Backpacking South America

Argentina is known for its meat.  In fact, they eat more beef per capita than any other country (Wikipedia has the amount at 68kg/year – that’s 150 pounds).  So, we knew we were in for red meat, but just how much is overwhelming.

Heap of Meat – Our First Night

It was late, and we were tired and hungry.  It was our first night in Buenos Aires.  We were still adjusting to this schedule of not eating dinner until around 9:30, which is still early in most restaurants.  We had actually reached a point that first night where we were beyond hungry and just tired, but we knew we needed to eat something.  So, we walked around San Telmo, passing by restaurants, peeking in windows to see if anybody else was eating.  We had heard that most restaurants do not open for dinner before 9, however, we saw a number of places open, but no one seemed to be eating food.  So, “when in Rome…do as the Romans.”  So, we did. 

Despite our ache for food, we popped into a bar and grabbed a drink.  Here were our options:

Water: AR$6
Coca-Cola: AR$6.50
Beer: AR$10
Glass of Wine: AR$5

We ordered our first glass of wine, a very generous pour for only $1.50 US and a beer – about the same as the states.  We thought, wow, this is going to be a great journey.  After passing the time, it was about 9:45; we thought for sure people were eating dinner, but just not in our bar.  So we decided to move on and find some place serving food.  We couldn’t possibly be the only ones eating food in a restaurant.  We finally stumbled upon a place where people were eating.  We checked out the menu, couldn’t really distinguish the different cuts of beef, so we decided to give it a shot and be adventurous. 

At this point, I was not very hungry…it was almost 10:30.  I’m not use to eating this late…it’s almost bedtime.   Jared convinced me to order a steak – so I opted for a “Bifecita,” whatever cut it is…it should be small.  I also decided to order some papa fritas.  We scouted the restaurant to see if we could determine portion size, but couldn’t quite gauge what to anticipate.  Jared decided to order “Asado.”   From previous research, we knew Asado was a type of beef, similar to a roast.  (Well, please read the fine print.)  The server asked “for one?” but after the fact, we believe he said “for one!”  My Bifecita was the size of a normal steak.  So much for small.  Jared’s Asado…was actually four steaks.  And the papa fritas, were a huge portion.  We laughed so hard. 

Apparently, Asado is something that is shared amongst the table.  It can be even larger than the meal Jared received, but Jared asked for an Asado portion for one.  It’s a very popular meal choice, but it’s usually a meal that everyone takes part in.  Needless to say, there may not be enough moneda, but there is plenty of beef. 

And the meat just keeps coming…

By the end of our time in Buenos Aires, we had actually grown to love our beef dinners… and lunches.  We just became wise on what and how to order.  We know our cuts and we know when it is appropriate to share an order.  Below are two notable steak dinners we would like to share, conveniently, both restaurants offered a penguin of wine (which is about 2/3 of a bottle served in a penguin pitcher where the wine comes out the mouth) for 10-12 pesos (about $3.50).

Desnivel

Located in San Telmo, Desnivel is loved by tourists and locals alike.  It always seems to be full and is one of the few restaurants we found where eating dinner before 9 isn’t a lonely experience.  On our trip, we decided to attempt the Bife de Chorizo, which is a Sirloin.  We started by sharing a salad and using the chimichurri sauce on the bread (usually used as a steak sauce, but we decided it was better on bread).  We ordered the Penguino of wine and a side of papas fritas.  The starters were good and the salad was very welcomed given the heavy diet of meat and starches we ate that weak.  The steak was good, but we’ve found that we really prefer the bife de lomo (filet mignon) which is only slightly more expensive. 

This steak was slightly overcooked and a bit dry in the center.  So we weren’t overly impressed, but it was still a delicious meal that was deeply satisfying.

 Cholita

Located in Recoleta and a sister restaurant to Cumana, we gave this place a try on our first night in our new accommodations in Recoleta.  Jared ordered a bife de lomo quesadilla with a salad, papas fritas, sour cream and guacamole.  I swear salads aren’t very common; you really need to seek them out.  I ordered the bife de lomo, which turned out to be about the length of my torso.  Again, we ordered the penguin of wine to help us ease it all down. 

The quesadillas were a good break from the typical meal we had been eating, but the portions were enormous.  The strips of perfectly cooked lomo mixed inside the tortilla with the cheese and roasted in the wood fired oven was the perfect cap to the weekend for Jared.  My bife de lomo was incredible.  It was tender and cooked to perfection.  It retained all the juices and was incredibly delicate.  Surprisingly, I was able to get the whole thing down with only a little help from Jared. 

Cholita Strikes Back

It was the final meal and we were meeting up with Emily for dinner.  Our first choice was a bit crowded, so it was back to Cholita.  We had often been tempted to dive into the curious, strange meats that we had seen pass us in the restaurant, but were certain we couldn’t make a dent by ourselves.  So with a third person to help assault the meat, we ordered the parrilla completa.  What came out was a platter piled 3 meats high and 1 foot long – enough for a family barbeque, but served to only three people.  It included chicken, flank steak, filet mignon, sirloin, stomach (of some animal), intestines (of chicken I think), beef tongue (tasted like liver), chicken liver, beef sausage and blood sausage. 

We all tried at least a little of everything, and had plenty of wine to wash down the foul tastes.  It was an over-indulgence extravaganza.  But it felt good to have tasted and enjoyed (some parts more than others) a somewhat traditional argentine parrilla blowout.