were a slight disappointment but as they were somewhat soggy but there was certainly no lack of garlic which is something that I love. From what I hear their garlic mashed potatoes are always a hit so that’s another option as well. I finished out the night with one of their many dessert options, Don Roberto. This was quite possibly my favorite part of the meal. It’s a dark chocolate cake with whipped cream and a mix of red berries on top, heavenly. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. The atmosphere really peaked my interested and the dessert was divine.

 

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: Lo de Bebe

Situated not more than several meters off Scalabrini Ortiz on Charcas is a small but good parrilla called Lo de Bebe where you can get a steak in Buenos Aires for a great price.  What started off as a hole in the wall place to get some Argentine asado has turned into a kitchy place to sit and have dinner with friends and family.

I first came across this Argentine parrilla by chance.  A professor of mine from the states was visiting his family in Buenos Aires and he invited me and two other students out for a nice dinner.  With good intent of where we were going we set off.  Twenty minutes pass and we were unable to find the original restaurant where we were going to eat.  With our stomachs growling and our feet growing weary the smells wafting out from this tiny parrilla were calling to us.  We agreed without hesitation that it was meant to be and so we walked in and sat down.

From the moment you step inside your eyes are met with a whirlwind of colorful decoration.  The chairs and walls are painted in a classically fileteado porteño motif with phrases and sayings written in swirly fonts.  The chairs and the tables are also brightly decorated and they’re mismatched with gives this small parrilla an eclectic and homey feel.

We ordered a bottle of wine and my professor quickly listed off a mountain of food that he wanted us to try and the waiter was off to place our order.  In looking around I noticed that there was a fair amount of Argentines eating here (which is typically a good sign for a neighborhood joint).  Plates of meat were brought out to us on small sliver trays as they were ready off the grill.  As my professor pointed out, they have a wide selection of meats to choose from the parrilla.  First to arrive was the provoleta.  It was slightly crunchy for my taste but still salty and flavorful as a provoleta should be.  Next came our morcilla and chorizo.  The chorizo was quite yummy, it’s hard to mess up a classic sausage like that.  The morcilla however wasn’t a favorite, normally I’m a big fan of morcilla but this one just didn’t do it for me.   When it came time for the star of the show, the vacio, we decided that we needed to order another plate because it wasn’t going to be enough for all of us to share.  Presentation also wasn’t a focus of theirs.  That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good meal.  In the end we left satisfied and full.

Fast forward a year and a half and I’m back in Buenos Aires, now living here permanently.  One sunny afternoon I looked in my fridge and realized that it was bare and that I was going to have to venture out in search of food.  My roommate mentioned that there was a delicious parrilla not too far away and that I might give that a shot.  She joined me on our walk and as we’re approaching I saw the familiar colorful tables and smelled that delicious grilled meat aroma.  As it turns out, Lo de Bebe is right around the corner from my apartment and they do take out! I’m not ashamed to admit that this has turned into a regular place for me to pick up a choripan or a bondiola sandwich on my way home when I have no desire to cook.  I think this is probably their biggest draw for me.  Essentially they combined the carts down on Costanera with a restaurant.  While the flavors are authentic, the style in which they are served has been updated for convenience.

 

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.

  

 

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.