Steak Buenos Aires: Siga La Vaca

For those of you who are familiar with Argentina, you know that when it comes to meat the portions almost never leave you asking for more. Eating meat, and lots of it, comes easily to us and so the idea of an all you can eat meat buffet is nothing too terribly out of the ordinary for us. It’s like any regular old Sunday.

Siga la Vaca came into existence about 20 years ago when a group of entrepreneurs associated with the beef industry decided to try something a little different. They opened their first space about 40 kilometers off PanAmerican Highway and it has space to accommodate up to 50 people. The idea was that at a fixed price their customers could come in sit down and eat until their bellies burst or they had to be rolled out. Since 1993 their first location has grown to hold as many as 300 people. In 1996 they opened another location in San Isidro with enough room for 350 people. Their popularity grew leaps and bounds when they finally made it to the beautiful area of Puerto Madero. This is their biggest location yet seating 450 people.

Up until recently I never really had much interest but for the sake of the beef I decided to give it a try. I made my way down to Puerto Madero and was greeted by their signature friendly looking cows at the door (don’t worry, they’re not real). When I arrived the place was relatively crowded but due to the fact that they have over 450 seats I didn’t wait for more than a minute to be seated. The waitstaff was extremely friendly and helpful when it came to explaining all about how everything was supposed to work. They brought me my included wine (yes, you do get wine or beer included) and I was to the salad bar.

There was actually a large selection of fixings at the salad bar including things like pickled vegetables and already made bean salads etc. While it wasn’t the best salad I’ve ever had I have no qualms with it, in fact, I went back for seconds. I took ‘all you can eat’ to be a challenge you see. The other nice thing about the salad bar is its close proximity to what I’d refer to as the ‘meat bar’. You can scope it out a bit and get a feel for what’s on the parrilla. The moment had come, time for the star of the show. Siga la Vaca has an impressive selection of meats of all different type: pork, chicken, beef. Luckily for me I have a good idea of what everything looks like on the parrilla but I could see how someone who had little to no knowledge of Argentine beef it would be practically impossible to navigate, big flaw. People typically like to know what it is you’re getting into. The idea is that you just walk up, find something you like and point.

While the idea of Siga la Vaca is a good one the actual execution is a bit lackluster. Everything that I tried was a bit overcooked or not quite right. It wasn’t bad but it just wasn’t great. This isn’t surprising to me considering the fact that the parrillas are going all day just waiting for the next person to come pick their food. There’s no real way to avoid overcooking or drying out while you’re trying to keep everything prepared and warm, especially if it’s for 450 some people. The buffet style is very American in feel and not something that I would consider authentic.  Unfortunately it’s not a place that I would ever go back to but considering what you pay  it can be an interesting experience for a curious individual.

 

Lets talk about Steaks in Argentina

In terms of eating there is a lot left to personal preference. This can be attributed to many factors including, palette inclinations, what kind of food you grew up with or simply how hungry you are at a specific point in time.  The same applies for beef.  Cows are huge and when butchered they produce a lot of different cuts.  If you will indulge me, in the next few paragraphs I’d like to take the opportunity to better acquaint you with some of the more popular cuts of steak.

So for starters, what is a steak? Yeah, obviously it’s meat but what is it that qualifies a cut of meat as a steak?  In the most general way a steak is a piece of meat that can be classified as something “fast-cooking”.  What this means is that the beef itself is low enough in connective tissue that an extended amount of cooking time isn’t necessary.  The biggest difference between a steak and a roast really is the size.

It’s true that the cheaper cuts such as skirt steak, flank steak and sirloin are becoming increasingly popular these days.  However, some the best cuts are still coming from the Longissimus dorsi and the Psoas major.  The tenderness of a steak is inversely related to how much work a muscle does during a cow’s lifetime.  The two previously mentioned muscles are extremely tender which makes them ideal candidates for a delicious steak.  From these two large cuts come a number of other smaller cuts that you’d find at any typical butcher shop.

Let’s start with the Ribeye, a cut from the front end of the Longissimus dorsi.  This is a highly marbled piece of meat with a large swath of fat separating the Longissiumus from the Spinalis.  With beef, fat is where the distinctive flavor comes from.  Because of this ribeye is one of the richest cuts out there.   When it comes to cooking this tasty slab grilling, pan-frying and broiling are your best bets.

Now onto the New York Strip steak.  This cut comes from the rear-end of Longissimus dorsi muscle just behind the ribs.  It is moderately tender with good marbling and an intense beefy flavor.  This is by far one of the favorites in all steakhouses.  This cut is easy to grill because it has less fat and therefore causes less flareups.  You can also pan-fry or broil it although obviously in terms of Argentine Asado this wouldn’t be acceptable let alone ideal.

The Tenderloin sold as Filet or filet mignon is cut from the central section of the Psoas major muscle.  It is an extremely tender piece of beef with a buttery texture.  It’s low in fat and because of this it is also relatively low in flavor.  The tenderloin tends to cook much faster than other cuts because it is so low in fat.  Pan-frying in oil and then basting it in butter is a common method of cooking because it adds some richness to this meat, which is prone to drying out.  Another popular method of cooking a filet mignon is to wrap it in bacon.  It’s essentially the same idea as the butter in that it helps to add some richness in flavor.

Another extremely popular cut we have is the T-Bone steak known as a porterhouse.  What’s cool about the T-bone is that you’re getting two different cuts in one.  It’s comprised of a piece of strip as well as a piece of tenderloin that’s separated by a T-shaped bone.  It comes from the front end of the short line.  Grilling is hands down the best method to cook this steak.  The only thing to be mindful of is overcooking the tenderloin before the piece of strip is done.  What is so convenient about grilling it is that you can control what section of the meat is near the hotter end of the grill.

 

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?

 

Argentina Steak: Quebracho

I am not a botanist. Nor do I have a particular understanding of nature. I know that trees grow and that occasionally they get chopped down and used as firewood to cook some meat and heat houses. There’s not a lot more to it than that, as far as I am concerned. But this entry is about Quebracho, a generic name given to a few tree species native to Argentina that are used by the most exacting of parrilleros. 

The term Quebracho is a corruption of quebrar (to  break) and hacha (axe), and refers to a collection of very hard woods that may or may not be genetically related. The term “ironwood” is used in English in a similar way in fact. The images of cracking axes and trees made of iron should provide a clue to the how these woods burn when used in an asado. If newspaper is a 0 in a scale of 0 to 10 in terms of hardness, quebracho is most definitely an 11.

It is important to note that of the entire Quebracho class, it is Quebracho blanco (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco) and Quebracho colorado (Schinopsis lorentzii and Schinopsis balansae variants) that are most commonly used for parrillas. Predictably and to add to the confusion, these two are of different species and not related at all. Each are extremely dense and hard.

Credit – Wikipedia

I’ve used Quebracho colorado a few times, and each time I’ve been amazed by how dense it is. When cut into pieces of about 20cm by 20cm (good luck chopping them yourself without breaking your axe) that are manageable for the parrilla they are still very heavy, easily passing a kilogram each. They take hours to break down into coals, but do so reliably, with a lot of heat and very little ash. This is important particularly for parrillas not only using wood, but also serving a large number of guests. If they were to use lighter firewood they would need enormous quantities and would spend a great deal of time restocking their fire rather than managing the meat on the grill. The flipside is of course that lighting a fire with Quebracho is difficult and generating coals requires some time and expertise. Readers familiar with the firewood versus coals debate will recall that anybody using firewood is probably a bit of a asado nerd; using Quebracho makes you an asado ultranerd.

But the fact that the ultranerds use it doesn’t take away from the fact that Quebracho is part of the intricate details of an asado. Much like the different cuts of meat have their own flavours, identities and secrets, using different kind of wood will drastically change the way that the fire burns. The fire itself is fundamental to the asado, and adapting to how every specific fire burns is part of any parrilero’s job. Doing an asado is an exercise in judgment, as the parrillero measures fire, coals and meat as well as his or her own alcohol intake along with keeping hungry and rowdy guests at bay. Using Quebracho is perhaps a guilty pleasure, as it isn’t cheap, but if you can appreciate the satisfaction of building a fire to cook your dinner, you can certainly appreciate the novelty of using some something capable of breaking axes to grill that delicate bife de lomo just right.

 

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.

 

Argentina Steak: Colita de Cuadril in Buenos Aires

Literally translated as the tail of the Rump Steak, the Colita de Cuadril is known in parts of the United States as Tri-tip or Newport steak. Unfortunately, the Colita de Cuadril doesn’t always get the recognition that it deserves as a cut for the grill. Ask for a Colita de Cuadril though at a steakhouse, and you might get a knowing look from the waiter indicating that you know what you are talking about.

Cut from below the sirloin, the area from where the mighty Bife de Chorizo is sculpted, the Colita de Cuadril has a triangular shape and typically weights at least 675 grams (1.5 pounds). It is a leaner cut of beef and has most of its fat around the outside and has little marbling, but is also tender and retains a lot of flavor, particularly if grilled carefully.

Three of them – That’s how good they are

As usual, salting the meat and letting the meat sit at room temperature before grilling is all that is necessary for preparation as the cut is quite lean and doesn’t need any trimming. Grilling carefully in this context means putting the entire piece on the grill over medium-low coals. Because the Colita de Cuadril typically thins out towards one of the tips of the triangle, the parrillero (grillmaster) must be careful to compensate and remember to keep this side over fewer coals so as to achieve an even grilling. The thinner nature of the cut also means that it will cook faster than a tira de asado for example, and in order for all the cuts to be served at the same time the colita de cuadril is usually one of the last cuts to go over the heat.

Because it contains less fat than other cuts, the Colita de Cuadril is best when it retains some pink in the middle and the juices are still flowing. It is also thin enough for anyone craving a primal fix of meat cooked blue, because a clever parrillero can warm the meat with actually cooking much beyond the outer edge of the meat. Once ready, it is cut across the triangle so that the slices are manageable and served, usually to much delight.

And here’s a tip that nobody at a steakhouse will tell you. The best thing about the colita de cuadril is that it is the ultimate day-after-steak-sandwich cut. Cold or warmed up, it doesn’t require the hassle of dealing with bones nor do you feel guilty about sticking top quality bife de lomo in a sandwich. Treat it correctly, and this cut will reward for you for trying something new and off the beaten track.

 

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.

 

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.